The idea of
being able to communicate and interact with people we may have never met from
any place in the world without having to leave the confines of our home is a
profound concept and it is currently our reality. Social media, like print, was
meant for the worldwide spread of ideas but today it seems to have taken on a
whole new different purpose.
Social
media sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter do in fact
connect people from all over the world but at the same time they work as something
similar to an online journal open for the public to see. I think we as a
society have grown to be more self-indulgent rather than socially or self aware.
When we post on social media sites, it’s not necessarily to inform or inspire
others with our ever-so profound thoughts; we are more or less trying to
document moments in our lives and hoping to receive recognition from others in
order to validate the “coolness” of our lives.
Though I
don’t really post much, I am still guilty of not taking full advantage of social
media in order to spread ideas or connect with people around the world but
instead use it to fulfill my need to be entertained at any time of day. When I
go onto my Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest, I’m not looking to be educated on
current events or participate in an online discussion of ideas; I’m trying to kill
time between classes and maybe see what my friends are up to wherever they are.
Sometimes I do catch up on current events while I’m on social media but only
the ones that are trending on Facebook or Twitter.
I think
social media technologies might replace print as our main source of information
because social media sites cater to the individual’s interests. You choose who
and what you follow, befriend, like, etc. so in a way it weeds out most of the
things that are of no interest to you and sprinkles in items that the people
you follow or are friends with are interested or talking about and that becomes
the way in which we receive information. Along with this individualized system
of information, the visual aspects such as short media clips, images, and memes
make social media a more entertaining way for us to stay somewhat informed,
which is something that print struggles to do.
I would like to start by saying I think your thoughts on individuals needing to be validated through posting on social media is completely accurate. I know people who actually get upset when they don't get a certain number of likes on their picture posted on Instagram, I just don't understand. The thing I most enjoy while swiping through my social media accounts are the people who are just being themselves, and don't pay mind to what anyone else thinks. Those who use social media sites to inspire are certainly valuable to this realm of technology, and are a rare breed. I do agree with you that even though social media has become somewhat of a dairy to some, it can be a good place for youth to view and speak about current events, and get their voice heard by larger audiences, such as sharing stories and links on Facebook. The spread of information, as well as how quickly it spreads it astounding, something those who were working the Gutenberg printing press couldn't even begin to imagine.
ReplyDeleteI could not agree more with your post Victoria. I think that when social media was first created, the idea was so that news could travel quickly to other people. However, there is a theme of individualization that has taken over. People want to comment about what's happening in their lives more often than what is happening around the world. I also agree with your point on what we choose to pay attention to. Whoever we follow on social media, whatever we subscribe to, is all we are shown on that social media network. We limit what we view, and in that case we get a skewed perspective on the world. It's interesting how little we actually know, and the fact that we placed those limits on ourselves.
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