THE IRONIC 'ALONENESS' OF
SOCIAL MEDIA
Let's face it, we all love
Social Media. The ability to "Reach Out" and not touch someone is
more pervasive than ever, and actually reaching out and touching seems fraught
with more and more complications. Every time we leave the computer. There is
nothing simpler than having an entirely vague, anonymous & platonic
relationship with someone on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, Reddit, Pinterest, or
the tens of thousands of our favourite forums seems to be an acceptable station
in life. When your friends ask you, “Whatchya do last night?’. Replying, “I
spent a couple hours on Twitter and Facebook, had some coffee and went to bed
with my cat.”, seems perfectly acceptable. Forget the fact that you were asked
to go to the club or bar with some “buddies” from work, or the gym, or your
Brother, but you had a fun time… DIDN’T YOU??? These online entities you call ‘friends’
or you ‘follow’ share the same ideas , morals, time constraints, don’t they?
Philosophies? Hobbies? It's not like going for a coffee or sharing a ride home
from work... you can't logoff when you've that deep of a commitment. Social
Media comes with no "Baggage", and it really does seem that it comes
with little or no Caveats.
Social media has certainly redefined
and expanded the absolute number of human social interactions. A qualitative
look at how we use these media to interact with others, however, sheds light on
an ironic fallout from its use: social media can actually enhance physical
isolation, loneliness and detachment from others.
Socially Prolific, but
Physically Isolated. While our personal social interaction with others has increased,
we spend more and more time being physically isolated. We share our lives
through a media that we can’t fully comprehend; with people that actually makes
solitary experience seem bearable and completely enjoyable, because it has the
approval of everyone you know.
As traditional physical
interaction is decreased, did you know or were you aware that you are being
increasingly replaced by virtual ‘Friend-World’? This decline in physical
connectivity has an amazing impact in how we comport ourselves with others. What
would have hospitalized you a decade ago as asymptomatic of an impending sociopathic
or psychopathic collapse, is actually being accepted as normal behaviour. Allow
me to ask you this; ‘When was the last time that you walked the sidewalk, and
somebody actually smiled at you in passing?’ Think of these two possibilities…
1) They weren’t looking at you because they were talking into their cell-phones
or texting or playing an app... OR 2) They didn’t have one out. I’m not excluding
looking down at their iPods, iPads, or iPhones. Any device will do… MP3
players, Beautiful Watches… anything. It seems that our ‘technological defenses’
are cross-overs, or comfortable accessories to our “Socially Prolific, but
Physically Isolated World” that we have, in all likelihood, allowed into our
lives, even if it was an unrecognized stranger, or the “way you were brought up”.
You’ve allowed it never the less.
MORE TO COME…
