Social networking backlash

Hello everyone! Today I found myself thinking of something to write, something that has nothing to do with art and everything to do with current trends and behaviors. The one topic that continually fails to escape my thoughts, is the impact of social media and the internet on our personal lives. I started this blog, initially as a personal, unofficial protest against social media’s every expanding influence on our lives.  More importantly I have been wanting to create a more positive channel, so that I could more effectively communicate with my friends and those who follow my art.

Over the years, I have found that social media sites such as facebook, can actually have a negative impact on our daily lives.  The incessant checking of your page, posting new updates, observing other peoples updates, just made me feel like an exasperated dog chasing his own tail. At times,  I have felt like a robotic A.D.D. version of myself, by clicking “like” without any thought to it.  We start the day by checking into our site, looking at our friends news feed etc.  We feel the need to update our sites, so that we do not feel left behind or irrelevant. We all know that person who posts excessive pictures of them eating on a plane, going skiing, yachting or whatever.  You do not have to chronicle every aspect of your day and life. This is not the way it should be, in my opinion. Who really cares what your food looks like?  The whole process can just be exhausting and tiresome.

I have had my facebook since 2005, when it first debuted.  Many people are discovering it every day and are excited by it. I can understand the rush you can get, especially if you have never had a website or any other voice within cyberspace. The luster of the site, has just faded away for me. New users pop up every day, and their updates sometimes make me chuckle or cringe. Some people should not have a facebook page! Why would you let your kid be on facebook? Yes, they may be a dork if they don’t have one, but increasingly facebook is causing kids and adults to have a false reality of themselves.  The minute to hourly posts of meaningless, mind numbing activities, thoughts and rants, actually can make us look like a lower version of ourselves. From my point of view, most of my friends were actually overdoing it. Anything that is done in excess is an addiction. So for me, the novelty has completely worn off. It has just become stale, boring and a place where people sometimes feel like they have to compete to outdo the next person.

All I am saying is, think about how social media affects your life. Step away from time to time and look at your life, and appreciate the little things that you should be grateful for. Everywhere I look, I am finding more and more people who are experiencing this backlash. One day, it will not be so cool to be on sites like facebook. Social media should only be something you do once in awhile, like a glass of wine with a fancy meal etc. This is where I think Twitter has got it right. You have to post your thoughts straight and to the point. So maybe, unplug yourself once in awhile, and examine yourself from the inside out. Don’t let the chatter and static affect your well being.  If you are going to stay on sites, like facebook; try to take a more positive approach.

Here are a few links that I liked…

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jan/22/social-networking-cyber-scepticism-twitter

its-time-to-confront-your-facebook-addiction

http://www.suite101.com/content/facebook-addiction—when-social-networking-becomes-a-compulsion-a331602