Is Social Media Really That Social?

Reflections on social media and the mind

Hi Zan, Hi Pa

Volume #13

March 25th, 2024

HI, ZAN:  Social media is always in the news of late, and we both use it—in different ways and to different degrees.  Shall we explore our thoughts on that subject?

HI, PA: Great idea, I have lots to say! Since you have more experience with life before social media (by the time I was a teenager almost everyone I know had at least a Facebook account), what changes would you say you noticed when social media first became popular? 

PA:  It seemed to happen very quickly.  It did not exist at all (at least not in the current definition) and then, a few years later, it was everywhere.  Mom started using Facebook and would report that this or that had happened in the lives of people we knew but hadn’t seen in awhile. 

I resisted, and then started using it, and it seems to me Facebook was pretty innocent at first.  I don’t remember fake friend requests, don’t remember a lot of what I call ‘tempests in a teapot’ or people being particularly mean—those famous fake tough guys who would never say a harsh word to anyone face-to-face but are vicious on certain threads.  I don’t remember so many advertisements.  And definitely not as much political stuff.  I don’t think there were even memes at first.  Seems like the whole universe of social media has just been very rapidly accelerating.  How much and how do you use it?

ZAN: Well, I’d say the way I use social media has changed a lot over the years. In middle school, when I first made accounts, I used apps like Facebook and Instagram to interact with friends because that’s what everyone else was doing. Now that the people I love are scattered all over the world, I use social media to keep up with the lives of friends and family far away, although that’s just the tip of the iceberg. I use Instagram to get recipe ideas, for example, and Twitter to get writing work.

It pains me to admit this, but I use social media pretty much every day. I’ve tried to take breaks, but it’s become a habit just like refreshing my email inbox. I excuse it away by thinking about all I get from social media professionally, but what about all the bad stuff that comes with it? 

Recently, I’ve found social media (specifically Facebook and Instagram) to be a lot more addicting. Have you noticed that it draws you in more lately?