Social Media, How can I live without you - Assignment Example

Social Media, How can I live without you? Social media, how can I live without you? This question is not rhetorical; it is genuine, which is simultaneously funny and sad. I do not pose this question with joy, addressing social media as a person, asking how I can live without her as if she is my beloved that fills me with happiness in ways no other entity can. The truth is that my question is an ironic confession. If I cannot live without social media, it means I am addicted to using this platform. It is not parallel to calling someone crazy if they cannot sleep without their favorite stuffed toy. The case of social media is much more complex than a teddy bear. I am confident that I am not alone in social media addiction; I cannot live without social media. When I wake up in the morning for my school, it is not the books or the newspaper I check. The moment I open my eyes I search for my smart phone under the pillow. If I cannot find it there, I panic. This is enough evidence that I feel incomplete without my social media device. The moment I find it I feel relieved. I immediately check for updates and messages that anyone could have sent me while I was asleep, not to mention that I usually go to sleep late at night because I am online on social media. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google+ are just a few social media names that everyone uses. The truth is social media are everywhere. All kinds of plug-ins and tools are available in games, blogs, news articles, where people can engage and add to the discussion of the blog. They share Facebook profiles and Twitter handles on these widgets to get along with each other even better. It is a privilege to get added to Facebook friends’ list of a person that one admires. Social media is another dimension. It is another kind of world with its unique rules. When one gets cut off from it only then they realize what they are missing. In my case, I realized that it is an actual biological craving that I need to have. If I panic or stress when I cannot engage on social media it is not just a mood swing, my body is attuned to using social media. I get happy when people tag me in their pictures or like my Facebook status. I create my social value by uploading my cool (socially desired) pictures. I need that attention on social media to get through the day. Social media is a drug, which is why the happiness it provides is only temporary. The addict needs to feed this addiction over and over again. The truth is that social media has not brought the world together as it should have. People complain about loneliness more than ever now. On average, people have over 200 friends in their social media pocket. Sadly, they are merely contacts that engage through binary language and fancy images. The Internet is both socially connecting and socially isolating at the same time (Young and Abreu 146). The way social media works is it allows the users to customize the social interaction to maximize the comfort. Among the high-end users such as high school and college students, social media provide a well-controlled social environment which suppresses the need for real interaction (Young and Abreu 146). This offers both a solution and poses a problem. On one hand it looks very convenient to have such an environment which is customized to someones liking but on the other hand it cuts down the natural mode of interaction. If I did not have social media, I would probably have to meet a person that I would want to avoid. Social media have given me the tools to remain socially acceptable yet preserving my comfort level. The term social media is a facade. The way it works is highly mechanical. It gives its users the illusion that they are social. The truth is that no one wants to admit that they do not get social (Amerland 58). The social media generation is in constant denial, and they are happy to live in this false reality. It gives them all the necessary distractions to stay away from the real life problems. Finding entertainment is not even work anymore. As soon as one connects to the Internet they get bombarded with messages of upcoming movies, music albums, promotions for rock concerts and countless irresistible gossip. This is the reality of the Internet. It might seem delinquent, but it has hooked on this generation, and living without it seems regressive. A lot of research is already available that investigates social software itself. The way this relates with other fields of interest like sociology and psychology, it offers special interests for researchers. For instance, research suggests that young people spend approximately 30 minutes or more on Facebook every day. It forms part of their routine and ventures out into more than one communication styles (Giudice 23). The behavior exhibited on Facebook can be traced back to three core drivers; socializing, self-status seeking, information and entertainment (Giudice 23). Now these drivers are primary, and every human seeks them in one way or the other. The dilemma with social media is it makes it much easier for everyone to engage in these behaviors. My fondness with Facebook is very strange because I am aware of its adverse impacts. I am aware that I do not go out much when I am active on Facebook. I acknowledge that my physical interaction with my friends has considerably lessened with the use of social media. These are my common observation when researchers propose even more threatening impact of social media addiction. For instance, a research conducted among 342 Australian undergraduate students between the age of 18-25 years, showed that Facebook engagement was directly and negatively impacted their real life relationships (Rosenberg, Paul and Feder 133). The study suggested that high levels of Facebook intrusion can spill over into romantic relationships that can lead to jealousy and dissatisfaction in relationships (Rosenberg, Paul and Feder 133). Despite these facts, Im still addicted to this fantasy world of Facebook. The emotional factor on social media is a huge attraction for many people. A person can find a group on any topic of his interest. For instance, to reach out to people who are interested in philosophy a person only has to search for groups on social websites and they will find a number of groups on the subject. They can engage in endless debate about every philosopher known to mankind. This is an emotional pull in social media that attracts a vast population. This trend is very hard to resist because it feeds the primal need for knowledge and sharing information. The emotional appeal on social media is not always positive because a lot of abuse and online trolling goes on everywhere in the web universe. A negative comment by anyone would generate flocks of people berating and humiliating this comment. This conversation transforms into a kind of an online battle that engages more people and invites even a bigger audience. This is a rush in itself because an online troll or an abuser that likes to defeat people in online debates would crave for it every day to repeat his performance. And get more likes (support from readers) on his comment or response. My opinion about social media is not very encouraging. I believe that the mind is an organ that seeks constant distractions. Human beings are naturally lazy and seek comfort. Technology has made our lives considerably easier and efficient. But it has also provided us such useful tools that we have started to live in distractions only. Social media offer enormous distractions. Of course, there are pros for social media as well; it has made communication much easier for everyone. Anyone can engage with their favorite author on their Facebook page. But it is same as watching healthy programs on television or seeking a healthy informative company in college and the neighborhood. But it is not always the case. To conclude, I would stick to my original thesis that I cannot live without social media. I have already engaged too much with it that I depend on social media for my studies, research, communication, entertainment, and even business and marketing. I can only gradually decrease my dependence on this medium because eventually I have my own life to live. It is a familiar observation that when a person is not actively engaging on Internet they tend to be more productive in their physical world. Either they go out for a walk or socialize in a public place, which is much healthier and socially productive than typing, sharing, liking, tagging and posting on social media. References Amerland, David. Social Media Mind: How Social Media Is Changing Business, Politics and Science and Helps Create a New World Order. S.l.: Cool Publications, 2012. Print. Giudice, Manlio Del, Della Peruta Maria Rosaria, and Elias G. Carayannis. Social Media and Emerging Economies Technological, Cultural and Economic Implications. Cham: Springer, 2013. Print. Young, Kimberly, S. & Cristiano Nabuco de Abreu. Internet Addiction: A Handbook and Guide to Evaluation and Treatment. NJ: John Wiley & Sons. 2010. Print. Rosenberg, Kenneth Paul., and Laura Curtiss Feder. Behavioral Addictions: Criteria, Evidence, and Treatment. New York: Academic, 2014. Print. Read More