Do you believe technology (social media) is enriching our lives?

[smjpl]

 

What are your thoughts?

 

I for one saw this coming since its beginning (not trying to sound cool). I walked into the computer room in my college one day during lunch to find every single person with their face buried behind Facebook. From that point on I knew I would never be like that. This has become so much worse with smartphones. People are living their life through their phone and I think it is pathetic.

 

I don't use FB, twitter or any other service like most people. While I do have accounts, I would log on, roughly once every two weeks (at the most).

 

I should not that I realise there are many good uses for social media but is it coming at a price?

[Nineshadow]

Facebook...

It's like a curse.Or an addiction.

I haven't logged in on my Facebook since Christmas,when I wished my ex-gf happy holidays(she changed her number).I find calling someone way more honest than just a stupid message.

[Anthony10]

no. i deleted all my social media because it is unhealthy and promoting unethical and dumb things... GRATATAAAAAA

[TheNinjaNextDor]

My only facebook account is asking for lieksifyoucrievertim. Social media can die.

[smjpl]

I think forums can result in the same unhealthy issues. A lot of people live on LTT too.

[Guest Kloaked]

If anything, people that I know through Facebook piss me off, but then I end up laughing.

 

I keep seeing people bringing their personal lives on Facebook, then whines when someone confronts them about something.

 

Then there's the whole political (or just controversial topics in general) thing where if someone has an opinion, posts it, they don't want any feedback on it - but when they do they start complaining and throwing insults out.

 

I can only imagine people doing that stuff in real life. Can no one have a decent conversation without insults anymore?

[WinNut]

I don't own a phone and don't have Facebook. The only social media I use is Google+ and I don't even communicate through it.

 

#AsianParents

#EmailMasterRace

[Mo5]

If I'm out with friends then I'm out with friends. If I want to be on my phone I stay home

[Jumper118]

i dont have bookface or witter. they are full of morons who don't know anything about anything. forums are a much nicer place where people are interested in the same things as you and the knowledge of the people on them is much higher. 

[Volbet]

Social media have given the human race the possibility of talking to one another faster and more sufficient then ever before. We can litterly meet people from around the world from the comfort of our own home, an exchange knowledge and information. In this regard, I think social media is great.

But the question still remains: Is it social? As defined by dictionary.com, social just mean "pertaining to, devoted to, or characterized by friendly companionship or relations". You can build relations, even friendly ones, through social media, so I would say it's social, but is it a good kind of social? 

According to Rubin Dunbar the human brain can only handle around 150 close relations ( Link to an article about this). I would therefor speculate that some users of social media, with more then 150 friends, can experience a quantity over quality effect in there social relations, since they can't give them all attention, and be close with them at the same time. This will result in them not knowing anyone of their ´friends´ well, and therefor they can't identify with them. This can in turn create a human that will feel incredibly lonely, since he/she doesn't have a group to identify with. So it might be that this is the problem with social media. While it as given us the opportunity to communicate in a way our grandparents could only dream about, it has also opened a floatgate of relations. We might also be able to argue that this isn't social, since relations can't form.

 

Edit. Might actually give an answer to the question. 

In some ways yes, social media has enhanced our life in many ways. Nearly all the information known to man is just a few clicks away. 

In other ways it has made human relations a quantity over quality thing, which can be bad. 

 

I have a tendacy to overthink stuff, and just ramble, so I'm sorry if this didn't make any sense.

[WiiManic]

Really, its how you use social media.

 

Sure I have facebook, but my main uses are keeping upto date with people that I otherwise wouldn't be able to talk to, and setting up events to meet up.

I wouldn't call that unsocial. It helps me if anything, as its far easier to plan an event where everything is written down and contained, as opposed to "Well X said we are meeting at 1...or was it 12:30?" "At the Cinema or are we going to X first?"

My main use case is, either replying to someone else or "Huh that article was interesting, I'll send X that", then usually talking about it later to them in person.

 

If I used it and only communicated via it, and was constantly on it, then sure I could see a problem.

Or those people who build up huge friends lists, and a large unrealistic image of themselves, and are constantly posting, updating and using it.

I maybe post 1 / 2 statuses a year. Usually that 1 is to thank the random people who I vaguely know for acknowledging my birthday.

[TheRoss0411]

However taking advantage of these inventions can earn you millions, then you can live life in an even better way

[cae]

I'm the same boring guy with or without a phone and a facebook. I'm still usually behind a camera at events. Is being socially distant a bad thing? Or is it just bad now that everyone recognizes it?

 

http://youtu.be/BWwIjr57aVo

[smjpl]

Fair play to the one person (so far) who admitted to constantly being on their phone. I bet there are more of you out there but who were afraid to admit it (although maybe not).

[smjpl]

I'm the same boring guy with or without a phone and a facebook. I'm still usually behind a camera at events. Is being socially distant a bad thing? Or is it just bad now that everyone recognizes it?

 

http://youtu.be/BWwIjr57aVo

 

Wow. That ad is terrible. It nullifies the admittedly overuse of phones and tries to fool the user into thinking it is ok because he was doing it for the family. That video is so accurate up until the point where they blatantly lie to you (45 seconds in). Wow. 

[Fred Castellum]

Ahh a interesting topic OP. Thanks for bringing something that makes you think up for discussion, bravo!~

 

 

Alright on the topic of how tech effects us in the social media area. 

 

Today people are more connected to one another than ever before, thanks to the internet and social media sites. But when you remove that Ethernet or wireless connection what do we have? We end up more lonely and distant from each other than our connected lives. This isn't due to the lack of communication its due to the lack of face to face interaction. We lose the constant training and practice we once had when we close ourselves away behind a screen, we don't read facial cues and react at a moments notice once something is said. 

 

Today a lot of people in society would rather text than talk because to them hearing a voice and responding to that voice has a higher level of physiological impact(more stress) than if you simply typed a couple of words and sent a reply. The most dramatic change that we get with social media is our ability to be at multiple places at once while not actually being there.

 

So social technology hinders our personal relationships right? No it augments and hinders our personal relationships at the same time and is a unavoidable thing because its something that's evolving the way others see the world, you either adapt or you don't. There are people who use social networks to keep their real friendships lively and up to date but there are even more these days who "friend" people they' don't know, or barely know. These facebook "acquaintances" do not know their commitment to us and vice versa, they end up as a presence that can sustain and distract us, a illusion of companionship without the demands of friendship. 

 

Something that social media has taken away from us is face to face and a eye contact. In public places and at home, people out in public now look down on their screens whether it be a phone or a tablet.

 

FYI I don't have texting and am still using a old flip phone. I'm someone who doesn't add people on facebook unless I truly know who they are. Not very active on social media sites anyway, basically I'm a hermit on the net and in real life. 

 

 

I've got more I could say about the topic but I'll save that for later, I want to see what others think for now. 

[othertomperson]

So? How on earth is using a communication device to talk to people antisocial? I really don't get this "oh noes social media r so evil, people have no lives" fad people keep going on about.

[WinNut]

I just want to state this.

 

I know member XtremeTechGaming on this forum personally. We go to the same school and hang out together during lunch. I noticed that on LTT he seems different than he does in person and I feel the same too. I feel that social media does not truly show who we are as people just "go with the flow" and follow the latest fad and that kind of shit. I don't give two shits if somebody thinks I am a retarded weirdo on Facebook because I don't follow the latest "trend" that celebrities are following. I go with who I am. 

 

 

/rant

[Fred Castellum]

So? How on earth is using a communication device to talk to people antisocial? I really don't get this "oh noes social media r so evil, people have no lives" fad people keep going on about.

I don't think its "evil" per say, It's more on the lines of taking something away from your life. Its you excluding yourself, not social media doing it. 

 

Now we don't have as much face to face social interaction where we look each other in the eye, its the ease of talking to someone on the other side of the screen that has caused this. 

 

Antisocial in the personal confrontation sense.

[Fred Castellum]

-snip-

I think its natural for people to act different when talking to different people, on social media sites you have a wider range of viewers than if you were just having a one on one conversation. 

[WinNut]

I also think that social media is taking away from real human interaction. I see people in the lunchroom texting somebody on the other side of the room. Why not pick your ass up, walk ~25 feet, and talk to a real human?

 

It really depresses me to see how people act with social media these days. Also I notice that those who fail to buy a ticket for the social media train are seen as outcasts, such as me. Take the following scenario:

 

*le me during homeroom*

Girl A: Did you see what (person) posted last night?

Girl B: Yeah.

Me: Who posted what? 

Girl A: (name) posted (thing) last night, but you are so retarded that you don't have a Facebook account to follow these kinds of things.

Me: *raises voice* Suppose you explain how I am retarded for not wanting to interact with others over a screen but rather over A REAL FUCKING CONVERSATION?

Girl A: *shuts up*

 

 

So clearly I am to be labeled an outcast for not using Facebook. Shocking.

[TheProfosist]

Nope I only use social media cause I basically have to.

[Fred Castellum]

-snip-

Only one option left... kill them....

 

 

 

/jk

[ObeseWalrus]

I think that social media can do both bad and good, it has made it much easier to share experiences and get hold of people but with anything goes moderation. I think that when you socialize with your friends or family you should at least try to keep your eyes on your friends and not your phone, an awkward moment only gets more awkward when you pull your phone out of your pocket.

[TheProfosist]

I think forums can result in the same unhealthy issues. A lot of people live on LTT too.

Yep but I consider a forum a different kind of community, one that I actually gain knowledge from.