First Blog

Oh social media, how people seem to worship thee. And truth be told, it seems kind of sad at that, I mean, when was the last time an argument with your friends on facebook brought you any good? Or when was the last time that watching a youtube video truly enriched your life? The answer if we are all honest with ourselves, is, no, of course not. Social media by its design is like an escape from life in a way, it allows you to be who you want to be, not who you might necessarily be right now. And a lot of this ties in with Reality is Broken, the book that we all read this past summer (well… watched the TED talk on it at the very least) with how people use social media as a way to create a world around them that they can and will be the person that they either strive to be in real life, or just enjoy acting as. But the crucible of it all is this, it is a trap, designed by the people who made it (with sometimes no help from our own minds and emotions) to capture our time and attention. I’ve seen it in those close around me, whether it be facebook, youtube, or ironically forums and blogging websites (for those who are addicted to role playing), it captures more and more time, because the more we do it, the more it feeds the addiction. It becomes a time eater, one of great influence in our lives that weirdly enough is cutting us off from communication with one another. And I’m sure a lot of you are thinking “but Alec, what are you thinking? Isn’t the point of facebook and social media to connect you with others?” Yes, but think about the difference between this so called “interaction” and say personal one on one talks is the main point of why we enjoy being around those we love and care about. It is the aspect of doing things together, physically, whether it be playing a game together or even just sitting down to lunch with a group of friends, it is these interactions that create truly meaningful relationships, for which all of humanity craves for. Sure these things have their uses, but nothing you can do with your friends over such mediums can make you feel closer to them as being with them in person, or at the very least, chatting with people over skype or playing a online game together is better than text chatting to a electronic screen and waiting for a reply. So to close out, go outside, breath, and find a group of people that you like and that like you, and go hang out with them, the internet will still be there when you get back (unless the wifi goes down, then…well… yeah I got nothing either).