I chuckle to myself (and sometimes cry… depending on the day) that I am now the ‘old’ person that says, “Back in my day, XYZ was better; people were more decent, gas prices were more affordable, the music was better,” yada yada yada. Here I am now in my wise age of my mid-30s (sarcasm here) and I am saying the same darn thing that my grandparents and parents said. You know what though… I am going to finally say what is on my mind get it out of my system…
I miss how things were in the 90s.
In the 90s and early 2000s, I remember having a difference of opinion with classmates in history class or relatives and we would have an intelligent good spirited debate. I miss when people had different political views and we could still be friends and talk about politics with no hard feelings.
Today, I feel like not only has the creation of social media helped us filter our friends and family members online, but it now has extended to the real world as well. Some people use social media to constantly update their audience on their whereabouts, their beliefs, their dislikes, if they like Skyline or Goldstar better (which it’s obvious, Skyline is hands down the best) and so with this constant barrage of information, it is not out of the ordinary to unfriend these people on social media so that we do not have to constantly hear how they feel about a certain topic. People often take the unfriending personally, especially if they are a close relative or friend, and problems can ensue from there. The other possible negative result of this overabundance of information is that we learn more than we ever wanted to about a person and as a result, do not want to be a “friend” of this person in real life.
I once heard somewhere that we are the “Loneliest generation that is connected to everyone.” I’m not sure where I heard this from, but the quote has stayed with me. Because many people put so much of their life on display via social media, it is easy for us to find a reason to have an issue with almost anyone.
I wish that I could gift my children a world without social media, a world in which people have a difference of opinions and they speak about them in person. They do not wait until they get home to hide behind the safety of a keyboard.
Alas, I realize that times are always changing and that someday my kids may look back at 2018 and think that those were the days. However, just forgive me as I am nervous to see what the future may bring with people’s relationships.
I realize that I could totally block my kids from using social media while they are under my roof. I could block all social media websites with some fancy software. I could have a rule that all computer usage must happen in my presence. I could not allow my kids to have cell phones or any sort of portable computerized device, but in my opinion, that will only serve them so much as being comfortable with a computer is an important skill for most jobs.
If things go in the direction that they are now, my kids will at some point need social media to get helpful information about an event, to reach someone, or to just foster a relationship with a circle of friends. Not to mention, that if my kids are anything like me – If they are banned from social media, they would find a way to still get on it. (My act of rebellion was watching The Simpsons after my mom went to bed.)
So what is the answer? In a world where we are constantly told that we should cut toxic people from our lives but to cut out close family members and friends? How do we start a movement that a difference of opinion is not a bad thing and that social media is not real life?
