ARE THOSE WHO DON’T USE SOCIAL MEDIA ANTISOCIAL?
100 years ago, people couldn’t live without champagne served in crystal coupes but nowadays (although I personally can’t live without champagne) it seems that some would possibly drop dead without being able to aimlessly scroll through their social media feeds. Without being able to see their friends and family’s every move. Without the possibility of drinking a nastily bitter cocktail (which admittedly sounded delicious when they read the concoction on the menu) only to still post a picture and brag about the branded jam jar it was served in. I’m sad to say that there are more people out there like this than you think. But what about those who aren’t involved in this glamorous, picture perfect bubble? What should we think of them?
As a social media user myself, I can’t relate to what it’s like to wake up and not know what Kim Kardashian had for her dinner the night before. But despite my exclusive knowledge of this, thanks to my Instagram feed, what about those who don’t know this, who don’t know every single detail of other people’s day to day lives? Should we label them as antisocial or is it perfectly acceptable? In my opinion it’s totally okay to not be engulfed in ‘the bubble’ and here are a few reasons why…
Firstly, by studying language and new media, I’ve realised that social media provides users with both affordances and constraints. One affordance is that mediums such as Facebook can connect you with family and friends in an online space- some may live nearby, some may live on the other side of the world, either way you can message each other and catch up regularly just with the click of a button. Although this recent way of life saves the hassle of finding a date in the diary and filling the car up with fuel, surely it has an impact on one’s physical relationships? I for one (and I hate to admit it), have realised that social media has made me lazy with my friends. Having a face-to-face conversation over a cup of coffee in a café is a rarity and making an effort to travel many miles to see family in other areas now seems unnecessary because I can tell them all about my recent holiday online. Consequently, perhaps some choose not to use social media so they don’t lose touch with the real, physical world and embrace the opportunity to make real efforts and real memories with those they love? Perhaps those who use social media are the antisocial ones?
Secondly, in a world full of career driven individuals there are some instances where being a user of social media can be a disadvantage. It won’t surprise many that being a professional in whatever in industry requires professionalism and a single social media post could throw your chances of landing your dream job completely out of the window. Unfortunately, social media doesn’t favour professionalism in the same way that a workplace does; instead, it favours funny videos of friends, endless photos of couples kissing on the beach during their honeymoon and embarrassing posts typed in the early hours of the morning after a drunken night out. These days a lot of employers do take a look at the social media of potential candidates to ensure that they’re the right person for the job and that they will admirably represent the company, therefore sometimes the best option might be to have no social media at all than to be caught out at an unexpected hurdle. So, I would suggest that in order to be taken seriously in a high-flying workplace, it’s best that your future boss doesn’t stumble across a photo of you drunkenly lying on your kitchen floor, with your superman boxers half-way down your legs, that your mate Dave tagged you in. I can assure you that those who don’t use social media don’t have to worry about this.
Finally, social media provides all users with a platform where their voice can be heard. Another affordance. However, sometimes these voices can be hurtful and judgemental towards other users. Therefore, another constraint- social media does not allow you to share content whilst being protected from the views and comments of those who view it and this can be detrimental to self-esteem. Examples include fat shaming women who are seven months pregnant, telling a fitness blogger their advice is wrong just because they’re not a qualified personal trainer or even commenting hateful messages on someone’s post because of a difference in political views. Although I have very fortunately never experienced any of this intolerable behaviour, I can empathise with those who chose not to run the risk of being unfairly bullied. Therefore, those who don’t use social media are certainly not antisocial but undeniably considerate of their own wellbeing and happiness and are aware of the dangers that come with it.
So… let’s stop the judging, go back to your tongue turning, shaken not stirred martini and leave those who don’t want to be engulfed into ‘the bubble’ alone. It might be us who are the antisocial ones.