Thoughts Regarding Social Media

I was born in 1992, so my memories of technology growing up consist of VCRs, Walkmans, Windows 95, cord phones and car phones, and floppy disks.  I remember memorizing close relatives’ phone numbers, being kicked off the internet if a phone call was being expected, and the burgeoning use of instant messaging which introduced the world to some extremely embarrassing screen-names.  I consider myself to be in the last generation that lived in a time where technology was a cool addition to life, but did not need to be a part of our every waking hour.   

We live in an age where we have access to information that our parents, and their parents, never dreamed of growing up with.  Gone are the days where if you took a wrong turn driving that you had to pull off road and hope that your map or a stranger knew where to point you.  Kids with a smart phone no longer need to rely on their parents to teach them fundamental life skills, because there are several hundred internet boards providing thousands of opinions on how to cook a grilled cheese.  People even have a direct venue to their favorite celebrities through Twitter or Facebook, and can now base their daily happiness on if they get a retweet from someone as morally bankrupt as Justin Bieber.  My mom has told me that she cannot imagine what she would have done if she could have been in contact with Paul McCartney back in the Sixties, and I cannot imagine wanting her to imagine those tweets.  

Yes, technology and, in extension, social media has completely changed the way people view the world now and it has also changed the way people communicate with each other.  People are now accustomed to the quick text of “How r u?” or “luv u honey” as a way of communicating with their friends, family, and loved ones and, aside from the lack of grammar skills, it is a bit disturbing to me of how much stake people put into constant communication.  You shouldn't have to be in constant contact with people for them to know you care about them or want to hang out with them.  Keep it simple and to the point so that your in-person interaction is the substance of your friendship or relationship. 

Facebook and Twitter are two things I am extremely fascinated by.  As a precursor, at the time of writing this, I only use Facebook for my online presence.  I do not have a Twitter for the reasons that I do not think my life is interesting enough to tweet about constantly and because it could give me one extra thing to stare at on my phone instead of enjoying my real life.  Who knows?  Maybe I’ll have a Twitter eventually so that my two followers will get updates on what sandwich I’m eating for lunch with the accompanying #hashtag that I would add to all of my tweets.

  

It is very arguable that social media is a way for fundamentally savvy people to mold their image positively online and I, personally, have previously taken great interest in observing Facebook friends who I believe actively make themselves out to be a better version than they are in person.  That is not to say that they are not good people in real life, but the lengths people will go to in order to get a lot of “Likes” or comments is absolutely intriguing to me.  Science has proven that humans receive happy stimuli when they see the notification alert on Facebook and whatever it is Twitter alerts you with, and I completely understand that, but to what extent are we losing ourselves in real life as we augment our virtual one?  Do your own thing online and don't let the potential thoughts of others be the driving force behind your decisions.  It's not healthy and it's not as sneaky as you think it is.

  

In defense of our growing social media, though, I absolutely love the fact that it really can be used for good.  Seeing a friend’s post online regarding his or her recent engagement does make me legitimately happy for them and I can send a private message online wishing them the best even though he or she lives halfway across the country and I have not seen them in half a decade.  An online reposting of a notice for an unmarried, supposedly friendless veteran’s funeral can bring together a thousand people to pay their respects for the unsung hero.  Personally, I think I overuse the Facebook "Like" button compared to most people because I am legitimately enjoying whatever it is my friends are posting. The simple connections through Facebook are what make me stay on it, and I wish that everyone recognizes the good that can come from a strong online presence.

Overall, I think social media is a positive milestone in human development but, as Uncle Ben said before he was killed, "With great power comes great responsibility." Don't misuse the ability to tweet at your favorite band, or make a Facebook status for your friend's page that says "I love smelling my own poop."  Just play it as cool online as you play it in real life and I promise you that you'll be happy.