Social Media, Society, and Change

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Society does not react well to revolutionary change. 100 years ago Henry Ford used assembly lines to mass produce the automobile. This made the automobile available to the common people. And the young people used the automobile to change the dating norms of their times.  Before the automobile made transportation easier, dating couples could  go somewhere other than her front porch. Concerns were raised about the new morality of a mobile youth.

Today, we are living through another revolution in society. Twenty years ago, the internet was primitive and limited mostly to corporations that could afford the technology to network their computers. Now the internet is on every phone and in almost every pocket. It does more than make information available between networks. The ability to interact with other people through a screen is raising concerns and new communication styles.

Teen Ink carried an article on the changes social media is making to society. We are more connected than ever, yet communicate less. "Traditional interactions will continue to be at risk if we don’t realize the effects of our social media." The author continues to highlight the effects of shallow online friendships replacing connection with others around you, the relative ease of online bullying, and the damage to our ability to interact in the non cyber world.

Adults are more likely to use social media as a means of communication over long distances, however teenagers use their profiles to create an online identity and impress each other with their "coolness."  This coolness can include attacking peers that aren't as cool - cyberbullying. There were bullies when I was a kid, but they had to come up to you. You had an opportunity to stand up to them, fight them if necessary. Yeah, you got in trouble for fighting at school - but it was worth it. Standing up for yourself provides a sense of inner strength.  When the bully came to you on the playground or in the lunchline, all of your classmates could see what was happening, and standing up to the bully brought social benefits. How do you stand up to a message on Facebook or any of the other social networks that come and go? The Chicago Tribune carried an article on how one school district was fighting cyberpulling. Unfortunately, the only real answer is communication between parents and teenagers.

Society adjusted to the automobile and we have made it a part of our everyday lives. In some cases, new regulations were needed - the creation of road standards, traffic laws, stoplights. Today, the car is still something that can pose a danger. Social media is much the same way. We have a social responsibility to exercise our free speech rights without harming others. Regulations on social networks may be needed; parental involvement is a must for teenagers using social media.
I used MySpace and then Facebook to stay in touch with my friends and family while deployed overseas.  I have used Facebook to reconnect with old classmates. However, I deactivated my Facebook account two months ago and I still don't miss it. The key to social media has to be moderation - like a car, don't get more than you can control. I wouldn't give a 16 year old a Ferrari the day they got their license. I wouldn't give a teenager unlimited access to social networks.