I read an article this evening titled, “Don’t Overload Your Social Network.” The article spoke of how people can use social media as a crutch for their self-esteem. Just because facebook says you have 500 friends, doesn’t really mean these are your true friends. The article mentioned that there has been research that states when you view facebook and your notifications your brain releases Oxytocin. This is the same chemical that is released when you are in love. The article also provided tips regarding when you should avoid trying to build your self-esteem through facebook and other social media outlets, such as contacting friends you haven’t seen in a while, keeping in touch with exes, and contacting your family. Reading this article immediately made me think of a commercial I had recently seen.
I find this commercial entertaining and also a bit sad because I think our generation and the next are becoming more and more reclusive. We do not have to even leave our homes anymore and while I recognize that is a bit of an exaggeration, in a way that's where it seems that we are headed. You can purchase anything you need online, even your food for the week and have it delivered to your door. You can work from home and hold meetings online with the use of skype and other online meeting tools. There is constantly new ways to not have to actually speak with someone- including the use of texting. Instead of calling your friend to tell them some big news- some people post it on facebook. And in a way this article makes sense that people gain some gratification by seeing that people are acknowledging their status or their new photos. And, I can be guilty of this as well- I enjoy seeing that a friend of mine commented on a photo or left me a message. But, hopefully people won't lose the gratification that comes from actually meeting up with friends or holding a conversation over the phone.
No comments:
Post a Comment