Despite an individual's reasoning for their connection to digital media in their personal life, my observations of peers conclude that people in my age group are not concerned with professional networking or things of that nature through the Facebook and Twitter mediums. Rather, it seems they are mostly concerned about the coolest possible new profile picture they could create to display their unique self and artistic style.
Recently, for one of my media classes, I have been observing peers to see their social behaviors while connected to digital media. One subject, a male senior broadcast journalism major, went on to strictly answer a message and signed off right after that. They didn't look at any photos of themselves or anything on their wall. Another subject however, a female sophomore undeclared major, spent an entire three hour class on Facebook--commenting on photos, keeping a dialogue up on other people's walls, changing their profile picture (they actually did it twice) and watching videos on silent while a professor was teaching the class. She would constantly look up from her computer to see if the professor noticed that she was not paying attention at all.
With the given observations of subjects, it seems that our society is becoming increasingly narcissistic by the mouse click. Alexis de Tocqueville argued in the 19th century for Democracy in America. The most prevalent of his thoughts was that everyone in a society has the liberty to have a voice and express their opinions and thoughts. I have to wonder however, are we expressing our voices and opinions via social media just so that we can, well, hear and see them again on our own?
Some media theorists believe that those creating and controlling new technologies are the people we continue to wrestle with. But are we in a wrestling match with...ourselves? And if Huxley was correct in stating that people will adore the technologies, are the new egocentric mediums just a way for us to "Like" ourselves more?
i have a theory. I beleive that human beings naturally avoid doing things that they know is easy for them to do. Drugs are abused ebcause they are illegal and the internet is abused because we know that we can use it for the greater good of mankind at any time. we live on the mouse click. Everything we need in life is a mouse click away. We flip through itnernet pages the way we walk through life...missing out on all the things that were important before technology. Guess what, that girl sitting on Fb in class may end up being successful which is the paradox we live with nowadays.
ReplyDeleteHey Kristen,
ReplyDeleteYour question about social media affecting our ability to think and listen is a very interesting question and made me think a lot about. I honestly feel that social media is in our daily human mind to get up and the first thing to do is go on Facebook. I could go on my computer and go right to the Internet and my fingers automatically start typing www.facebook.com without even knowing it. This is shows how we wake up everyday to wash out face and brush our teeth is the same as social media has taken over our lives. And I feel that social media does affect our thinking and listening but it also can be benefit our minds if we use it properly. Reading your observations I think it all depends on what the person's purpose is on social media and how they use it. It just amazes me the impact that it has made in everyone life and in today's world. I hope that people do use it more properly and not let it corrupt there daily lives.
I couldn't agree more with Artur when he said "That girl sitting on Fb in class may end up being successful which is the paradox we live with nowadays." I think that pretty much answers the question if Facebook is affecting how we go about our world in this generation.
ReplyDeleteIf you don't have a hand in social media- you most likely won't be getting a job. I think it is important part of our world, but I don't think its our whole world.
Interesting blog post - it is def something to think about.
Sometimes when I hear the word social media I want to scream. Mostly because I feel like I always have to be on it. Even when I know I've already checked it, I HAVE to make sure nothing's changed. It's as if society has created this need for constant attention and wasted time on sites that are just preventing me from learning what's really important in the classroom. I must admit, I use my computer for some classes, but even then, I don't understand the people who sit on Facebook the whole time and not even look up once. I definitely might check Facebook once or twice, but there's nothing on there that changes much within an hour to keep me that occupied. Hate to say it though, Artur could be right. While some of us are doing the "right thing" and keeping it old school by paying attention, that girl could possibly get a great job just chatting it up with her friends all class.
ReplyDelete"Are we in such a state of adoration with technology that we are unable to think and listen?" - I think that's a great question. We have become completely consumed by technology.
ReplyDeleteSocial media is just the tip of the iceberg. Even looking at the difference between generations, for example the difference between us and our younger siblings, it really makes you wonder what things are going to be like in the future. I think that technology has affected our ability to listen and think.
People have a tendency to listen to other opinions and let them have too much influence on them. However, the recent news of bin Laden's death shows the reaping benefits of social media and news. Not only were many angles and sides of the story posted on every social media outlet, they were done in an instant manner.
ReplyDeleteI think there are definitely positives and negatives of our online culture, but the good definitely outweighs the bad. There is so much information, entertainment, and possibilities on the internet that some people, or even a majority, do mindless things on it doesn't detract from the good uses. We need to focus more on the benefits and how to create more of them than lamenting the fact that things aren't staying the same.
ReplyDeleteDespite what some people may think, social media is embedded in our culture and its influence on news and on the way we think continues to grow every day. Take twitter for example...can one really get a well articulated point across with just 140 characters? Our online tendencies for processing information is alot shorter then our attention spans for print. Our mind is pulled in 100 different directions with ads on the side and links to different articles. I find myself not finishing articles online sometimes because my mind wonders elsewhere. With the growing popularity of online as the top choice for news it makes me wonder how much of the information will be cut out to fit our attention span and if thats the case can we really consider half a story news?
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