This was prompted by ABCNews
Social networking, it’s a funny, very human phenomenon. Back when I was coming of age, I was really into pre-internet social networking, bulletin boards, online text games, AOL chat rooms, etc etc etc.
This was not ‘social’ behavior, it was geeky backroom nonsense reserved for the lonely and desperate.
It’s funny how far we’ve come, in terms of social acceptance for computer stuff. Geek is now cool, which I’m not knocking, I’m all about passion, knowledge and community.
However, in it’s current manifestation, MySpace, Twitter, Facebook, etc. social media has become more of the same dynamic I saw in high school, and now the workplace. You have a few people on the A-list, which everyone on the B-list likes for whatever reason. While the people on the C-List don’t give a tweet about this dynamic, and try to derive some meaning from it all.
The most bizarre part about this is, it’s termed a ‘conversation’, but really, it’s just a cocktail party, and your number of friends/followers determines how loud your voice can be.
This isn’t a conversation where I can speak and be heard. I say something interesting, funny or ask a question, and nobody responds. Not because I’m not interesting, but because there’s so many voices, powered by automated software tools, that compete with my value-added, time-crafted thoughts with the second it takes to click a button.
This devalues thoughts and creativity in favor of the automation of the machine.
We love information, it’s our modern addiction, free, abundant and socially acceptable. It gets our mind going, and gives us stuff to talk about at cocktail parties… do you see how this all ties together?
Information automation turns us all into filters, not creators.
Which leads to my primary criticism of social networking. The explosion of involvement with social networking represents two things, which are significant to the greater state of our nation. One, rampant unemployment leads people to social media, as a connection, as an opportunity and as an escape. Two, the rise of social media is largely DEPENDENT on people bored or otherwise underemployed at work.
In this way, social media is a symptom of how truly unproductive we are. Instead of DOING things to change the world, we are talking about meaningless tripe. As my recent tweet went “Look to twitter for proof that all in this world is transitory and will pass”.
