Social Media: A Weird Heat Companion

I have a complex relationship with social media, and I suspect most other people do as well. On the one hand, there is something entertaining about easily staying in communication with friends and family. People are reunited across great distances as if they were still in the same town or neighborhood or school. But this idyllic impression of social media is soon lost in practicality. On the other hand, social media can waste time at best and engender abuse, horde personal information, and spread falsehoods at the very worst. We are at a point where, I speculate, social media is responsible for the decisions made in most facets of our lives. This is mostly not provable, because the entities of Facebook, Twitter, et al. are so broad.

It is easier to look at social media as two separate concepts: “social” plus “media.”

For a long time, I have been struck by the ridiculousness of the seeming validity of social media. To judge oneself by the amount of friends, followers, likes, and reposts is not an accurate representation of our true selves. But the social qualities of various platforms is undeniable. It is a quick, easy way to surround yourself with like-minded individuals, united around themes and conversations. This can form, however, the dreaded “echo chamber” of too many people all in agreement. How social is that?

Furthermore, the virtual nature of these products means participants in online conversations lose the physical interaction. This means people can say whatever they want to whomever they want with little or no repercussions. For the vast majority of us, human decency is enough to keep us civil. But for a few people, hiding behind a screen is all that is needed for negativity to come out, which will only spawn more hatred. No social media platform is safe from rampant meanness.

The other larger problem with social media is the actual media half. The common complaint with media, however well-founded, is that it is a business and only shows us a sensationalized picture. Unfortunately, social media does the same thing. When you have a system of individuals sharing ideas, the same stories are naturally going to rise to the top. Therefore, readers have to work harder to evaluate information, work which is not always done. We have all been guilty of misreading a story online.

All that said, I still turn to social media as a lens for events. Instead of being the be-all-end-all integral to the goings-on of our world, social media is an effective tool to cultivate and bear witness to mass opinions. It is a forest, and our opinions are the trees. But we cannot get lost in the forest. And when discussions lose civility, I’ve had enough. Social media is just a tool; it shouldn’t be turned to drive people apart.