by Chris Lynd 林持一In 2009, caught by the evil web of online social media, I embarked on my journey into an abyss of the depreciation of human values. After nearly one decade of abduction, I broke free, quitting social media altogether. To some, it may sound incredible, given that the whole society has not just been addicted to, but poisoned by social media for over ten good years. The reasons for my decision are not relevant; what’s important is what I have observed since then.
Before I start, let me show you some figures:
So why is social media so damnable? Why is it the new opium? Problems of social media The online social media network is the extension of people’s lives into a virtual world. People are addicted to the virtual world because it’s fun to do things behind a screen, without interacting with others in reality. But in fact, social media no longer stays virtual — it becomes our reality. Social media is the ultimate embodiment of human hubris, selfishness and desire. People post their lives and thoughts online to draw attention, considering the contents so meaningful, worthy and important that everyone should be interested. The ‘glamour’ generated by likes and comments becomes so crucial that people can’t live without it. Through such, social media hypnotises people to believe that posting a picture and some description suddenly constitutes who you are. It’s self-involvement, all about yourself, not others. However, without the likes and comments, it wouldn’t have worked at all. If we break down the action of posting a selfie, for instance, here’s what we get:
In addition, relationships between people in social media is based on a crazy assumption: you read their posts and pictures and you think you know them. You may be their follower but you know nothing. It’s only virtual knowledge. Also, sharing your personal life on the Internet can be harmful to you, no matter with an exclusive, selected audience or not. I once did a controversial stalking experiment with a mate to find out just how dangerous it is to expose your life on the Internet:
What social media does to us It threatens our mental health. As more and more people tend to read on their phones and write short sentences in a post, our patience attention span and concentration levels have decreased. When it comes to physical health, it gets worse. Beside the vision problems after gluing our eyes to the screen for too long, more and more youngsters are being diagnosed with cervical spondylotic myelopathy, or spinal cord compression, originally a disease that mainly suffered by elderly people. Thanks to social media and smartphone, its enforcer of darkness, the disease is now common among young people, too. Apart from the threats to our health, it also sabotages our perceptions badly. Social media is not a trustworthy source for news. The Internet is a wasteland. People publish news stories on social media everyday, and without proper editing and fact-checking, they are not necessarily accurate or true. Everyone can post, so be careful with news sources when you are looking at the world through the eyes of social media. However, the worst impact of social media is the twisted meaning of making friends that it introduces to human beings. Social media has revolutionised our concept of making friends and how to maintain them. Traditionally, we meet some people somewhere, and after a while of knowing them, we may become friends. It’s based on trust and mutual understanding. However, in social media, the word ‘friend’ becomes a different term, more like a ‘contact’ rather than a good mate. Online friendships are based on profile sharing. Without real interaction like eye and physical contact, online friendship is fragile. There’s no trust if you don’t know others in real life; and without trust, a relationship — any relationship — cannot last. After quitting social media Not being attached to social media anymore, my life seems to be lightened. Just one week after I quit, according to a brilliant new usage tracking function on my phone called ‘Screen Time,’ my average time of phone use decreased by 32 per cent. It was so astonishing that immediately I told all my (real) friends about it. I start to wonder how social media is harming our civilisation. Another week later, I began to read books while commuting. Gradually, my ability to read returned. On my way somewhere, I’m now capable of appreciating the trees, architecture, streets and even the people who are using their phones. I’ve got back my ability to observe and think. I’m living as happily as a child. With so many things to learn and appreciate in the real world, we should just leave the virtual world behind. The social media is the last word of both human intelligence and stupidity. Maybe it’s a great tool when it comes to business, but for your private life? Just avoid. a
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May 2024
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