Take a minute a think about some of the great inventions/discoveries of modern man:
– The Automobile
– The Printing Press
– The Telephone
These are just a few but significant ones.
Then there is the Internet…and Social Media…
Social Media has not only completely changed the way we communicate in our world, but continues to evolve and change it in mind-boggling ways.
Information is shared and disseminated at a pace we have never seen. Uprisings against oppressive governments gain traction with Social Media. Countless businesses are being built on the backs of it.
But there is fear and concern.
“It may not be healthy.”
“Kids’ heads are buried in their phones.”
‘People’s privacy has been destroyed.”
“Facebook is damaging society!!”
There may even be evidence that it’s addicting:
Experts have not been in total agreement on whether internet addiction is a real thing, let alone social media addiction, but there’s some good evidence that both may exist. A review study from Nottingham Trent University looked back over earlier research on the psychological characteristics, personality and social media use. The authors conclude that “it may be plausible to speak specifically of ‘Facebook Addiction Disorder’…because addiction criteria, such as neglect of personal life, mental preoccupation, escapism, mood modifying experiences, tolerance and concealing the addictive behavior, appear to be present in some people who use [social networks] excessively.”
Even Facebook admits that social media can be bad for you…
Facebook acknowledged on Friday that too much social media can be bad for you, a remarkable admission as the 2-billion member online service battles mounting criticism about its impact on society.
In a blog post published on Friday, Facebook addressed a “hard question”: “Is spending time on social media bad for us?” In it, the social networking firm cites academic research indicating that in certain instances using Facebook can have a negative effect on people’s moods, and that heavier users of the site can have worse mental health.
“Researchers hypothesize that reading about others online might lead to negative social comparison,” wrote Facebook director of researcher David Finsberg and research scientist Moira Burke, “and perhaps even more so than offline, since people’s posts are often more curated and flattering.”
Isn’t this more about ‘heavier users of the site can have worse mental health.’??
Well…Johnny the online gamer down the street is in poor mental and physical health because 1. He plays World of Warcraft 13 hours a day and 2. He drinks Coca Cola by the truckload.
Coke is still legal last time I checked…
Don’t we worry about little Jr. watching too much TV? Yep. Is that the TV’s fault?
Did you know people were afraid of the telephone when it came out?
So…isn’t this really about personal responsibility? Isn’t this about moderation?
This whole “social media” is ruining us is garbage.
Yes…we’ve heard terrible stories of young people being bullied online.
So it’s the tool’s fault?
From the same article above…
Facebook also cited research showing the positive impact of social media. “In sum, our research and other academic literature suggests that it’s about how you use social media that matters when it comes to your well-being.”
…its how you use it.
Yes, Social Media companies have an inherent responsibility to police their user base from nefarious uses.
The rest of the policing needs to come from us.
Who doesn't pal? If you have a rich Uncle, you're good to go. If not, then you better get real and realize that latest 'opportunity' on that Facebook group where you can make 300 bucks over and over for doing nothing is complete bullshit. ARE YOU READY TO GET REAL?? >> >> >> >>
People That Don’t Respect Your Time: How Should You Respond?
Facebook Messenger Chatbot Updates: What You Need to Know
Twitter Cracking Down on Bots & Automation – But What Are They REALLY Doing?