Isn't this forum social media in some form? (Off-Topic)

by Robot Chickens, Friday, March 04, 2016, 23:25 (3189 days ago) @ Kermit
edited by Robot Chickens, Friday, March 04, 2016, 23:29

Of course "thought germs" are not unique or new but social media is new as a means to spread them.

True. The internet has vastly increased the reach and rate of spread of any particular idea.

I guess I don't think avoiding social media insulates us from that danger. Learning to identify the danger and subvert it is a valuable skill in any medium of communication.

I didn't to imply it did--at least not completely.

Another option to avoid anger germs: quit social media.

Using your brain is always good. I contend that social media is changing our brains and the way we communicate, and the change is not positive.

I totally agree that it is changing our brains. In many ways we lost a good deal of our capacity to remember when we transitioned from a society in which information is transmitted orally to one where text became the dominant form of saving knowledge (Gutenberg). On the other hand, it freed us to focus our minds on other things.

I'm pretty suspicious of social media myself, but I don't think we know enough to make a judgement about the net gains vs the net losses yet. I definitely notice the difference in how space is conceptualized for instance. It used to be that when you were alone in high school, you were really on your own. Interviews with teenagers suggest they conceptualize being together and supported by their peers across space. At the same time, the focus on those immediately in your presence has been diminished.

Sure we could talk about the depth of conversations available via social media, but that is true about any medium. For instance, I would much rather have a conversation with my wife in person than over the phone/over text. However, when I worked in an office, I couldn't do that. We did have gchat up though and I could share thoughts throughout the day. This gave me a sense of closeness not available otherwise. It isn't the same level of interaction as personal conversation, but it is good, like a phone call before bed when you're out of town.

By that same merit, social media is changing us. A lot of it is not so good, but there are definitely some positive virtues. I'm just not sure we have the perspective to ask the right questions to measure it in terms of net gain or net loss yet.

In any case, I'm onboard with your suspicion, but I'm not onboard with the proclamation that social media is hurting us more than previous methods of communication.