The social media tragedy
It has been a long time coming but the curse of the social media is constantly upon us. There is no doubt that it has many positives but the negative social values that it introduces continue to bother me. I shall list them below to see your take on them
a) The latest trend in social media stunts to increase likes and pump up followership is disturbing. Only recently a young man in the Middle East held out his toddler nephew through the window of a high rise building to increase his social media status and garner more likes for himself.
b) The trend in a) is reconfirmed in a YouTube video showing a young lady fatally shooting her boyfriend with the belief that he will not die because he had protected himself with a fat book. This was expected to be a stunt that will increase their ratings on their social media platform. This was planned for almost a month with family members advising them not to do it and all of this fell on deaf ears and of course the young man died and for me this was the height of dumbness. I can deal with a certain level of dumbness if somebody is not hurt physically and emotionally but these days, dumbness is at an all-time high and it simply gets my goat. I have often wondered how it is that children and young persons with access to social media as young as seven can bully their peers to the point where suicide becomes the only exit for the bullied young person. How do social media bullies feel when their social media community is responsible for another person’s death? We really ought to step back and see what we have created, humanity versus technology. What really ought to be the middle ground? I foresee a time when human to human contact will be so diminished that our phones will do all the talking on our behalf, It is already happening in the western world. Africa is a community-based continent and when westerners taste of this continent, they never want to leave and honestly this is principally because of our community spirit. This is what we are giving up, it will seem to me, as we inculcate the negatives of social media, reckless abuse etc. Note must be made to all social media users young and old that freedom must always come with responsibility.
c) I find it disturbing that medical doctors, researchers and psychiatrists have found snap chat, Instagram, Twitter and other social media Apps more addictive than alcohol. That should tell us a lot about how we romance our phones and fail to take heed when we are being stressed out by Apps. This need to constantly be validated by others, the need to increase your likes and the sadness that comes when you are unfollowed has become the bane of modern society.
d) In relation to the above it is worrying that increased social media activities especially among young people has being linked to depression and anxiety disorders.
e) The Swiss have come up with a dumb phone which has no Apps whatsoever. They have created a phone in the likeness of the original phone which is fancy to look at but is guaranteed not to drive you insane, limiting its function to phone calling, phone answering and text messaging. This is considered revolutionary.
f) Our brains always need some quiet time. Social media is our third life after family and work. Cutting off for a while and going on a phone fast can be extremely beneficial. I am particularly famous for letting my phone ring endlessly on occasion, on some days and especially when I’m on vacation. If your phone rings and you don’t answer sometimes, except it is an emergency, I can assure you that no one is going to die. Consciously put it away for an hour and call back in your time and feel the pressure drop. It is the reason why spas and retreats deny you your phone when you walk through their door and a certain calmness envelopes you.
g) Please note that in some Asian countries there are detox clinics for social media and computer addiction. It is extremely difficult to overcome so don’t make your phones, Apps, Instagram and Twitter accounts run your life for you. Be the master of your technology not the other way around.
h) I have often wondered why downloading some things especially for millennial users is free in the night. If your teenager is encouraged to get freebies in the night, then they are sleep deprived. How are they expected to function in the daytime? This also applies to adults who find free browsing opportunities or App download in the night. Your guess is as good as mine about how effective they are in the daytime.
STOP PRESS: Honolulu bans texting while walking across the road imposing fines as high as ninety dollars for third time offenders and Fifteen to thirty-five dollars for first time offenders.
A word is enough for the wise!
Eugenia Abu