Do you remember when social media was supposed to change the world?
I remember those times quite well and guess what!?
The world didn’t change one bit, at least not in a way that matters.
Maybe I am exaggerating, even if the world didn’t change at least now we can really get an idea of how stupid, selfish, adulterous, murderous, envious, angry, lustful, gluttonous and lazy we are.
Hold on a second… that crap has been written for thousands of years. That’s not new. Why are you even talking about it?
Well, darlings, let me put this way: the first agricultural revolution happened around twelve thousand years ago, and I hate to be the one to break this news to you: that amount of time is like a blink of an eye in evolutionary terms. How much did lions change during that time? How much did dinosaurs change during that time? How much did mammoths change during that time?
Lions were alive and managed to stay alive but didn’t really change. Dinosaurs were dead and stayed dead, so no change there. Mammoths on the other hand started off as still alive, then went on to being “not at all well” and now are “not still alive”, that’s the change they had. And don’t get me started on kangaroos!
How was life before the age of social media?
People lived in isolation. People were stuck to a place and to the people around them. Finding information was hard. Knowing what was going on around the world was hard. Information was biased. Governments decided what kind of news you could get. Dancing in your underwear in front of people had little interest and no serious prospects of popularity for riches and fame.
How is life in the age of social media?
People live in isolation, pretending to do stuff to impress others. People are stuck to a place and to the people around them, with the added fun of trolling and cyberbullying. Finding (right/true) information is harder than ever, now you need to know what information you can/must ignore. Knowing what is going on around the world is hard. Information is biased. Governments decide what kind of news you could get. If truth was rare back in the days, ha- didn't get any better. And finally, dancing in your underwear in front of people still has little interest and doesn't guarantee popularity or fame. Ok, maybe you'd be viral. A society virus with no cure. Then what?
Nowadays you can find people around with the same vision as you, the same kink as you. But that’s about it, you kinky little thing… get in touch…
If you really want to educate yourself, be a better person, you can use the new tools or spend your life watching memes.
In ancient times you would go to the library, now the library is in your pocket.
The thing is: social media did not change the need for commitment. If you don’t commit to what you really want in life, no one and no technology can help you. And that doesn't include being committed to social media, no. It's not part of our nature and mechanism at all. In fact, we don't even need it! No one does!
Now you can go back to fat-shaming people, give blue thumbs to children with cancer and say: “aww” when a kitten video comes up. Or, as I call it: E-beg for likes and views.