Is social media getting tired?
Thanksgiving is upon us. A time where people get together, sit around the table and eat and eat and eat. It is a time to connect. Sure we will see all the photos of our meals, of our friends, of our tables but I just sense something is changing.
Social media has given us the tools to constantly connect, to share and quite frankly not to have physical conversations but the posting of photos seems to be ebbing and it is now more about the video streams of the day at the same time less seems like more.
Perhaps it is the craziness of the world around us these days which includes the realization that Facebook, Google, and Twitter are collecting mass amounts of data on all of us and the Russians have taken full advantage of manipulating the system. Perhaps we have reached a peak of a desire to get back to some basics and we fear that robots will take over our lives. Or that we will never have to leave the house to get anything because Amazon has our back. Or that seeing people at outings not talking to each other but all looking at their phones have finally upset our moral core. Or perhaps we have just made the ability to get information seamlessly part of our daily lives.
I am sure it is a multitude of reasons. Technology has changed the way we live our lives, how we connect with people, how we keep our personal diaries, how we build audiences for products, how we educate ourselves, how we manufacture, how we create and so much more and that is a really amazing thing. The underlying foundation of technology is amazing yet it feels as if the social pieces are ready for a new cadence. I am not sure what it is but there are a lot of factors out there that are starting to point to the desire of returning to some order of social simplicity.
Comments (Archived):
I most certainly am of it.
Someone even pointed out to me that when she takes the subway coming in that people used to all be on their phones coming up the stairs. Not as much these days. Social media has become more informational
very interesting and sharp conversation you began
So very yes and so timely.
I’ve barely touched social media since election day last year. Ive barely listened to or read the news. I’ve just wanted to pull the blanket over my head and make it all go away. The election made us realize how insulated we are from “the other team”, that we’re not actually changing any opinions by posting on social media, because we select friends who agree with us anyway. So maybe that realization makes us feel ineffectual to change the world like we thought we could on that platform. Personally, after realizing 1) I had zero sway over how the election turned out in the US, 2) what “the other team” actually looks like, and 3) that otherwise credible news sources could mislead its readers into thinking they were getting the real scoop when they weren’t, I’ve drastically pulled in to focus on the lives in my immediate environment.
Yes. The peace achieved by removing Twitter and Facebook from my phone has made days more peaceful and interaction far more meaningful. I have found myself enjoying friends’ photography on instagram as well as reading long-form articles far more frequently.
How nice is that?