Why Remain on Social Media?
Social media platforms have become a part of our daily life. What makes us stay on social media for hours on end during our free time? What are the motivations behind staying prevalent on various social media platforms?
I believe Clay Shirky provides an excellent answer to this question, “users will only take advantage of opportunities they can understand and that seem interesting and valuable.” (Cognitive Surplus, 196). This makes sense because social media is created to connect.
Connect people from all around the world from different countries and cultures. Having the opportunity to speak to a person from across the world is an opportunity many people have now due to the widespread popularity of social media. Having the opportunity to interact with friends or family who do not live nearby is an opportunity many will not reject. Everything from voice recordings to sending memes to one another is easier than ever due to the opportunity given by social media platforms.
Comfortability is another motivator for those who are still on social media. Interactions between one another don’t provide any social stress for those who are introverted. Other people may not feel accepted by those around them, making social media an outlet to seek comfort from others who are in a similar situation. Social media may be replacing a toxic in-person interaction with a stress-free positive interaction from someone who can relate to them.
Social media is great for giving us a sense of validation from our friends and family when we post ourselves on there. Seeing the likes and comments appear on our phone provides us with an abundance of happiness. It can almost be addicting to see those likes increase. Could that be a factor as to why people stay on social media?
What does the future of social media hold? Will it become the primary manner to interact with one another? We will just have to see what happens.
