Katelyn Montalvo | Contributing Writer
**Additions to this article will be made following Professor Bruner’s lecture at 7 p.m. tonight in the Cougar Dome entitled “Anti-Social Media.”
Generally speaking, would you say that most people can be trusted or that you can’t be too careful in dealing with them? Do you use the Internet, at least occasionally? How often do you send or receive email? How many Adams do you know?
These are just some of the questions asked in a survey by the Pew Research Center regarding social networking sites and our lives. They found that the number of users on those using social networking sites had nearly doubled since 2008. Facebook users also seem to be more trusting, more politically active, and more likely to posses close friendships.
However, there are numerous studies that correlate Facebook use to depression. High school and college-aged Facebook users are especially prone to feel envious, sad and lonely after being on the social networking site. Theodore Roosevelt once said, “Comparison is the thief of joy.” However, the human habit of overestimating other people’s happiness is nothing new.
Montesquieu, the 18th century philosopher, said: “If we only wanted to be happy it would be easy; but we want to be happier than other people, which is almost always difficult, since we think them happier than they are.”
If Michael has 40 “likes” on his profile picture and Rob only has three, then Michael is seen as the more successful individual. We forget that social networking sites, such as Facebook, allow people to portray themselves in whatever way they choose, and no one is going to post a status about a broken home life or the panic attack the person had during class the other day.
“Social networking has elevated the introvert, whether the real life dynamic has changed or not,” says Azusa Pacific adjunct professor of communication Phil Lollar said.
Yet, famed international anthropologist Stephana Broadbent notes that most people use technology to communicate with just a small network of family and friends. She admits that technology has the potential to broaden our communication with others, yet most people do not take full advantage of these resources, such as Skype, Twitter and Facebook. Rather, a husband may use his cellphone to call his wife during a break at work. Technology has the power to either enhance our personal lives or destroy them.
“The genie is out of the bottle,” says Lollar, and “we can’t get rid of these devices, so we need to learn to cope with them.” He goes on to discuss the ramifications of putting your entire life on Facebook, recognizing that it will follow you forever. There must be a balance, because we cannot ignore all the good that has spawned from the digital age.
TedTalks, the global conference meetings concerned with “ideas worth spreading,” present numerous important aspects of technology worth considering.
Author and blogger Seth Godin argues that the Internet has re-established the niche communities within society, such as balloon-animal makers and professional sports mascots. The Internet connects people in ways that were never possible before.
From the Iran crisis to the Syrian civil war, social networking technology has allowed for everyday citizens to instantly become informed journalists. The Egyptian revolution was organized through Facebook posts. People were able to capture the bloodshed in the Middle East without asking for permission to publicize, share pictures, videos and information instantaneously from across the world.
Not only has technology made people more socially aware, but more politically active. Pew reported that 22 percent of registered voters announced who they would be voting for in the last election between Obama and Romney. Younger voters were especially likely to have been influenced by social media.
The importance of technology to the X and Y generations is significant to consider, especially regarding the job market. Upon graduation, we will be forced to enter a world in which there will be no jobs waiting for us. There will be no one knocking on our doors, so we must become entrepreneurs.
“The old ways of employment have changed. Use the Internet to brand yourself,” says Lollar, “and try and make the Internet your friend in any way you can.”
A new subcategory of fiction was birthed from social networking in the form of Twitter novels. Stories, similar to old-time radio broadcasts, which are written in 140 characters or less, are produced intermittently for the public.
We must become innovative with our use of technology. There must be a knowledge and wariness toward the negative effects of its overuse and misuse, yet it would be foolish if we did not capitalize on the advantages that are available to us through technology. Go and do with it what you will.