The child held up the glimmering, innovative apple device, pressing on the screen displaying radiant flashes of pictures and lights. As the bus hummed to a temporary stop, I notice a male youth sitting in the four seat arrangement in front of me with a group of friends, casually browsing and texting social media applications on their smart phones. Occasionally I would overhear an exchange of a few words, but strangely enough, their eyes would remain focused on the vivid illustrations projected by the mobile devices. I guess they have their priorities straight. I find such behaviour shocking. Why would one decide to text and commute with others long distance when there are people that you could interact with around you?
We live in a world where there exists a constant development of new innovations that are designed to improve modern lifestyles and ease connections between people. “[t]he most forward thinking phone in the world” (qtd. in Gallo), was the slogan for the apple iPhone which captivates so many, becoming one of the most popular modern cellular devices in the world. This technology has many integrated functions like allow access to Facebook, Twitter, and numerous other social media applications which “helps you connect and share with the people in your life” (Facebook). All this innovation is supposedly benefits our social interactions and ability to share. Although this may be true, there is a paradoxical side effect that this ideal ultimately becomes a burden to social interactions.
During this technological era, people are constantly sharing our experiences online daily through various pictures on Facebook, tweets on Twitter or other idea sharing programs; we strive for interesting aspects in our daily lives to project the significance of ourselves as others embrace or reject our opinions. Slowly we build a dependence. As people get approval from various posts from the general public, they gain status in their own minds which results in an addiction towards building a perfect image of themselves that everyone will approve of.
“Texting, email, posting” allows us to “present the self as we want to be” (Turkle) and cut, paste, and edit the things we do and say. There is no restraint on response time as society accepts edited responses due to the assumption of a busy life as opposed to in real time where we have little to no time to articulate a fluent and ideal response or act without flaws. Eventually, this leads to the deterioration of communication skills which in turn, decreases the demand for building intimate relationships and promotes the building of a greater web of virtual relationships.
Social media provides an opportunity for people to escape solitude through providing a means of communication through the internet that is accessible virtually anywhere, but rather than create relationships, social media has merely caused people to become more isolated. The image we build of ourselves may be ideal, but without flaws, we aren’t actually demonstrating our true selves. Our expectations of ourselves and each other are growing exponentially due to the necessity of building of an ego that other people will perceive as something that is admirable. The public has become accustomed to a life controlled by great expectations. As we communicate behind a screen, we are alone, attempting to make connections, but because we seem to be so busy with our lives, we are no longer creating experiences with others, rather for others.
Our society has adopted norms in which people are naturally pressured to abide by, as opposing them would result in exile. Many people speak of individualism, encouraging others to be themselves and accept each other’s differences, but due to the greater influence of news, social media, and advertisements people are allowed to individualize only to a certain extent. How can we be unique if every passerby is judging and objecting certain opinions that go against the norm? The fear of isolation drives us towards acting as a mindless zombie that abides by the laws of social order. When there is a fat lady walking across the street, we are influenced by social prejudices to depict this type of person as fat, therefore she is lazy. When a homeless man spotted on the streets of Downtown eastside, society deems him to be worthless drug addict because he is homeless and begging. What we fear is becoming one who is looked down upon by society, allowing societal pressure to influence our daily actions. In a world where everyone is always judging, individuality is only an ideal concept. Although we are allowed the freedom to act as we please, our roots are ultimately from the same society as we are taught every single day of our lives since childhood of what is acceptable behaviour. We may have the freedom to choose our actions and who we associate with, but being with a certain group influences us to adopt the group ideology. Our personality is based upon the influences of those around us. We are figures placed onto a field full of dirt paths that may lead to great things, but we do not have the option of exploring the grass.
Works Cited
"Facebook Has a New Homepage, But Is Still Not a Social Networking Site." L'Atelier: Disruptive Innovation. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Sept. 2013.
Gallo, Carmine. "How Apple Guarantees You'll Remember Its Twitter-Friendly Message."Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 10 Sept. 2013. Web. 26 Sept. 2013.
Turkle, Sherry. "Sherry Turkle Quotes." Sherry Turkle Quotes (Author of Alone Together). Goodreads, n.d. Web. 26 Sept. 2013.
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