Nicole Faiss
Andrew Easse
Final Project
As a society we get caught up in the digital age of social media. Our entire lives revolve around our phones and computers. When we are behind the screen we feel that we can be un-phased; that since there is not any face to face contact with anyone, it almost feels as if social media is a game. Every time we log into our Facebook accounts, or create a tweet, we want to see what impact we can have on the rest of the world. As humans we crave a justification for our thoughts. We want others to agree, dislike, and challenge what we have to say. This is where problems occur. Since we can not physically see the faces of our audience we lose basic manners that we would have if we were in person with these people. Everyone has had those moments where there is an awkwardness because someone said something and based upon facial expressions you know when to stop talking. When your on social media there are no social cues that give way to determine whether or not that your audience is reacting the way that you wanted them to react. This is where the disconnect between manners and social media can create an onslaught of dilemmas.
We use the knowledge we have acquired in the past to structure our own views and opinions. As our knowledge of the world grows, we all want to share what we have learned with as many people as possible. We have so many thoughts that we want to get out but not everyone understands us, the same way that our own friends do. We may say something and it is meant to be taken as a joke but the rest of the world may take it as something offensive.
Physiological and physical traits can all contribute to our perceptions. This is what makes social media so incredible. We can connect with people from such a large from the comfort of our own homes. We are able to meet people who have similar interests as us and to also meet people who have different interests as us. The large audience that social media allows us to reach makes us all look at the world differently and discuss certain topics with those that we may have never been able to reach if social media were not a means of communication.
Communication is the greatest gift that we as humans possess. Without communication we would have nothing in life. Our emotions make us feel a certain way, and our thoughts help us form those emotions that we are feeling into sentences that allow us to tell others how we are feeling. Social media can cause our emotions to go dormant because we tend to be other people on these social media sites. We can create an image about who we want to be like but that is not always who the person behind the screen actually is. Keeping face to face communication as the primary means of how we communicate is so important for us in order to keep true to ourselves.
The attributes that cause people to perceive things differently are our individual differences. As I sit here at construct this I realize my phone is dying, my computer is dead and the charger is lost. I’m not plugged in, in more ways than one. In life it’s hard to focus is you feel like your missing out of what’s happening online. Although what is happening online, should be a representative of real life; touché. In reality you aren’t missing much, seeing as social media platforms are a false perception. It’s what people want you to see that they share. Over the years I have started caring less and less of what people think, who will think it, or how many likes I get. Everyone is getting sick and tired of these “cultural norms” of posting the best picture, at the right time of day, the right day of the week. Yet everyone is still doing it, to maintain this perfect image.
Most people never take into account small details. Most people is not what I would consider myself. Every single detail imaginable, I consider. This brings me to another concern I have about social media. This concern is people editing their pictures they post. They edit them to make themselves look perfect. Smaller waist, bigger bust, bigger butt, smaller nose and the list goes on. Some people may not consider these smaller details but to someone, like myself that can point out the blurred lines or the mismatch of reality when you see them in person; it is evident.
Social media and the online world is truly a scary place. It’s a place where people can be happy or very cruel. People can be honest or fake. It’s up to the user to decide, the only recommendation we would give is to be considerate. Everyone is dealing with struggles, even if their life looks perfect. Being kind will never go out of style.