Even though I’m only 39, I was born old.
That’s probably why I still don’t fully understand the popularity of social media beyond giving society an open stage to perform on, with an audience always in attendance.
Companies spend so much time focused on getting “likes,” yet find themselves unable to connect the effort to profitability. Though I’ll admit it’s a great way to build brand identity.
But I think most of the trouble lies in what every day, ordinary people are posting. That “open stage” I spoke about often publicizes conversations and opinions that should otherwise not be shared with an online community of millions.
It can be embarrassing and hurtful to those unsuspecting victims, and even damaging to the poster as employers and even colleges now search your online activity for credibility.
Here’s an example. The other day I read an article about a young high school student who broke up with his cheating girlfriend on Twitter. The back and forth messages were pretty intense and helped to further illustrate my point that some conversations should not be shared with the world.
By the end, they both managed to deface their character and morals, as did those who decided to chime in every so often. There’s a time and place for everything – breaking up with your girlfriend is best done in person, not on social media.
Somewhere along the line, society has adopted the notion that it’s okay to publicily deface others on social media. Sadly, far too many of us engage in this activity and even find entertainment in what others have to say.
I’ve finally reached an age where I find myself questioning the quality of the life we lead today. While every generation faced its share of challenges, the “open stage” we’ve created seems to provide few benefits.
Aldous Huxley once remarked, “Technological progress has merely provided us with more efficient means for going backwards.”
