Social software is a general term used to describe social networking that allows people to communicate and collaborate while using the application according to Wikipedia. Some examples of social software are instant messaging, email, and chatrooms. Social software can be seen as a blessing in disguise because it has helped us improve/advance as a society in the world of new and ever changing technology, but it has also tremendously hurt and damaged us in the sense that we have become dependent on these social software as they have become distractive towards our everyday responsibilities. In the article “Clay Shirky Gin, Television, and Social Surplus,” he stated “did you ever see that episode of Gilligan’s Island where they almost get off the island and then Gilligan messes up and then they don’t? I saw that one. I saw that one a lot when I was growing up. And every half‐hour that I watched that was a half an hour I wasn’t posting at my blog or editing Wikipedia or contributing to a mailing list. I was forced into the channel of media the way it was because it was the only option.” This is an example of how distracting a form of social software can be because the main goal of media is to increase your consumption of whatever it is they create to the point that you forget that there is a life outside of media outlets such as television and social media sites. He also stated that children are growing up being indirectly taught that media involves consuming, producing, and sharing and if that is the case then it will become more difficult to overcome this cycle of dependency that feeds our social status and self esteem. The article “Abundance in Scarcity” by Michelle Kasprzak begins by discussing several positives of social software such as the fact that it is“enabling us to express ourselves for purposes both mundane and sublime.” We use social software to help us express our thoughts and feelings whether it be of things that are boring or grand, it gives us a platform to speak our minds and engage in conversations with others who may be similar or different from us. However a main point mentioned in this article is that being presented with fewer options of social software and not increasing the amount can offer greater opportunity for original thoughts and actions. I absolutely agree with this because as a result of the continuous increase in social software, many people are now struggling with a sense of identity loss because we now go about our everyday lives copying the way others dress, talk, and carry themselves as a whole. Nothing and no one is original anymore because the ideas that we think that we are creating have already been thought of and are being used for profit. There is a lack of creativity and imagination amongst children and even adults. We no longer belong to ourselves, we belong to the media.
Apr 09