Week1B: Social Media Use Today

     Social media is crazy. Having the whole world at our finger tips is a blessing and a curse. Since the concept is so new and powerful it can be difficult to manage, but it is exciting. I think that there are so many opportunities with social media to connect people everywhere. A lot of content on social media is for personal use, but I also believe it matters who you follow. Depending on the platform, the site can have an array of options for the type of content that you are searching for. One could go to YouTube and watch an informational video and learn how to change a part of their car or learn more about outer space. At the same time there's another person on YouTube watching old Chris Hansen videos for entertainment, or listening to music. On TikTok you can see people giving out the most random life hacks that are worth watching 50% of the time, people falling and getting hurt in a funny way because it didn't happen to you, videos of people making music, and so many other topics. What it boils down to is the idea that we are exposed to so much information seems to be too much for our brains. 

    After endlessly scrolling through our apps we can become numb to time and our brains feel overworked. We are exposed to such a wide variety of content that we go through a whole range of motions so quickly. Especially on such a popular app as TikTok we can see a video of a really cute old couple, scroll to see an act of violence, and then scroll again to see something hilarious. You're laughing, crying, and scared all within the span of two minutes. How are we supposed to think that's normal? That just seems so draining to me. At the same time you do have social media platforms that seem to keep it neutral. I've always loved Pinterest. No hate comments or really personal content, just DIY ideas and aesthetics. There are also plenty of business related social media outlets, but that is not my expertise. 

    I do use social media personally even though I can feel myself wasting time on apps and going through a tiring range of emotions in a short period of time. There are so many other productive activities for me to do than sit around on my phone thinking that everyone in the world cares about what I have to say. Yet somehow I find myself in the same cycle every day of scrolling aimlessly through the most absurd stories that have no value to me whatsoever. I know I'm not the only one with a 5+ hour long screen time almost every day. Our society has just gotten us in a rut with having this endless access at the touch of our screens and buttons, and it's honestly difficult to get out of. It really brings back my point of the power of social media being difficult to manage. Who knows where it will be five years down the line, but hopefully social media and its use don't go down a rabbit hole.