Social Media is for Idiots.
If that’s true, then we are all idiots. Social media is for everybody because everybody needs social media. I really love social media, but I’m not stupid. The only thing that defines whether you’re an idiot or not is the purpose and the way you use it.
Obviously, social media has his pros and cons: it can be useful and dangerous at the same time. We all know its importance when talking about social and personal relationships, even if this may sound a little bit weird, since you don’t actually meet people like in real life. Our lives revolve around our Facebook profile, and as a matter of fact, the first thing you read on your Facebook page is: “helps you connect and share with the people in your life”. When I say that, I don’t mean we have to be ashamed of the fact that we value social media too much. It is like having an open window to the world: I can see what the people I care about are doing in their day, or I can learn about their interests. In my opinion, this is the right way to use social media: you can share your thoughts, your opinions and, practically, all your life…
This is where social media can become dangerous. Some people don’t understand the fact that there aren’t barriers between private life and what we can see on social media. A lot of teenagers aren’t aware of the consequences that their pictures or their comments could have. As the news have reported in the recent years, there have been lots of victims from cyber bullying, who will be affected by this for all their life. Furthermore, in the worst-case scenario, some teenagers have been driven to depression or suicide.
On the other hand, the value and the importance of social media in the conveyance of ideas, news and opinions is huge. Nowadays, everybody needs social media if he or she wants to be heard. As a matter of fact, this is the first means of communication to the entire world. Social media are not only used by teenagers or friends, now they are also employed by politicians, and even by the Pope ! Let’s be honest: what’s the first thing you do as soon as you wake up ? Yes, you check your phone immediately to check how many “likes” you have on your latest Instagram picture or how many people requested your friendship on Facebook.
The saddest thing about this is that we don’t perceive that most of those “likes” and “friends” are actually fake. The majority of those appreciations are meaningless, and even if we know that we still continue valuing them as if they were real. I can say that from my own personal experience; I know that Instagram is like “The Truman Show”, where everybody likes you and is friendly, but in reality they are doing so only to have your “like” back. Even though I know that, I check my profile at least every two hours, because it makes me feel good to be appreciated: that’s one of the main reasons why people use social media. Have you ever asked yourself why there isn’t a “don’t like” button on Facebook ? It’s simple: people wouldn’t create a Facebook profile to be insulted, people only like to be appreciated.
Social media is mostly hypocritical and it doesn’t mirror real life at all, in fact everyone can create their own perfect world: he or she can choose which people to be friends with, which politicians to follow, and which group to be part of. In real life that is not so easy. Real life is much more difficult: you can’t choose the people you work with, and mostly important you can’t ignore an opinion when it’s different from yours. Our life on the web is happy and easy: we see things we like, we follow friends who have our own opinion, we want others to only see our happy moments in order to receive appreciation from them. Social media is a shelter for all humans, it makes you feel as if you were in heaven, but at the same time it makes you lose the perception of reality completely.
Nevertheless, I don’t want to completely depreciate social media. If it is employed with caution it can be very useful: it can really establish a link between you and the rest of the world. We just have to be moderate when using it, and we must always be aware of the limit that divides our real life to a fake reality. Social media is great and makes our life easier; living in the real world is much more difficult, but I’m sure it’s worth it, and we should start giving more value to real appreciation from a friend than to 50 “likes” on our modified Instagram picture.
With thanks to Eloise Douglass and Khoi Nguyen
