Social Media

I'm not one to beat around the bush. Seriously. There has been a lot of hype about what social media is, and what we can do with it, most of which is actually beneficial. There are some, however, who sit on the opposite extreme, claiming that social media is detrimental to society. Even better, they feel that social media is a kind of "Big Brother", an instrument through which the government keeps its eye on the general populace, always on the lookout for dissension and making life difficult for the minority that dares to make a stand. 
Yet, what exactly is social media? To understand this, perhaps this infographic would help:

http://netdna.copyblogger.com/images/history_of_social_media.jpg

As the infographic so boldly states, the Internet has always been social. This can be seen by the simple fact that the first e-mail was sent a mere two years after the invention of the Internet (1969). Online bulletin boards such as Usenet_ were basically forums of the time. I generally agree with this. The Internet was created for people to get in touch with one another as quickly as possible. It would therefore be safe to say that a large part of it is for social purposes. There are, however, several problems with social media:

1. The Cost to Real Social Life

The first thing that can happen to us is that we forget how to interact with real people in real life. This is a problem because of the difference in communicating in the low-context realm of cyberspace, with real life being high-context. What this means is that because there is no way to transmit non-verbal cues on cyberspace, such as tone or more complex facial expressions (for example, a lot of things can be implied simply by raising one's eyebrows), and misinterpretations can occur if we are not careful with our body language and tone. Similarly, it is also possible for us to misread another person, because we are no longer able to read body language, having spent so long online.

2. Addiction

With being unable to interact in real life, there is always the danger that we might retreat further into our shell and become even more reclusive. There is the temptation to try to conduct everything on social media platforms such as Facebook, and completely shut out the real world. This is known as addiction when someone in that state finds himself unable to function without being on social media, and begins to feel extremely uncomfortable when he is deprived of such platforms. 

At the end of the day, how do we solve these? I wouldn't presume to solve what psychologists and doctors have been trying to do worldwide; nonetheless, here are some things that helped me when I was trying to kick this habit:

• Remind yourself that there is more to life than being online. Very often, there is still this need for people to associate in real life with others. Relationships with people are often built online nowadays, that's true, but they are strengthened offline, where face-to-face contact is necessary. How else can honesty be determined anyway?
• Gradually limit the amount of time spent online. Keep records. Log in the time you start accessing social media platforms and the time you finish. You might actually be surprised at the amount of time spent online. From there, try to deduct an hour from that time. 

How did I go from social media to addiction? Gaaahh...