During our lecture on Wednesday about consuming, creating, and connecting through digital culture, and as I read through some of the posts that people put up in response, I kept thinking of a video that one of my friends had posted on Twitter a month or two back called "The Innovation of Loneliness."
We keep discussing how we use digital media to connect through mediums such as facebook, twitter, instagram, goodreads, online forums, etc. I think this video gives some very interesting commentary on the potential that this new way of connecting has to disconnect us while change how we view ourselves and others. When I am scrolling through my social medias I don't usually consider the emotional effect that this has on me. I am really embarrassed to admit that just this weekend I voiced annoyance to my roommate that my most recent instagram hadn't gotten enough "likes" (I was of course instantly horrified with myself for caring about this). But, I think it's very relevant to the point that this video brings up that we are starting to use social media and the digital world to define so many aspects of our life, even our social structures, and we are letting it effect us personally. I think I'm starting to question Melody's statement in her post that we are learning how to control the machine through innovation, and wondering if all this innovation isn't letting the machine control us.
Is this something that you see as an issue as we increasingly move our lives into the online world where we can carefully craft our personas and see a count of how many "friends" we have? Do you think that this is going to become more and more of an issue?
Thanks for voicing this side of the argument. I do think that it is a delicate balance and a fine line between controlling the machine or letting the machine controls us. I think it just has to be according to each person as the issues keep arising, and I think it is going to keep getting harder to stay in control, if we are even in control at all.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to see how informal feedback data (likes and comments on our social media) is accumulating and is being taken so seriously. I don't think it is wrong to pay attention to this flow of attention, provided we are aware of its limits and don't become a slave to it. I know that when my son was seriously injured that watching the comments and likes on the Facebook post that I put up about it was genuinely meaningful to me as I sat there stunned in the ambulance. Those insubstantial "likes" and such can in fact mean a lot (positively or negatively). The video made good points, though, about the problem of personal promotion. I think this is something others in the class should definitely see.
ReplyDeleteI certainly like getting likes on facebook. But I also tell myself I don't care about it. And sometimes that is true and sometimes it isn't. I think Professor Burton has a point about facebook Likes being capable of constructive, healthy attention in serious situations. But it also has that darker aspect where likes, the lack of in particular, can actually make us feel negative emotions or as the video points out "disconnected". I think the "like" aspect of facebook (the majority of what goes on) is more on the side of superficial than serious. It is so easy and convenient to like someones comment but harder to do something nice for them in real life. Is that impacting the way we interact socially, are we subtly becoming less likely to reach out to someone because we count reaching out to them on facebook as sufficient?
ReplyDeleteI agree that Facebook Likes and other forms of feedback on social media can have both positive and negative consequences. Really, it's the same as interacting in person. If someone compliments you, you feel good about yourself. If you don't receive recognition for something that you feel is important, your self-esteem takes a hit. I think the feedback is a lot more visible and easy to pay attention to on Facebook and other social media sites, which is why people care so much.
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