Why Social Media is Not to Blame

If you were to ask any Millennial or Gen Z-er if they’ve been reprimanded about the “detriment of social media”, they would likely laugh and respond with a resounding “duh.”

Society has voiced, for years, concerns surrounding at the rapid integration of social media in our everyday lives. The theory is that the natural state of our human minds is compromised, and as a result, a butterfly effect is enacted upon all future generations that makes them socially inept and suffer from severe mental health issues.

Collectively, most of Western society is excited by new technologies — we are quick to find voids to fill with new gadgets, applications and programs that somehow ease the difficulty or monotony of our everyday lives. However, technology has proven to be just as divisive as it is convenient; many of us are still overwhelmed by the “dependence” on technology we’ve all developed. In 2018, over 44% of Facebook users deleted the app from their phone (He, 2019); and since 2017, the average time spent on social media in the US has decreased by 10%. Yet the industry faces consistent complaints about the negative effects of social media regarding socialization, time occupancy and mental health. In actuality, our ability to function in these aspects has only changed because we allowed it to. Humans haven’t declined in our ability to socialize “appropriately,” it’s simply taken a different form.

To blame technology for social, political, environmental, educational and health problems, as we often do, is to blame a product of evolution. Humanity has evolved out of necessity and as time passes, necessities change; so, we learn to integrate new technologies and ideologies in order to fit our ever-advancing society.

In the 40’s, everyone hung on the “crude” words spilling out of their radio and in the 60’s, television was “corrupting” the minds of our nation’s children. In 2019, however, it seems most of the world acknowledges that technology is actually enhancing our lives, despite some unavoidable negative tenets, of course.

The interplay of technology in societal evolution can be looked at in two ways; much of society still chooses to concentrate solely on the shortcomings simply because it’s new and different, and because humans are critical creatures of habit. Still, many of us are quick to welcome these innovations because we know that the same will be done by the behind-the-curve nay-sayers in due time. There is a pattern and history repeats itself, so to be blind and dismissive to the consistency in technological evolution is not only foolish, but also negligent for any business owner or creative.

Evolution cannot be stopped; we have to move with it. The innate human desire to communicate with each other from far distances can be dated back to carrier pigeons and messages in a bottle. Major companies like MySpace and Facebook saw the opportunity to connect people locally and across the world by integrating technology and ran with it. Their creative interpretation of this mission was manifested in online social platforms that incorporate user-generated digital media. A community that fosters the sharing of independent ideas, cultures, places, beliefs, humor and people.

It all starts with a blank profile — a totally clean slate for everyone. Users create and build their profile from the ground up. That profile becomes just one of many in a digital gallery of individual personalities deduced from the content that each user chooses to share.

This might then beg the question: Are we using social media as a scapegoat to avoid confronting the issues we have with our own personal and societal deficiencies?

I would argue in favor of that belief.

It’s not that we don’t like seeing photos, reading content or being aware of what’s trending. Our problem is with the slandering, shaming, dismissing, faking and stealing, and how “easy” social media has made it for us to do. Our concern is that everything we see is a reflection of humanity.

Social media was intended for good, and as the industry grows, regulations continue to be implemented to limit abuse of the freedoms it allows. Objectively, the good outweighs the bad. Creators have developed entire industries founded on the opportunities granted by social media and, mutually, businesses have undergone exponential growth through deeper interactions with their customers online. When we are reminded of social media’s potential, we can recognize that it really is one of our strongest tools to shape the world.

Here are some of the key benefits of optimal social media usage:

1. Advanced Networking
Humans are relational creatures and social media is a tool of expansion to feed that desire. In combination with its power of exposure, you can discover mutual friends and brand-new faces to build up your personal and business networks.

2. Amplified Communication
Everyone talks, everyone writes. Social media allows sharing of thoughts, open communication and exposure to important discussions available to anyone anywhere. Conversely, open forum communication is an aspect we most often see abused. Freedom of speech was designed with the intention of considering the circumstances of others and engaging in a sound discussion with points backed by facts, evidence or experience (in other words, we probably just need to be better at listening).
The absence of these pre-qualifying components is typically externalized in “hate comments” we see online, but we can’t continue to blame technology for the distress caused by these unfounded criticisms. We need to teach people to be better to one another in the first place, this problem is way more widespread than social media.

3. Business Development
Social media is one of the primary tools responsible for the evolution of marketing, enhanced customer service and branding. When used correctly, brands and their customers are able to have more personal relationships which result in stronger customer loyalty and clearer insight on ways to improve their product.

As we strive to maintain a healthy relationship with social media and capitalize on its benefits, it’s important to keep in mind that it’s never a substitute for relationships, fulfillment, education or discussion. Rather, it should be seen as the next step in the evolution of global communication.

References:
[1] He, Amy. “Declines in Facebook Usage Drive Down Average Time Spent on Social Media.” EMarketer,
[2] EMarketer, 10 June 2019, www.emarketer.com/content/average-social-media-time-spent.