Social Media: Ups, Downs, and Everything Inbetween

There is no denying social media has radically changed how life as the world knows it works. Everyone knows what everyone is doing. Whether someone is eating, or the next-door neighbor is finally single, there isn't much that is private or unknown for most people now a days. This has its ups and downs of course. Sometimes it can be extremely nice, like following your favorite sports team or entertainment thing whether that is movies, TV or video games. It can be extremely convenient, but does this come with a cost?

Look at the many instances of President Trump on Twitter. Love him or hate him, there is no denying that when our president tweets it leaves an impression. The president has sent out tweets ranging from little comments here or there to full on tirades. Some containing information or opinions that we have never seen from a president, at least in the public space, ever before. This causes severe backlash, with many people clamoring for the president to lose his Twitter rights to the opposite, with people praising the man for his honesty. Regardless of stance, this is completely new ground. It raises the question of if there should be limits to our usage of social media? Should people in power be able to have the ability to post things such as Trump has willynilly? The question won’t be answered here, that’s for sure, but it is something fun to think about none the less.

It is crazy to think about where social media was with its beginning with the likes of AOL and Myspace, to Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram literally leading the charge and taking control of peoples lives like nothing else before. What does the future hold with this though? Will it all collapse, or will it continue to thrive or even expand. Will there come a day where Facebook is literally implanted in our brains with likes, comments and pictures just literally flashing before our very eyes with no escape whatsoever? It will be years down the road till the world knows but hopefully that is just a thought or dream and not a reality.

Maybe it completely collapses. Courts and lawsuits have been starting to pop up more frequently against these companies, most famously the recent case with Mark Zukerberg of Facebook fame having to defend Facebook from invading your privacy and sharing information without consent. If this continues, especially if its people who don’t understand the programs who throw out these suits left and right, the whole social media climate has a chance of collapsing. If these apps can’t connect to things like amazon or other sponsorships that bring in revenue, it could very well be doomsday. Maybe that’s good though. Maybe we all need to get off our phones and just live a little. Maybe we need more one on one. Get a little dirty in person instead of sending dirty pictures or just swiping left or right. Just learn to humanize.

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