Making the Internet a More Productive Place

I really enjoyed reading the chapters from Micah Sifry’s book “The Big Disconnect: Why the Internet Hasn’t Transformed Politics (Yet).” The love/hate relationship with social media that she shares is one that is so relatable I think to us all. At the same time that social media is the only way that Jin Gilliam was able to get a life-saving surgery it is also a force that completely consumes my life with clutter, misinformation, and distraction from my surroundings.

I think that ultimately at this point it is not worth getting too consumed with trying to live a social-media-free “turned-off” life. Although that is my first reaction most of the time it is not practical in the world that I live in. As a twenty-year-old college student social media is my lifeline. It is how I hear about what is happening on the weekends, how I communicate with my peers, how I get my news, and it is even beginning to play a big role in how I do my school work. The focus instead should be turned to how to handle social media and how not to be blinded by what is going on. We need to be aware that a filter bubble exists so that we can seek out both sides of a story. We need to learn how to close all of our tabs and spend less time weeding through junk emails so that we are able to use the internet for the good that it is capable of. I think with more energy turned towards making social media less intimidating and all-consuming we will be better off.