Laura Ayotte – Social Media and Digital Cultures

FOMO

Fear of missing out. Social media didn’t create this issue, classmates have been left off of birthday party invitation lists for years. Social media highlights the issue with posts and pictures showing the cake, the ponies, and the guests at the birthday party. People only post the highlight reel, no one posts their child dropped out of college or someone got suspended, again. Social media users need to realize they aren’t seeing the entire picture, as Abe Lincoln once said….

I think Paul Miller may disagree with the responses from the 30 – Day Writing Challenge on Facebook (see below). When he unplugged from the internet for a year, he was isolated, missed parties, lost human interaction. He learned to use it in moderation, take the good with the bad.

Response A:

Social Media is a scary thing. We’ve allowed out innermost thoughts and feelings to bleed out like we all have Turrets syndrome. The universality of it is wonderful, but also causes more stressed from around the world. It destroys relationships, and creates triggers. Worst of all, we’re all addicted to it.

Response B:

–It has pulled our focus away from daily living, from enjoying the small details of life when your quiet with your thoughts and being mindful.

–It wastes precious time and energy.

–It has artificially made what other people think and vague social acceptance too important.

–It causes grief and anxiety then we compare the lives of our social acquaintances to our own life.

–It does not begin to represent the whole picture of a persons life. It only represents a small controlled, socially acceptable glimpse.

Unplugging from the internet for a year wouldn’t be realistic for the majority of adults. Punishing a teenager by taking their phone is akin to solitary confinement. Social networking shouldn’t replace human interactions, it should complement them. Use it wisely, make plans, keep in touch with friends and family, BUT put it away the you are with friends and family. Be present. Listen to friends when they say you are on a lot, track your screen time and put it away when you reach your maximum. Social media can help you be more social but unfortunately it can also be an unsocial media.

What are your thoughts about the issues of safety, security, and privacy? What are your concerns? What are your ideas for addressing them in ways that still allow you to take advantage of the value of social networking and media?

While driving home alone from a conference in Keystone this summer I called my husband and told him I wasn’t feeing well. I was using Waze to more to monitor the traffic than for directions. I didn’t realize Waze was monitoring me as well. When I hung up with my husband an ad popped up on Waze, an ad for the Urgent Care five minutes from my home, the Urgent Care we always use, I was an hour away. It was then that I realized the lack of privacy I had driving in my own car alone. Was it helpful information? Yes. Did I make an appointment? Yes. It has made me consider things I say in private may not actually be in private.

I have social media, I am not so concerned with privacy that I will delete all my accounts and live without a digital footprint, it doesn’t seem reasonable in this technological age. I do not share my phone number or mother’s maiden name or my social security number, I thought not sharing those things kept me safe.

Everyone must have a personal social level they are comfortable sharing, online and in person. I will spill my guts about a bad day to a coworker who casually asks “how was your day?” I cannot stop myself from saying where I bought something and how much I saved if someone compliments an outfit. Then there are people who don’t overshare, people who would answer “fine, thanks, and you?” to my coworker’s question, people who respond to a compliment with a simple thank you. Our online identities are similar, people either feel free in sharing some personal information, vacation plans, check ins at restaurants, blogs, and YouTube videos, or they have social media accounts but rarely post, or they stay away from social media entirely.

The most important thing is people need to know how their information is being used, it is obviously being used from the targeted ads that appear on Facebook after you google “all inclusive Mexican vacations.” Some people may find that creepy, some may find it helpful. According to Panda mediacenter, “While many users think they are harmlessly adding information to their profiles, this information can be used for targeted ads, sold to marketers, or worse, sold into the black market. Facebook has even admitted to using 98 different data points to target advertisements.” My comfort level, like most people, lands somewhere in between the extremes. I want social media to keep in touch with family and friends, I also want to protect my privacy.

I have created alternate Facebook and InstaGram accounts, one with my professional name that is easy for my students’ families to find and one with my maiden name for personal use. I have had a Gmail address for about 14 years, I have used that email for all things, I am also notoriously bad at deleting email. Since this is near the end of my blog post and I’m sure no one reads anything on the internet, I will confess to having, at this point, over 28,000 unread emails cluttering up the email box. I know, it is a problem. As soon as I post this I will create a new email address and hide the old one, if only I can figure out those privacy settings.

Resources:

(2018, June 26). How Much Does Social Media Know About You – Panda Security. Retrieved from https://www.pandasecurity.com/mediacenter/social-media/how-much-does-social-media-know-about-you/