technology – Mary's Average Adventures

As a millennial technology is obviously a part of my everyday life and unless there is some sort of internet shutdown (like the government shutdown last year haha) it always will be a part of my life. To me the lack of understanding to why technology and social media in the older generations is almost becoming unacceptable.

Recently I’ve been working back at the internship I had over the summer so I’ve been listening to podcasts because it does get boring sitting at a cubicle doing little jobs people just need done while I’m here until tomorrow afternoon. I’ve been listening to Ear Biscuits with Rhett and Link who are two YouTubers of the original generation as in YouTubers who started before the partnership program and you could make a good deal of money from it. I had never watched their videos but I’ve heard of their podcast and it features a lot of ones I watch or heard of so I thought I would listen and it’s very interesting. They talk in depth not only about each person’s life but they talk about the lack of understanding of the media and YouTube and I just don’t understand how traditional media is not embracing this. Yes, these people are actually a threat to them because they do appeal to a younger audience but that doesn’t mean that they can be ignored.

Traditional media hates a threat which is what social media is becoming to them, they can’t keep up. There is this threat that these young people who they suddenly can’t relate to and they don’t know how to handle it. Not only can you reach the news in a matter of seconds, I won’t turn on the news to learn anything I’ll go see the live coverage on Google News from twenty different news sites at once. No one is addressing this change, I’m studying communications and I haven’t learned anything about social media or how to handle it other than don’t put anything bad on it. Sure I’m two years in but you think more than an online journalism class this should be way more prevalent from the start.

The fact that the first thing I do in the morning is check twitter and read theSkimm and maybe check instagram or Timehop, I don’t worry about turning on the TV or finding a newspaper to read. Sure those are great forms of information but that’s not how the world is going to be ten years from now, hell maybe even five. The physical news is a dying form of news and as a communications major that’s really scary especially since no one is preparing us for the changing world. I started writing this today at lunch after listening to all these podcasts and I cannot believe how ignorant traditional media is towards these new forms. A society is ever changing and with the new technology that we are being offered we should learn these new forms and use them to the best of our ability. Rather than ignoring and trying to resist these changes take them and face them head one.

Logan tweeted this evening about how one of her newspaper textbooks is from 1998 (I might have the same one, I haven’t looked closely enough) and this is just ridiculous. They aren’t even in the same century as us, the book is 17 years old and it’s supposed to be good enough to still teach us today. The X Generation is so afraid of this change and how it’s making everything change so quickly that they are depriving us from learning properly. This is a generation that is discovering how to use things like twitter and tumblr and even YouTube as a news resource and the threat alone scares those who are in a place of position now where they have to criticize it. It’s sad to see things like this not being utilized but that something that we are going to change and embrace and if they can’t join us they are going to be left in the dust due to their inability to keep up with the times. I guess I can’t complain though, I hope that means more job opportunities for me.

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Well the title makes this sound like a research paper, it’s not. I’m not googling anything unless I have to.

First and foremost this is the video that inspired me to do this post so go check that out first please: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7dLU6fk9QY

Anway, social media has a huge impact on everyone’s daily life, if you’re reading this social media impacts you, don’t try and deny it. Social media has allowed us to connect with people that normally we would never be able to. Looking at this week alone there are people reading from six different countries on three different continents, all time statistics are even crazier, twenty-six different countries, six continents. I don’t know people from all over the world, I don’t even know people on the other side of the country! It’s amazing what the internet can do, I’ve talked to people from all around the world on here and on tumblr. It amazes me. Social media and technology also give us the ability to communicate with loved ones whenever we choose. I can get on a Google Hangout with my friends in four different states and we can all talk to each other at the same time. My mom can read this in Pennsylvania and that won’t change when I go for a semester abroad my junior year.

On the other hand social media is destroying our world. I hate it. It’s hard to go out to a dinner without having people texting, checking twitter/facebook/instagram, replying to emails, or even talking on the phone. I know I’m guilty of this too, but I’m really trying to stop. It’s gotten to the point now where I go to church and see this happening and I’m just disappointed, it can really wait. We can’t even sit in front of the tv with our families and be antisocial together anymore, instead someone has an ipad, another has a phone, another a laptop so you’re all “watching” tv together, but who’s actually paying attention to the show let alone engaging with each other.

I can sit here check Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram, my email, Twitter, anything I want to and I have yet to talk to a single person in the Starbucks I’m writing at with the exception of the man who took and made my order. Right now it’s Frappucino happy hour so there’s about 20 other people in the store but I chose the back table so I wouldn’t have to talk or make eye contact with anyone. This is terrible! On my way over I said hi to a girl, but she immediately broke eye contact and was checking her phone. We have developed this society where we aren’t supposed to talk to anyone or look at anyone and all keep to ourselves. This is so selfish! I say it to myself all the time to try and make someone’s day, but you never know if your smile can change a life.

Social media, what is supposed to help us be more social, is really making us more antisocial. You can be with your friends but instead of seeing how they’re doing and what’s new with them, you’re looking on instagram to see what’s new with your other friends. Instead of asking your significant other about their life, your stalking your ex on Facebook to see if you’re life is better without them.

I think I’m going to challenge myself this summer to take an hour of free time with someone I care about without all of these distractions. Instead, I’ll make breakfast with my sister, drink coffee with my friends, or read a book distraction free. I’ll ignore all the new engagements on Facebook and focus on my non-existent relationship. I’m tired of being antisocial because of the social media.

If anyone wants to join me maybe we can make a real challenge out of it. Let me know in the comments, also put there what you think about social media I’m curious about different opinions.

XOXO,

Mary.