Social media for me is like a double edged sword. I believe the purpose of social media is a good one that connects us all through a shared, informational and interactive sphere. It’s able to bring people closer together so we can see what different things are being shared and what type of popular trends are being followed. At the same time though, it creates distance from one user to the next by not engaging them with their immediate surroundings. In the act of trying to connect with a wider community, we are in reality separating ourselves from each other when we zone into our smart phone or computers.
This week I have been thinking about how I use social media and how my attention to things change when engaged through my experience with devices. I have created an attention log this week. I think it is important to find the distinction between the technology of a phone and the technology of a laptop or computer as they are different devices with different designs. There is a different way to use these technologies, for example when I get on my computer I usually go on Facebook, YouTube, Reddit and some other sites including news and video games. When my laptop is open I am usually sitting upright at a desk, this makes me more productive, I find a clear distinction between work and play when I am on my laptop. When it comes to my light weight super computer that is my phone, that is a different story... My phone is a smaller device so I can get comfortable on my couch or on my bed and lay down and find myself going through my different applications and see what my friends are posting, what is going on in the world, and following up on my subscriptions. I also find it the best platform to connect with people you know. All I need to do is press the screen with my finger to get me from one interface to the other. What has come to light during this week of focusing on my attention is the fact that I can lose my focus and direction by easily getting sidetracked by my phone, it’s almost like getting sucked into a vacuum of procrastination and there is very little you can do about it, and I think that is a bad thing. The lines between work and play are blurred when it comes to my mini super computer. After this experiment I have realized that I need to be more aware of how I am using this small, power and a little scary device.
On another topic, the way in which I navigate these social programs through my different devices has been revealed. I have realized perhaps in the wake of the first 2016 presidential debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, I have been using my social media as a way of getting information that is current and sheds light on the mainstream events. From seeing what my friends post, to having myself interact through my wall and other people’s walls. What stands out the most to me is the habit forming of waiting on some big news or breaking discovery in general. Sometimes I will be on my phone, searching for the next big story or headline, and I can exhaust myself going through my applications looking for this story and find nothing. I think this action is important to analyze because often I am spending time searching for something, but the something is abstract in this case, and whether or not it’s actually there or not I am using my time on it.
In reflection, I am comfortable with the way in which I unconsciously engage my electronic devices and my engagement on social media. I think it is important to constantly change your habits and create new ways of interacting within the digital world. I believe it is an important goal to change the way you see yourself using social media or programs of that nature because it is a personal test to see how you can take on a challenge. As a species we are evolving and when it comes to a technological advancement like the internet and social media, it is important to try and be on the cutting edge because that is where progress begins.
I believe in balance, so I think that too much social media is a bad thing, and to little might not be enough. I would compare it with the tale of Goldilocks, you need have the relationship to devices and social media just right in order to get the proper user-experience you need.
