Era of Facebook

     In the era of Facebook, Twitter, and the like we are bombarded by a constant shelling of information that is entirely irrelevant to us. However, we accept these pieces of information as comfort and have trained ourselves to think we have had a social interaction, when in fact none has occurred. Every time you read a person’s status you are immediately updated on their life and are then less likely to go out of your way to talk to them. You feel satisfied that you know what is going on in Friend X’s life even though they may have no idea that you know. These status updates tricks our minds into believing we have had a social interaction which lets us slip further and further away from those around us. The conversations we end up holding with these people are largely superficial and can be classified as “small talk.” We have given it this name because it is an insignificant form of communication.

get off your phones! then you may see the joy in the ones socializing around you

     All of our communication these days is instant. We can reach almost anyone around us at almost any time of day. I know I have been guilty for being attached to my phone and my Facebook and checking them literally hundreds times a day. Yet, very rarely does it occur when I sit down and have a meaningful conversation with someone or write a well thought out letter to a friend. With texting and instant messaging, we can communicate so quickly that there is hardly ever a thought process behind what we say.
     As I type this, it has been slightly over a week since I have logged onto my Facebook. I decided to take this up as an experiment for this blog post, but also to reduce distraction leading up to finals. It has been harder than I thought to stay away from the website as I have found myself going to the home page only to realize that I am unable (and refuse) to login. However, it is refreshing to not be able to check it several times a day. And believe it or not, my life has gone on. I continued to socialize with people and stay up to date with the world around me. Facebook is just an addiction. It is not a necessary part of our lives, but we have tricked ourselves into believing it is so. For if we must use Facebook, then we do not have a problem and can continue to react to the urgency of social media.
    Give up your social media for a week or two (I plan to abstain from Facebook for another week at least) and see how your life changes. If anything it is good to know how reliant you can be on these social media. Will I be giving up Facebook completely? Not any time soon. Facebook is still a very good marketing tool. But as they say, everything in moderation.


Here is a short fact based video about the realities of Facebook. (This is not mine. Go to YouTube to check out the original creator.)