Is social media bad?

"Social media is destroying our sense of community in this country."

Stated by Rep. Dingell (D) today on Fox News with Chris Wallace. I think she is right.

What is to be done? Or is it the case that we never really had a sense of community with people on opposite sides of the great and eternal progressive/conservative divide?

 

Politics used to be a private subject to many Americans. I was raised not to talk politics with people, as everyone has their own opinions.

Now social media is a weapon to insert politics into every discussion. Everyone can see how their family members lean, how their friend's feel about a certain policy...etc.

BUT on the flip side, social media can connect you to friends that you never would have found before.

I personally think it's very bad...but has some perks

 

I'll add more:

Social media has made people more radicalized as well. I have a friend that was just a normal athlete...now he trolls facebook hours a day sharing stories and conspiracies. He unfriend's people that disagree with him...meaning he's literally just throwing his friends away if they disagree. He blocked me. Which is weird because we've been very close for 18 years.

In fact, the response I had that got me blocked from him was:

"That's incorrect. Ukraine isn't even in NATO".

 

I disagree. I find social media to increase my sense of community with family and friends. I don't have the time to talk to everybody on the phone, but I can see what they are doing based on facebook posts.

 

My husband and I dont use social media and miss a lot of family events (weddings, get togethers etc)

 

I suppose it does. It's possible that social medias is what we call a "supernormal stimulus". For instance, mosquitos are extremly attracted to light and heat. Because of that, they end to burn themselves on woodfire because they're not "programmed" to deal with such stimulations.

We're still a tribal animal, programmed to deal with around a hundred of individuals. Big cities are in their way also a super stimulus that we're not fully adapted to. I don't think it's solution, but I get why Amish do what they do.

It doesn't mean that social medias can't be usefull, that's not my point, however, it's likely it could have destructive effects on human psychology.

I don't think there is anything to be done, if the society has to self destroy itself, then let it be.

 

I found it to be unhealthy, so I've unplugged, with the exception of PF. I don't miss it at all.