In today’s
day and age, technology and social media have taken a large step into consuming
our lives. Most people use smart phones, have laptops/tablets, and use Facebook
as a main mode of communication. Today’s generation doesn’t seem to understand
what it’s like to not be connected to the world instantly. They see something,
and they want it NOW. They can’t wait for anything. It has to be instantaneous
or it’s not good enough.
Gone are
the days where you actually called someone to talk to them. Texting has become
the mainframe of communication among most people, to allow multitasking. While
that’s all well and good, what about spending time with the people you are
spending time with, and talking to that other person later? What happened to
values and morals?
Social media seems to have replaced
the ideal of having person to person contact. It has become a playground for
online harassment and bullying. It has turned into a weapon more than a help.
Hiding behind a computer makes it so much easier to talk trash, and make others
feel worthless. It’s something that has always bothered me, and while I sit
here and write this, all I can think about is the ABC Family movie, Cyber Bully. This movie is the perfect
example of what happens when people push to hard to be better than others.
Where people get the joy of hurting
others via the internet, I will never know. If making someone else feel like a
pile of dirt gets you through the day, I would recommend getting help. Seeing
other people in pain is something I have never enjoyed, and being the reason
would be even worse. Posting something on a friend’s wall, with the intention
of upsetting or hurting someone else really truly shows the level of the person
doing the hurting. I understand being friendly, having a crush on someone,
whatever. But using those feelings to hurt someone else and make them question
everything they have ever been told? Wrong. On so many levels.
I am obviously a social media user
myself.. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, blogging, etc. And for a while, I used
them almost obsessively. I was updating everything so much, it was ridiculous.
After taking a serious look at my social media usage, I realized that not everyone
needs to know exactly what I’m doing at every moment of every day. I almost
started to make a joke out of what I do, when I post, for the sheer humor of
life.
I fear for the future of this
generation, and the generations to come. They will never know what it’s like to
actually go outside and hang with friends. They will never know what life is
like, not connected to the internet at all times. They will never know how to
talk to each other and have a face to face conversation, speaking what is really
on their mind, because of technology and social media. What they will know how
to do, is talk about others online, publicly. They will know how to catalog
every step and moment of their life. They will know how to text their feelings,
and never come out and say to someone “I need to talk about this..it’s
important to me.” They will know how to bully people and hurt them with words,
hiding behind a computer screen.
I am not innocent in that I post a lot
on Facebook/Twitter. However, I am working on what I post, so that it does not
hurt anyone, but instead, brings them laughter and joy. I aim to be the light
of someone’s life. The reason they smile. I hope that children will realize
that this is a far more important ideal than feeling BETTER than someone else,
because you have what someone else wants. Or they are so insecure in themselves
that making someone else feel bad is the only way to feel better.
Social media should be used as a form
of SOCIAL communication. A way to communicate without making someone’s life
absolutely miserable.
