Why are we ‘always on’?
The more I read and learn about the concept of social media and the importance of having an online presence, the more pessimistic I feel and want to say... but why? Why is technology changing the way we interact and why are we letting it control us? Why are we saying goodbye to privacy, community and connection all for this false sense of presence and connection to an online world? Maybe this makes me sound like my mother, or grandmother... or maybe there is some reason why being always on is so important.
(https://audiense.com/the-era-of-always-on/)
Danah Boyd (2012) suggests that being always-on refers to a constant ability or need to check social media and other applications on one’s phone or laptop to remain connected and in touch with the world of the internet. However, being always-on does not just refer to people, it can also encompass appliances and other devices which constantly drain energy and cost money to run (Loveday et al. 2008). Is it necessary for us and our appliances to be always on, always connected and always draining our ‘batteries’? What cost is this having both financially and in terms of our health? And how does this relate to a changing sense of community within society?
This is where the ideas of Ferdinand Tonnies come into play, because he suggested that the way we view community is changing, the ways in which strangers are brought together and find connection or create meaning has changed. Whilst Ferdinand may not have predicted such a change brought about by social media, he definitely had the right idea. Maybe the digital world is both creating and destroying communities in that it is moving many communities from the real-world to an online sphere? Maybe being always-on is allowing us to better connect with the world around us?
So maybe there are ways to view social media and having an online presence, not as this evil beast controlling us, but as a tool that can be used (in conjunction with real-world connection) for good.
There are many benefits to being connected to the digital world. Is it really such a bad thing to have access to a never-ending stream of information and stay in touch with friends online? Is meeting new people online through social media sites, broadening our understanding of culture and connection and constantly learning, a bad thing? I think not. Yes, it is true that these things should always be used in moderation (shouldn’t everything?). I cannot see a way for social media and related technologies to have anything other than a positive impact on society overall. From making our lives easier, to reshaping and creating new digital communities, to teaching us through short videos, to providing us with new and exciting opportunities to connect. What could possibly be bad about that? We’re not limiting our level of connection and interaction with the world around us, we’re just changing how it occurs and we’re changing how and when this occurs through being ‘always-on’.
(http://www.christianitytoday.com/pastors/2015/april-online-only/building-online-community.html)
References
Boyd, D 2012, Participating in the Always On Lifestyle, in Mandiberg (ed) The Social Media Reader, NYU Press, pp. 71-76 Loveday, D.L, Bhamra, T, Tang, T, Haines, V.J.A, Holmes, M.J & Green, R.J, 2008, ‘The energy and monetary implications of the ‘24/7′ ‘always on’ society’, Energy Policy, vol. 36, no. 2008, pp. 4639-4645