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This post you made is fascinating to me, because when you mentioned that you may be next to someone and not want to talk to them, and then when we are on social media we can connect through likeminded interest. I think that is very accurate because, we as humans do not want to be stuck in a sitation where we would HAVE to talk to someone. Rather, with social media we can be selective and decide if we want to associate with a certain group or style. I feel like these days, you never really know the person you become friendly with until you go through different life challenges or scenarios. A lot of people pretend to be someone they are not, jsut to be liked in person, and this happens even more so online. Who knows where we will end up in 5 to 10 years? What do you think? Will we grow as the human race has grown for decades? Will social media destroy us?

Digital communities

Welcome to my wonderful blog, if out of change you have wondered here by mistake

You are welcome to stay and enjoy the ride. The purpose of this blog is to be perfectly honest to complete the task set out by my university course MDA20009 and hopefully complete them in a satisfactory manner that will allow me to pass.

During my trimester with MDA20009, we will be exploring the theories and ideas of Digital Communities and Social Media and reflecting week on what I have learned with each weekly module I complete, with a sprinkling on internet memes, because what is a blog without memes?

Week 1 was the Introduction to digital communities and social media platforms. Digital communities are all around us, except for a maybe one person in your social network (Jess I’m thinking of you), generally all of us are on some social media platform/digital community. I myself am pretty much on everything, I have a YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, LinkedIn, Google +, Pinterest, I keep a personal WordPress blog, for work we use yammer, and now I also use Tumblr. I’m sure I have others accounts that I use. In the time of starting this blog post to writing this sentence I’ve checked my phone over 4 times. I would say that growing up in the 90’s I’m lucky enough to remember a time before the internet and after but I’m also young enough that I just took to it like a baby with an iPad.

I remember in school we were all taught not to use our real names on the internet and now we plaster them across globe for all to see. After watching the video Connected, but alone?  (TED-Ed 2013) presented by Sherry Turkle. I would say that I’m always connected but I am not alone. My friends and I may use social media to organise a catch up but when we do catch up with talk. I chat to people online, but the conversation just continues offline where it was left online. However, I can see as highlighted the negative side of always being connected. I have seen people out at lunch or dinner not saying a word and just the glow from their screens lighting their face. With everything in life moderation is key. Society has changed, I would claim that we are in the digital age and to me it seems strange when someone is disconnected.

As part of this university course, all the students are in our own digital community for MDA20009. For some of us we might even start communicating daily, however for a lot of us we have never met each other. I know when sitting in the exam room for my other uni students, it is just a sea of strangers. We’re all connected through a digital community because we all choose to complete the same study unit and not our geographical location (Siapera 2012). Siapera (2012) poses the question that is it possible that technology has hindered our way of communicating because we’re not sharing our interests in physical proximity? To this question I believe that just because you are physical located next to someone doesn’t mean you want to communicate to that person. Technology has made it easier for humanity to connect, whether you like dogs, cats or dogs dressed up as cats, you can find someone who will share in your interest making you feel a little less along even if you are isolated geographically.  I believe that because digital communities can reach far beyond the boundaries of location and with the natural level of anonymity digital communities provide gender, age race and religion and gender, the potential of having meaningful connection with someone globally is increased.

Ferdinand Tönnies in the 19th century observed the social evolution, through his theories it could be suggested that digital communities/groups will only remain successful as communities if they continue to be organic and natural. On the other hand, there is society, and this is formed due to the thought of rational will and taking part to achieve a common goal. If we were to compare this to social media, I would conclude therefore the internet gets so mad when they are lied paid product advertising pretending to be a genuine review.

As we joke about Wi-Fi becoming one of the most basic human need, it just highlights how much humanity has changed our digital lives are just an extension of our physical ones.

TED-Ed 2013, Connected, but alone? - Sherry Turkle, 19 April, viewed 26 September 2018, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rv0g8TsnA6c>.

Siapera, E 2012, ‘Socialities and Social Media’, in Understanding New Media, Sage, London, pp. 191-208.

Images

‘Astonished Aden’ 2014, viewed 6 December, 2018, <https://imgflip.com/i/cfaz0>.

‘Level Up’ 2014, viewed 6 December, 2018, <https://www.mutilatethemortgage.com/2014/08/11/the-light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel/>.

‘This isn’t the droid… you’re looking for’ 2018, viewed 6 December, 2018, <https://memegenerator.net/instance/63035559/jedi-knight-this-isnt-the-droid-youre-looking-for>.

‘0-free-wifi’ Anon 2014, [image] viewed 6 December, 2018, <https://ijgolding.com/2014/11/25/the-big-wi-fi-conundrum-a-way-to-make-money-or-a-way-to-give-customers-what-they-need/>.

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Hey, I decided to chime in and dicsuss a few of your points here. I'm in agreement with you about how we tend to build only surface relationships, and I know this happens because a lot of the time, people have taken the time to really sit down and learn about the other person or care enough about the other person that they will be willing to listen to all elements, being the good, the bad and the ugly. I truly believe that this is the reason people have gravitated to social media. Because the aestitic is all nice and beautiful, and when we have to really listen to people's problems or faults, it can become a negative experience for some. The fact that there is already enough negativity in the world, whether it is from natural disasters, world wars or financial crisis' humans are usually trying to stay away from anything bad, and find beauty. This is where social media can assist society for an immediate sense of releif. They are relieved to be able to login to Instagram and see beautiful people, places and things.

The lonely girl with one million followers...

“Connected, but alone?” the title of Sherry Turkle’s Ted Talk (TED-Ed 2013) drew me in right away, this idea that someone can be connected with thousands, even millions of people virtually, but feel completely alone in the real world is an interesting phenomenon.

I was indifferent at first, but as I listened to Turkle on the bus home from work, I looked around me and realised that at least 90% of the people on the bus had earphones in and heads buried in their mobile device. Right in front of me was a perfect example of what Turkle (TED-Ed 2013) meant when she said, “we are all alone together,” completely disconnected from the physical world, whilst simultaneously connected with the digital world. I suddenly realised how ironic it is. We shut ourselves off from developing potentially rewarding relationships with real people, to actively interact with ‘virtual’ people.

Yes, as Saipera (2012) says, digital technology has afforded a greater ability for people who have similar interests, ideas and opinions to connect and express themselves freely. However, Putnam (cited in Saipera 2012), made a contrasting viewpoint that technology is affecting our ability to build social capital thus breaking down the very constructs that hold society together. In the Ted Talk ‘How social media makes us unsocial’ (TEDx Talks 2014), Allison Graham highlights the impact of digital technology in a poll conducted in 2001, where Americans said they had ten close friends and in the same poll in 2014, they admitted to only having two close friends. The fact that digital technology allows us to customise our experience and stay within our familiar groups is as Sunstein (cited in Saipera 2012) suggests, fragmenting society into a “collection of polarised groups that share little if anything with each other”.

This ability to customise was further discussed by Wilken & McCosker (2014), who suggest that we use social networking and digital devices to construct our self-identity choosing what is made public or kept private about ourselves. Turkle (TED-Ed 2013), further supports this saying that digital mediums allow us to “present the self we want to be” and edit and delete aspects of our lives. Simon Sinek (2016) also referred to this as “adding a filter to our lives” so as to make it look like we’ve got it together, happy and successful, whilst in reality, many of us are insecure and depressed.

In looking at my interaction with digital, I realise that many of my online ‘friendships’ are surface level at best. Yes, I know what they ate for breakfast and where they went on holiday, but I don’t actually know the real people behind the highlight reel.

So, upon reflection, I began to agree with the sentiments of Turkle (TED-Ed 2013) that digital devices are “so psychologically powerful, they don’t only change what we do, they change who we are.” Yes, we are more connected than ever, but is it at the cost of society and community? Will we sacrifice deep and meaningful relationships in our quest for connectivity?

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Isolation within Social Media

The individual mind, body and spirit has been interrupted by technology in today’s day and age. The way we interpret our social selves begins by revolving around the social connection through our devices. Times have most definitely changed. In the Nineteenth Century, our communication was limited to the people around us, relying heavily on face-to-face contact as the main form of communication (Siapera, 2012). During these times, humans could develop a deeper more thought provoking connection to one another, as opposed to relying solely on the messages they sent to each another through a screen. Recently, I read an article I found on the Independent website, that reported that spending over two hours a day on social networks, your chances of feeling socially isolated are twice as high (Hosie 2017). Although we may not feel like we are being isolated, because the amount of stimulation that comes with social media and devices is endless, the real fundamentals of face to face interaction are depleted. Human beings are social creatures, and without the real life social connection, there is not much that to build from. On the other hand, if an individual has already built a foundation with someone, and then follow them on social media and connect through comments and likes, that can help build upon the relationship because it provides validation that the person is interested in your day to day life. As humans, we want as much validation as we can get, in order to feel good about ourselves. Former sociologist Gemeinschaft believed that through organic and natural will, humans are able to build binding relationships that are affective and strong when face to face. Humans tend to spend more time on social media then they do when interacting with each other because it is a constant stimulus. Many scholars also debate the fact that social media might not have been the driving force of isolation amongst humans, but people might have initially felt isolated and then decided to turn themselves onto social media to help cover their instability. On a personal level, I can relate to this explanation because there was a time when I didn’t feel socially secure with any communities and I was travelling a lot, so did not feel any close connection with other humans, so I turned to social media as an escape from the reality of loneliness. I was able to treat my insecurities by communicating with people I didn’t know online. I found it to be therapeutic in a way. My subconscious mind, found a connection to people I didn’t know. Weird, but truthful. References: Siapera, E 2012, 'Socialities and Social Media’, in Understanding New Media, Sage, London, pp. 191-208. Hosie R, 2017, Independent, Rachel Hosie, viewed 6 December, 2018, Travis, E, & Sykes, T 2012 ‘Social Media And Disasters : Uses, Options, Considerations’ New York: Nova Science Publishers, Inc, eBook Collection (EBSCOhost), EBSCOhost, viewed 6 December, 2018. .

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Social Media

According to Social Media News, ‘Social Media users in Australia are some of the most active in the world, with a total of around 60% of the country’s population an active user on Facebook, and 50% of the country logging onto Facebook at least once a day.’ The fact that Social Media is so readily accessible contributes to the way humans are interacting with each other on a physical level. When watching Sherry Turkles’ talk, I found it fascinating to relate to these theories on many levels in my everyday life. Turkle says, “those little devices no longer change what we do, but who we are.” The way we monitor our social pages and try to alter who we really are, with photoshop and editing software, shows that we are not settled with our true selves and so we constantly have to find another way to make our lives seem better on the surface. When scrolling through social media, the majority of posts are of beautiful people, places and things, which creates an unsatisfied response for the person viewing this. For example, if someone is going through a hard time with body image and are trying to lose weight or look a certain way, and they are scrolling through Instagram, it would be difficult to accept themselves for who they are at that moment because there are these perfectly shaped and altered bodies that are portrayed as ‘normal’ sizes online.

When discussing the negative elements of social media on millennials, I found myself relating to many aspects. In particular, when posting on my social media pages, I want to know who’s watching and liking my photos and videos because it gives me a sense of self. I feel more at ease knowing that people are somewhat interested enough in my life to view my profiles. The feelings of validity that we get from social media is encouraging and almost therapeutic in a sense. According to a study of Australian consumers by San Francisco-based media-buying firm RadiumOne, social media usage is a dopamine gold mine. “Every time we post, share, ‘like,’ comment or send an invitation online, we are creating an expectation,” according to the study, “we feel a sense of belonging and advance our concept of self through sharing.” The use of social media has not only become a harmless form of ‘entertainment’ but rather a torturous experience to the brain. We are encouraging a false sense of reality and dismissing the genuine relationships that should be formed with humankind. I do not believe millennials in this day and age would be able to feel the sense of belonging and certainty that they gain from social media recognition and digital communication.

References

Anon 2018, Social Media Triggers a Dopamine High, viewed 4 December, 2018, <https://www.ama.org/publications/MarketingNews/Pages/feeding-the-addiction.aspx>.

Cowling, D 2018, Social Media Statistics Australia – October 2018, viewed 4 December, 2018, <https://www.socialmedianews.com.au/social-media-statistics-australia-october-2018>.

Kushlev, K, Proulx, J & Dunn, E 2017, ‘Digitally connected, socially disconnected: The effects of relying on technology rather than other people’, Computers in Human Behavior, vol. 76, pp. 68-74, viewed 30 November 2018, <https://www-sciencedirect-com.ezproxy.lib.swin.edu.au/science/article/pii/S0747563217304132#bib39>.

TED-Ed 2013, Connected, but alone?- Sherry Turkle, 19 April, viewed 30 November 2018, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rv0g8TsnA6c>