Social Software

Social software, is it a blessing or a curse? I stand in the middle. On one hand, the advancements we’ve made cannot be ignored and should instead be celebrated. Twenty, even ten years ago we wouldn’t have been able to imagine how far we’ve come. Networking with people all around the world and creating connections that would’ve once been thought impossible is a reality now. Social software can also be a way of safety for some, especially when it comes to missing persons and crimes that involve hacking and privacy matters. 

On the other hand, when we talk about social software, can we truly say that our social media and anything else that involves the internet is ever really  private? (Answer: never). Our public lives are shaped by social software itself, and this new way of living can be its own issue all in itself. New generations are depending on the internet like it’s a natural resource (and some can argue that it has become one). No more playing outside for the majority of the day, and if you did then you have to post it online or else it didn’t happen. Another major problem is that it can create a lack of proper and meaningful communication amongst each other. As Clay Shirky wrote in his article, Writings About the Internet, “Prior to the Internet, the last technology that had any real effect on the way people sat down and talked together was the table”. He later on quotes W.R Bion, a psychologist, who said “…humans are fundamentally individual, and also fundamentally social. Every one of us has a kind of rational decision-making mind where we can assess what’s going on and make decisions and act on them. And we are all also able to enter viscerally into emotional bonds with other groups of people that transcend the intellectual aspects of the individual”. One can argue that social media doesn’t play a negative role in this and can improve connections we have with one another. However, I believe that some of the most realest and intimate connections we have with people are with the ones we are able to see in person- and emotions don’t ever get lost in translation. This may not always be the case, but for me it has proven true.

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