Life in a digital world: The hidden truth
The implications of living in a digital world
In recent years, ever-advancing technology has transformed the lifestyles of millions around the globe. With the global digital transformation market expected to see a 26.7% compound annual growth rate over the next 7 years, and the number of social media users being predicted to be almost 6 billion by 2027, no one could deny that we live in a digital world. What are the implications of this? Are we better off? So many of our day-to-day activities can be carried out online, from food shops to work meetings. During the coronavirus lockdown, adults in the UK were “spending more than a quarter of their waking day online”. We can meet the love of our lives through technology, have work meetings, order dinner with the click of a button, and connect with family who live afar. The digital world is “developing with such a force and such a pace that you simply can’t ban or control it” . But, in its current state, should it be glorified, rectified, or both?
This blog will critically evaluate the implications of living in a digital world, focusing on how the rise of stimulated spaces, particularly social media, has changed human behaviour and emotions, before informing you all whether or not, overall, I believe the rise of social media has done more harm than good.
Key takeaways from this blog:
- Social media can reduce our ability to empathize
- Although social media helped us cope with loneliness during the pandemic, it is a source of high anxiety levels amongst teens
- Social media definitely has its uses- it can even ease the process of finding a job
Is our capacity for empathy now gone?
Has social media destroyed our ability to empathize? Many sure seem to think so. During the 2.5 hours the average internet user spends on social media per day, they will be exposed to a plethora of information and perspectives concerning a range of issues, which, since it has been found that social media can influence public attitudes, will likely shape how they feel and think. However, the fact that nobody we are close to can see our social media feed reduces their ability to empathize with our viewpoints, as they are unlikely to have seen the exact posts we came across that formed those views.
However, it admittedly only takes a simple search to find the accounts of creators who have opposing views to our own, yet since it has been revealed many are unwilling to engage with those with those with differing views due to “reduced attitude openness”, how many of us are really going to take the time out of our day to attempt to understand why others have beliefs we think are inherently wrong? Enough to make up for the empathy social media has caused society to lose? Probably not.
Has social media helped reduce loneliness and anxiety in times of trouble?
Soon after Coronavirus hit, we were all bound to our homes. Since adolescents “highly rely on social contact with peers” , the fact that lockdown prevented youths from seeing their friends face to face caused close to half of 18–24 year olds to experience “High levels of loneliness”. Since interacting and scrolling through social platforms such as Instagram reduces loneliness, these interactions likely made the experience of lockdown just that little bit more bearable for many. As Zainab Fadhil states when discussing the benefits of living in a digital world in her Digisoc 3 blog post published in 2021, with the internet, and therefore social media, we can “communicate with anyone from anywhere in the world”, and “know what’s happening all around the world with just a click”. This would’ve made many realise that they weren’t the only ones struggling during lockdown, and, through online platforms, people could bond virtually with others who were experiencing the same emotions as themselves such as loneliness and anxiety.
However, although being able to digitally connect with others may have reduced anxiety levels during the pandemic, what about the spread of false information about covid 19 through social media? Throughout the pandemic, misinformation was frequently published on social media sites. Lots of this misinformation will have led many to overestimate the deadliness of the virus, which would obviously heighten anxiety levels. Perhaps this worsened anxiety during lockdown more than being able to communicate virtually with others reduced it.
Social media was causing anxiety well before Covid
Not to mention, social media was causing anxiety well before the outbreak of covid-19. A study revealed that those who reported being dissatisfied with and anxious about their body were more likely to frequently check social media, and that people who follow celebrities were more likely to display symptoms of depression and online social anxiety. This is a clear indication that social networking sites cause anxiety. However, this study was cross-sectional, meaning it doesn’t tell us whether the correlation between body dissatisfaction and time spent on social media is becoming stronger over time. If this was the case, the issue would need addressing with more urgency. Furthermore, in this study, only middle schoolers were surveyed, which may lead some critics to argue that the issue isn’t the features of social media themselves, but that middle schoolers simply aren’t mature enough to use social media in a healthy and appropriate manner. They’d be wrong, considering that a study of female undergraduate students showed that engaging with social media features “causes adverse psychological effects for women”
Silver linings…
However, social media isn’t all bad. Some youths have revealed that it has allowed them to “link with prospective employers and recruiters”, which would ease the process of finding a job. In the same study, many stated that social networking sites allowed them to showcase their creativity and talents. Despite this, this information was obtained through a questionnaire, meaning there is a high chance some answers could’ve been dishonest due to social bias.
To sum everything up
Although I believe that the cons of social media outweigh the pro’s due to the negative consequences it can have on the mental health of society, this is only one facet of the digital world. It seems to me that the overall conveniences a digital world offers, some of which I discussed in the introduction, outweigh its disadvantages.
Reflecting on my journey:
Description
As an economics undergraduate, many of the modules I have taken involve a great deal of mathematical analysis and problem solving. This semester, I chose to study Digital Society. Why? We live in a society where digital technology is constantly advancing, therefore it is important to know about the implications of living in a digital world; as past digital society student Zainab Fadhil puts it: “Technology is becoming not just a part of our lives but our whole lives”. Besides, taking this course allowed me to take a break from the heavy maths within my degree. What’s not to like? I hoped studying digital society would help me understand whether the growing presence of technology is truly beneficial for society, and, if not, how I can do my part to make sure it does not end up harming the lives of those closest to me.
Feelings
Before starting the module, I was excited to study a course which was delivered entirely online. This meant I could go through the materials whenever suited me best during the week. This worked out just as well as I expected, however, I was scared about taking a module that was 100% coursework, as I had never done sobefore. Despite this, throughout the course, I thoroughly enjoyed being able to read the opinions of my colleagues about topics this module introduced.
Evaluation
Now the module is done and dusted, I can confidently say that I loved ditching the formality required in most of my other university essays, and writing blog posts. Writing the blogs wasn’t too difficult for me, which surprised me, considering I’ve never done anything like this before. I found the personalised, detailed feedback given after each assignment extremely constructive. However, making sure my work was uploaded to medium, as well as just Turnitin, turned out be quite a tiresome task, and took me a few hours to figure out at first.
Analysis
I think writing the blog posts for the first time went well for me because I have enjoyed writing creatively in the past, and even once had aspirations to become an author. Sadly, technical skills have never been my strong point, which perhaps explains the difficulty I faced when figuring out how to upload my first post to medium with the appropriate tags.
Conclusion
My favourite topic to learn about was the individual, identity and ethics. Within this, it was interesting to read about issues involving free speech, which motivated me to carry out my own research about how different societies attempt to balance freedom of expression and the right to be protected from abuse. Learning about “The internet of things” helped me fully comprehend how huge/sheer the presence of technology is within our society. When studying the rise of stimulated spaces, I loved reading arguments I have never even considered about why we should delete our social media accounts.
I have also learnt how to add copyright free pictures to a medium blog post, appropriately reference other sources, and incorporate my classmates’ ideas within my work. To have gained more from this experience, I could have reached out to the instructors more frequently to help deepen my understanding of certain topics, and for clarification about certain aspects of the marking criteria.
