Could the social media frenzy be a symptom of humanity’s greater need?… for connection, for escaping the superficial, for overcoming the fear of being alone??
What is it replacing? What did we do with that time prior to the craze? And what are the consequences if the deeper needs do not in fact get met?
In times past, we had friends. We needed knowledge. So we created storehouses of knowledge called libraries and we streamlined the distribution of knowledge via schools.
With the development of networked technologies, the internet was invented to store and retrieve huge databases of information. The internet was viewed as a medium of storage that facilitated easier global access to data. Asynchronous text emails were useful for sharing data.
Yet today, the internet has evolved to be more than a tool for communication. The social media craze shouts CONNECTION. But why? My network of friends and family are the same. Sure, I’ve met a few interesting people with whom I share insights via subscribed networks.
RELATEDNESS DEVALUED
The cost of saving time using social media to share photos and news may be more than we can afford. As social creatures who thrive on relatedness, we desire deeper connections than social media has thus far allowed. Not so long ago, receiving a handwritten letter in the mail containing some welcomed photos, represented a sacrifice of time which we valued. Today, receiving notification of a post containing photos in which I’ve been tagged, bears new (and perhaps diminished) meaning.
We may be sacrificing the real for the superficial, as we attempt to feed our crowd of followers rather than build a life of genuine friends. In times past, we had friends. We needed knowledge. Today we have access to the knowing. It seems we need friends.
Yet we have so many identities represented by the many social networks to which we belong, that no one can know us completely; rather, only a facet. So the symptoms continue. And we post yet another tidbit for the followers to chew on…
What are you hungry for? … really??
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