Who Knew Social Media Could Be So Anti-Social?

We are addicted to our phones.  They’re the first thing we reach for when we wake up, and the last thing we put down before we go to sleep.  They’re our constant line of communication with outside world—all of it—for better or for worse.

The internet has brought with it a wealth of easily accessible knowledge and opportunity for the average consumer, but with that has arisen a new challenge for humanity: we must discern whether the information with which we are constantly bombarded is valuable or not.  Yet, this task is not as simple as it might seem at first glance, because often the decision of whether or not we absorb new intellectual material is a passive one.

The notion of mindlessly perusing[1] Facebook as a source of diversion is, just that, mindless.  We spend countless hours inhaling a collage of seemingly arbitrary media, whose quality is questionable at best, and ignorant or offensive at worst.  Admittedly, I'm the one posting half of this shit.  Nevertheless, we are often completely dissociated with the alternative of spending time doing something else—anything else.

The fact of the matter is that people have survived without iPhones for the entirety of human existence.  We pride ourselves on our ability to learn, analyze, create—our ability to actively seek psychological satisfaction.  The internet, at first, was the key that opened a vault of knowledge that, for most, was traditionally hidden behind lock and key.  Yet, it seems that we have come to a point where our dependence on virtual reality has compromised our social tendencies indefinitely.

We have, in effect, replaced social diversion of all forms with one that from a practical perspective is markedly inferior.  We forgo news articles written by professional journalists, and, instead, settle for tweets written by otherwise unremarkable strangers.  Instead of meeting face to face, we meet on FaceTime.  We consume every void moment[2], competing for likes and retweets, perpetuating an artificial social responsibility that we created for ourselves.

Suddenly, people have become more concerned with if it looked like they were having fun in their photos, than if they actually had a good time.  Similarly, we have convinced ourselves that studying and acquiring an acute knowledge[3] of this virtual reality is a valuable use for a shockingly large portion of our time.[4]  This is not by the explicit fault of anyone’s own, however, but rather, by our implicit ignorance of this problem's overwhelming pervasiveness.

As a result, without even realizing it, we've allowed social media to consume our lives.  I think it's about time we do something about it.

---

[1] I fear, I may be one of the minority who describes their admitted Facebook overuse in such rhetorical terms.

[2] Before Candy Crush was a thing, people read books on the toilet!

[3] This acquisition of knowledge is more commonly referred to as Facebook stalking.

[4] I got a Facebook account when I was 13 years old—if I spent two hours a day on Facebook until I was 80, I’d have logged about 48,776 hours on the world’s most popular social media outlet, by my best estimate (that’s more than 5 years).

#socialbutterfly

            I don’t know how to write in cursive.  I gave up real soccer in favor of FIFA 10 for Xbox.  My favorite way to socialize is by playing Words with Friends on Facebook.

            As I sit here, typing away on my laptop, I’m also chatting on Facebook and mindlessly perusing the Internet through Stumbleupon.  When I’m done with this post, the first thing I’ll do is tweet about it.  Later, I’ll check up on my fantasy football team, with opening day fast approaching.  I’ll read about my beloved Orioles losing again per usual.  Perhaps I’ll test my knowledge on sporcle, or check out the latest fools to make their way onto tosh.0.

            Don’t get me wrong; computers are great.  I could sit for hours chatting up a storm with people I’d never speak to in person.  Browsing twitter can be one of the most amusing pastimes, and nothing beats a good youtube video.  But lets take a minute to consider what else I could be doing on this pleasant Sunday afternoon.

            Today is the last day of the Baltimore Grand Prix; events began at 8 AM and won’t end until 5 in the evening.  After a summer of boiling temperatures, the weather is finally nice enough to play some touch football or simply stroll through the neighborhood.  I haven’t ridden my bike in years, and my basketball sits in my garage yearning for me to pick it up and shoot some hoops.  There are dozens of restaurants where I could enjoy a nice meal; I’m always up for a Chipotle burrito, or a hamburger at Fuddruckers.  I have a closet full of books I’ve never read, and a list of about 7 college essays to write.  After two days of school I already have plenty of homework to deal with.

            I have 30 followers on twitter and 679 alleged friends on facebook, but I occupy my couch alone.  I’m a keystroke away from hundreds of girls, but I still can’t seem to find a date.  What really lies behind all the texts, wall posts, and videochats?

            So while you sit in front of your computer, reading this post, take a minute and think about what else you could be doing.  Your computer will always be waiting for you, but life will move on without you.  Don’t be like me.  Go out Sunday afternoon; see your friends, eat good food, relax.  Your life is what you make it, and Facebook can only take you so far.