Lately I have been contemplating whether or not to delete my Facebook profile. However for some reason it feels like such an outrageous act to do. I mean, it is only a website. The problem is, there are some people that I can only contact through this website. Plus there are now groups to join that keep me informed on my classes.
So it's really the latest debate in the 21st Century: Is social media ruining the way we communicate?
Like everything in this complicated universe, there is never a black and white perspective to this question. There are positives and negatives to social media and depending on different people you'll have different quantities of good and bad. Personally, I do see positives with my experience but it's really the questioning of what's the point.
I like Facebook for the simplicity of being able to network with so many people. Like I previously stated about groups it has made it a lot easier to communicate a message to a larger audience than individually calling people or sending a large SMS to a number of contacts. I also love seeing the adventures other people get up to. I have some friends who post their artwork or videos of them singing and it makes me feel connected to their journey in that way.
On the flip side, it makes me feel like it's a numb connection. I witness their journey and feel happy for them, but it's not a real sense of happiness, it's more just observing and "liking". It's amazing how we feel good just because someone "likes" an image we posted or a status about our adventure on the bus. Family and holiday photos can't just be enjoyed by the person but some people feel that their holiday wasn't that great unless they put a photo up to show people how great it was. But then it can't be that great if only one person likes it right?
Another point that gets to me personally that I really feel weird about are birthday wishes. The first time I had a birthday and I was on Facebook I thought "I wonder how many people will wish me a happy birthday". These days I just avoid Facebook altogether. The strangest thing is, I feel as if receiving a text message is more personal than someone just typing it to me over Facebook. I mean it's practically the same message, but because it's sent to my phone privately as opposed to a wall I feel like that person cared more than all those who sent it on a website.
I'm not writing this to sound like I'm some social media elitist who is better than that. I'm writing it because this is how it can feel to me. I have an Instagram account which is practically me putting photos up of my average existence just so people can like it. I am from what people call the "me" generation and I don't blame them for using that term. We've grown up with these websites feeling that our lives aren't seen as anything exciting unless everyone knows about it and "likes" it.
Social media hasn't necessarily "ruined" the way we communicate with one another, but it certainly has altered it. I'm probably not going to delete my Facebook because it's not that I want it. I need it. That's the scariest part.
