BLOG #5

“…People’s view of social media have grown a bit darker. That’s because we seem to be hitting some sort of saturation level. Being online isn’t just something we do. It has become who we are, transforming the very nature of the self.” – David Brooks.

Social media is supposed to be a way for us people to be able to connect to each other without being actually in front of each other. It’s supposed to be a way for us to talk to our family or friends that are across the world. Now social media has been used for just more than that. People get online and begin to socialize and talk down on others knowing they couldn’t do that in person. It’s easier to live online than it is in the real world. People feel as if “I can be whoever I want” while online. It’s so much easier to pretend to be someone you’re not.

That’s where “catfish” have been created. Catfish is when you are a fictional person online, in other words you pretend to be someone you’re not. People think it’s easier to live online and just think they can live the double life. You are one person on and offline. People have misused social media in so many ways.

Another problem is we the people have grown addicted to our phone screens. “According to a British study, we check our phones on average 221 times a day --- about every 4.3 minutes.” -David Brooks. That is a lot of times per day. There are only 24 hours in a day, 8 hours we’re at least in school or at work, another 8 hours should be dedicated to sleep, that’s 16 hours, and the other 8 hours is dedicated to whatever. If every 4 minutes we look at our phones that’s 6 hours a day dedicated to just our phones. “A decade ago almost no one had a smart phone. Now the average American spends five and half hours a day with digital media, and the young spend far more time.” -David Brooks.  Why have we’ve grown so addicted to our phones? Because, of social media and the fear of feeling left out. Always wanting to feel a part of something, mainly because no one wants to feel alone. Everyday something is published online whether it’s true or not, people buy into it. Even if they knew it wasn’t the truth they will still want to put their two cents in. And if you’re not in the mix, then you’re out and that’s when you feel alone, and left out. Everyone’s on the next big thing while you are still trying to catch up. That’s not how we should be living our lives. We need to communicate more in person than, online because we are losing what we have known as humanity. We’re letting robots take over the world. We need to open our eyes.