Some commentators argue that social media is, funny enough, killing our ability to socialize. Whether it's the stories of 20somethings needing to stack their phones on the bar table to talk, or the people more engrossed in texting than walking, there's plenty of criticism out there that the addiction of checking our phones is too much.
"Welcome to the 21st century, when people aim for 'likes' and laughs over loyalty," wrote Alyssa Piperis in the Huffington Post. "When people can't spend time with others without feeling antsy to check their possible texts, 'likes' favorites, retweets, repins or reblogs. When people complain about the 'hook-up culture' but don't know how to date."
Some go so far as to call our love of social media an addiction, arguing it's because our brains crave dopamine, or a chemical that occurs when we finish something. In evolutionary terms it probably was meant to signify finding food or procreating, but these days we can get it simply from checking our phone for the latest alert. "The problem is that all of us have learned how to cheat the system and get shots of dopamine without actually accomplishing anything," wrote Dmitry Dragilev on Medium in 2013.
Prominent authors in the minimalism movement talk about how to minimize or eliminate the use of social media. In 2013, Zen Habits blogger Leo Babauta proudly posted that he had not used Facebook in 17 months. "This is not to belittle what others do, but to reflect on the noise that builds up when we participate neck-deep in a social network," he wrote, adding that part of the danger of social media is never experiencing the benefits of solitude.
Even back in 2011, technology observer Seth Godin pointed out that the norms of social media encourage frequent posting about things that may not have lasting value. Being active encourages a lot of people to follow you and to interact with you. But he argued (to paraphrase a famous quote) that this may be a lot of noise signifying nothing.
"This looks like winning (the numbers are going up!), but it's actually a double-edged form of losing," wrote Godin, who today only uses Twitter to post links to his blog posts. "First, you're polluting a powerful space, turning signals into noise and bringing down the level of discourse for everyone. And second, you're wasting your time when you could be building a tribe instead, could be earning permission, could be creating a channel where your voice is actually welcomed."
While it would likely be wrong to check Facebook during a romantic dinner, what often goes unmentioned in these accounts are the benefits of social media. It's been credited in spreading ideas such as the Occupy Wall Street protest, and helping to spread the Arab Spring. Today, millions of people have the potential to make a few dollars by blogging or sending out videos through their social media networks. And in those moments where we need quick advice, Twitter and other networks are good to turn to.
Is social media an evil? It could be, depending on how you use it. But we prefer to think of it here as a catalyst for good. We believe that by crowdsourcing neat ideas and spreading them out through social networks, we can make things better -- such as this HeroX challenge to help students succeed. Browse through our list of challenges to participate.
Top image: Some worry that social media is replacing friendships "in real life." Credit: Wikimedia Commons
