it was titled ‘is social media poison?’

Is social media poison?

I have been thinking about a few things… My thoughts turned into memories and went deep into my past, into my childhood. One would say happy days of playing, bicycle riding, roller skating etc. Now, I look through my window and gaze upon a park, where I used to play as a kid and find it empty of activity. Instead, I can see several kids typing on their phones and taking selfies left and right. 

Time’s up and my tea mug is empty. Time to catch the bus and to meet some new business clients, working myself to the bone as usual, as we all know once you own a business, you never really can stop working. My route takes me by the benches where those kids sit and the only thing I observed was silence. It is silent except, for those annoying sounds that a keyboard makes when someone is typing at a high speed. When I was younger the neighbors cursed us to hell and back for yelling during playtime. Things are so different now.

The bus came and I hopped on. I observed the big sign that says free WiFi right at the door. Of course, most of the passengers that boarded already had their phones hooked up, earphones on the ready like plants hooked up to an irrigation system. They only move slightly when the bus brakes much like plants in the breeze.

The moment all my meetings were done, I went home. On my way back I paid more attention to the people talking around me, especially on the bus. The topics were: Who posted what on social media, how many likes, pervs in the inbox, celebrities said this and that, that girl posted a provoking status etc. I tried, heavens I tried really hard to find people that were not yammering on about likes, pics and pixels.

Sadly I have even lost friends, not due to the different paths we chose but rather by the wall, not just any wall but the wall where likes, pictures, and statuses are written. Some have the audacity to accuse me of neglecting them because I don’t post on their profiles or like their statuses while they themselves do not the same.

It makes me wonder..what have I become? A bunch of pixels with a name given to me by a parent, or a commodity that can befriended, unfriended interacted with, and ignored at leisure.

I obviously live in a world where all the traits nurtured and developed for centuries came to a grinding halt. Instead, of turning to others for support and advice it’s now easier to moan on social media in order to gain a couple of likes and false sympathy from others that are most likely to say to themselves “Yeah, whatever, not my problem, here is an emoji for you.” This is not good, we appear to be forgetting who we are and how to interact with each other. Some would say that this is an evolution and it can’t be avoided but I don’t buy that. From my point of view, this is becoming the most enjoyable plague that mankind caught. I have seen a sharp transition from a life that promoted healthy, sister/brotherhood and unity, to a life that promotes solitude, a lot of false friendships, and a way to gaze into the lives of others with the click of the mouse.

As I always say, social media is good but there always needs to be a balance, between that and your reality/ physical life.