It was inevitable to say the least. Social
media, as a tool, has blown up over the years with Twitter, Instagram, Facebook
and Snapchat becoming part of our daily routines.
We wake up and check our phones, constantly trawling
through updates from our friends and family on the numerous platforms the World
Web offers.
We constantly travel with our phones in
our hands, typing away, headphones in, searching for WiFi on the tube just so
we can be connected with each other. Why are we so afraid to put the
devices down?
I won't preach here because I am a
culprit myself. I plug my phone in at night and put my phone under my pillow. I use my phone as an alarm clock so when my phone goes
off, I hit the snooze button (of course) before going through my social media
for updates. I mean, why on earth would I have unread notifications
overnight? But, I do. Because everyone’s on social media all times
of the day.
We are bombarded with ways in which to
stay connected with each other via messaging services such as iMessage,
WhatsApp, and emails. There's no time to relax, our phones are never turned off
and our brains are constantly on overdrive.
Black Mirror’s first episode of Series 3 on Netflix, aptly named
'Nose Dive' reveals the dark satire of modern technology; it perfectly
portrayed the effects of social media on our mental wellbeing. It envisions
a world in which we're completely dependent upon social media. Each of us
chases after a desirable "rating" - an average score that's affected
by everything from that sideways glance you gave the woman walking past you on
your commute to the lack of enthusiasm you displayed for the coffee your
barista handed you. We rely heavily on likes and approval from our peers
to appear to have a solid social standing. The more followers you have
the more important you are. Everyone is judged on their social media presence.
Should you only have 100 followers, you are a nobody. You’re not as cool
as the other people.
What's frightening is that 'Nosedive'
shows the reality is not too far-fetched from the show. Imagine if you combined
your Uber rating with the amount of likes you got on Facebook and the number of
replies you received on Twitter in the last month. Now imagine that that
singular rating determined everything about your life, from where you worked to
the home you were eligible to live in.
A psychological principle called the
"hedonic treadmill" is the real fuel that would, in theory, drive us
toward this pathetic and debilitating future. In essence, because we're always
on the hunt for that next thing that'll make us feel good, it's almost
impossible for us to just be — and just being, research
suggests, is one of the key ways to feel truly happy.
People or Profiles?
There’s so many attributes of social media that we are
missing from real life interactions that I am afraid that as a society, we will
forget how to really interact with each other if everything is done behind a
computer screen. As a creative, most of my work is always done via a
computer, phone and online but one thing I insist upon is interacting. Whether
it's through interviewing talented creatives, talking to potential interviewees
and clients, part of the writing experience is to share stories.
However, in social media’s defence, it
is an extremely powerful tool to spread awareness, market products etc.
You reach a far wider audience than you would if you were relying on word of mouth. Social media allows you to reach and connect with communities globally,
which is something you wouldn’t otherwise be able to do unless you travelled
constantly. It opens a gateway to other cultures, religions, and beliefs and it
does bring people together.
My own attitude to social media has changed quite a
bit recently after noticing recently meeting up with a friend revolved around 'Taking
pics for the 'gram!". I realised after our catchup, her
pictures were uploaded straightaway and a profile picture update shortly
followed . . . it got me thinking about my own actions and whether I could
change my online presence differently. I have thousands of pictures stored away
on my phone for memories but not all of them are uploaded. I don't need to rely
on the satisfaction of knowing how much fun everyone needs to know I'm having
to what I am up to but surely enough there comes a fine line in being a person vs being a profile presence. I know which one I'd rather be and live in the
moment more. Sure enough, I've started to put my phone away when going out, only occasionally taking pictures of my food
to turning off my mobile data for social media apps when travelling.
However,
Social media has helped me but it has
also hindered me. I have found myself in a predicament where in order to
spread awareness about my work and finding opportunities, I need to use social
media to reach more people.
However it gets to the point where it becomes overly relied upon to the point of constantly needing to check updates and having an online presence. It’s time to take regular breaks from social media and spend more time with each other in real life, creating real life memories, rather than living through a computer screen.
However it gets to the point where it becomes overly relied upon to the point of constantly needing to check updates and having an online presence. It’s time to take regular breaks from social media and spend more time with each other in real life, creating real life memories, rather than living through a computer screen.
But first, let's check our ranking.
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