Social Media and How it’s Changing Our Human Experience
In the last decade, humanity has shifted from mainly one on one communication to speaking to thousands, if not millions, at once. We voice our thoughts and broadcast our lives for the world to see and comment on. Society has made digital interactions a vital part of our daily routines to the point of it becoming subconscious.
Our lives have become a museum for strangers, friends, and family to perceive what makes us who we are and want we stand for. Social media continues to alter human interaction by separating us from each other in the physical world and creating an incessant hunger to be seen only from a particular lens.
Social media feeds those hungers for the spotlight and the desire to be heard regardless of where someone is or how old they are. A sense of collectivity and belonging starts to take shape when all the voices are heard in a single space. Networks and channels where those voices coalesce make social media powerful and give people what they rarely obtain within the physical world. Society now has infinite digital spaces to make themselves known.
The compulsory need to be known has generated mindsets that are seeking validation and social capital constantly. Gaining a following and a fanbase is built on obtaining numbers without truly knowing who is commenting on your life experiences. It makes social media so unique. Sharing parts of your life and what you stand for is personal, yet there can be a significant emotional gap between the content provider and the consumer.
The strangers online, who you will most likely never encounter, have a deep connection to your personal life that is very one-sided and open for criticism at any given time. This blatant cycle of give and take that is unreciprocated between follower and provider builds fragmented relationships that already stretch such vast distances than real-life friendships. Online social gatherings and conversations can range from quick replies to long-term friendships that could potentially transpire into the real world.
Although these friendships can form online and can be made into strong lifelong bonds offline, social networks thrive on users being online constantly, checking for updates or the latest trending topics. Real-time face-to-face interactions are being rivaled by social media. This harkens back to the fear of missing out on opportunities to engage in popular subjects.
If the notification is ignored, you may not be included in the connections and conversations and the feeling of neglect could ensue. In this era of technology, social media is at the vanguard of the human communicational front, and we are fighting a persistent battle with offline communal connections. The way people speak and share information will continue to evolve as the technology we use evolves as well.
The strength of everyone’s curiosity about what the world is thinking and feeling will only further fuel the existence of social media as a main outlet for online communication and could possibly usurp the power that in person contact holds.