Should You Really Be Reading This Right Now?
So in my English class we have been learning about mass communication, and everything that could possibly arise from it. So obviously one of the biggest forms of mass communication is social media. I am fairly okay with holding a blog, so I thought “Why not inform all those bloggers out there about the effects of being on social media?” Yes, it is sort of ironic that I am telling you the effects of being on the internet, while on the internet. I promise this will not be one of those posts that make you feel bad for doing something as harmless as being updated with the modern communication. I promise, you will be fine.
First, let me give you some facts about Tumblr, along with my citations. (Look at me, being a good English student). As of me writing this right now, there are 346.1 million blogs, (Tumblr, May 2017). That is enough for everyone in America to have at least one blog, (Worldometers, 2017).
And do you know what is posted on Tumblr? Everything! You can find a blog on anything you are interested in. It is all out there. (Which is also one of the reasons why you must be at least thirteen years of age to join, because everything is out there). Speaking of age, according to Kanguro, in 2013 45% Tumblr’s users were under the age of thirty-five. Thirty-five is when you start feeling old, but it is good these users kept themselves young with the internet!
Okay, so I am going to move on from statistics now and get into some analysis. All these people on the internet, all these people particularly spending their time on Tumblr, and this one person reading my online Written Task, are spending more time on technology and less time actually socializing in person. Yes, it is great we can see across different worlds, different realities, by the internet, but there is a difference between using the internet for academic and cultural reasons, compared to entertainment reasons. All these memes out in the world are crazy, crazy stupid, crazy funny, crazy ridiculous. If you are spending your time on these memes instead of making real jokes, you might want to change how you do things. Now I am not saying you should not see any memes, because a life without memes is a life not worth living, but do not spend all your time on the world wide web looking at things that will not help you grow. There are plenty of resources out there that could potentially make you a more successful person.
Okay, I lied, another statistic. But this one is from Is Facebook Making Us Lonely, and it reads “... in 1985, only 10 percent of Americans said they had no one with whom to discuss important matters, and 15 percent said they had only one such good friend. By 2004, 25 percent had nobody to talk to, and 20 percent had only one confidant.” So what this saying is that in 1985, back when Facebook and every other popular social media was not created, people actually had someone to talk to. People were physically friends, out in the world socializing, not sitting around on a screen. In 2004, less people had close friends. If you have not read this article that I am referring to, go give it a read. Pretty good, I must say. It has an interesting argument. And, if you have read the article, the opening hook has been haunting me since I read it, has it done the same for you? Dying alone is scary, but dying alone despite all the online friends one could have is even scarier.
I am only sixteen years old. I am young, obviously. I have grown up with the internet, I have grown into one with the internet. It is like a second nature now, since I spent my childhood surfing the web for games and cute pictures of puppies on PhotoBucket.com. Even now the technology has only grown with me. Desktops turned to laptops, which turned to tablets. Flip phones turned to smartphones. Now I am sixteen years old in high school, and I am here writing this blog. I know I have said this before, but I want to emphasize how things have changed.
At one time, I would go outside and toss a tennis-like-ball around with a velcro paddle. I would play football incorrectly with the neighbor boys who were twice my size. I would ride my bike up and down the street, as if it were a new adventure with every pedal motion I made. Now I sit inside, told to check my email at least once a day. Write this essay, write that essay. The only time I am outside is when I walk to the bus stop to go to a school in which I will then sit inside for another seven hours.
The most social interaction I have is watching SnapChat stories of people being with other people. Of people being on their phones, with other people. While I am inside, I wait for time to pass. I wait for the next day to come, like I am a robot. I am an electronic that needs to be shut off for a recommended eight to ten hours, but will only get four hours before being restarted the next morning.
What are you doing right now? Are you still with me? Can you still read this?
Now look around. No, not around on your screen. Around you, in your environment. Did you look? Take it in. Who is around you right now? Anyone? Your family? Your pet?
Go give your time to them.
This blog is no longer worth more than those around you.
This blog in no longer worth your time.
This blog wants you to be with your real friends.
With your real family.
With your real life.
