Social Media | Social Mirror
It’s just simply that. Social, media.
Whether it’s photos, videos or just text on a screen. Our social media pages are nothing more than a space where we can use different mediums (or as plural, media) to share information with others. A uniquely obscure place that’s comprised entirely of human-made things. No animals, plants or rocks just human-produced information. Obviously, there are photos of nature on social media but the photos themselves are utterly a product of human creation. This makes it a brilliant cultural mirror as everything we interact with on social media, is in one way or another a product of human design and a reflection of human culture. You could argue the whole AI drama lately is changing things. Personally, I think that because we wrote the code its creations are our creations for the time being.
Why does this matter you ask? Well... I’ll share an experience of mine to give some context to my writing.
An hour or two into a YouTube rabbit hole I was watching a video titled "Didgeridoo Meets Orchestra" (I’m sure you’ve all been there). While the video got underway I was scrolling through the comments as I usually do and something unusual happened. I found that I didn’t want to close the comments section. Leaving the comments open made me feel as if I was watching the video with people, closing them would mean I had to go back to being on my own. "What a strange reaction", I thought. Nevertheless, I left the comments open to continue watching my video.
I only have two explanations for this reaction. My sensibilities are telling me it’s probably a mix of both.
Firstly and simply, I’ve been spending too much time alone and I’m feeling the pull to spend time with people. A pretty common sense corrective response that’s calling me to be more social. Human connection, we all need it.
Secondly and with more complexity. We can return to my initial point about social media being a mirror of human culture. I was thinking that maybe with an orchestra being inherently a social event, we humans have learnt to appreciate it better in the presence of others. This is not to say it can’t be appreciated alone, but monkey see monkey do. Between the various members of the orchestra, venue staff, event organisers and attendees an orchestra is very much a social occasion. Even if we don’t treat it in the same way as a wedding or birthday, where we might be more free to converse together, it’s still ultimately an event for a community, not an individual.
This had me thinking that the impressions and social directives surrounding such events might imply a sense of community. As if we’re supposed to be together to enjoy such music, I mean if the musicians didn’t come together then we wouldn’t have any orchestra at all.
I know it’s a stretch but maybe I felt that the music was supposed to be enjoyed in the presence of others. And by closing the comments I was removing an important part of the experience.
I’m not totally sure what’s the bigger piece of social commentary here. That I felt orchestras demand an audience for the full experience, or that I can somehow meet that need by staring at people’s profile pictures on the internet. Both are fascinating ideas but we’ll work with the social media theory for now.
I find it almost magical in a way (not necessarily the good kind), that I can feel as if an audience has joined me in watching an orchestra on the internet. It was so clear that when I finally closed the comments section, I felt sad at the reminder I was just watching a video on YouTube.
I’m not sure if we even know how powerful of a tool the technology we use every day is.
For good or for bad, I’m not really sure. But I will say that social media is just a reflection of human culture. The rules are different now as we’re connecting over the internet. Ultimately though it’s just the same bunch of humans who have been given a new way to interact with each other. The social media experiment is firmly underway and who knows where it will take us.
But after all this, I think it’s important to understand how our own interaction with it unfolds. How does it serve us and how does it harm us, that’s for each person to answer in their own time. Because I felt connected to an audience that didn’t exist. In reality I was just staring at my phone, alone, in my bedroom.
If you consider the implications of such a technology you might start to understand some of today’s societal problems. A technology that can mimic social interaction and bond users with their devices instead of people.
PS - I’m interested in sharing some supporting evidence I had forgotten at the time of writing this. It has only come to me now.
I’ve been watching YouTube regularly for 12 years now. It’s safe to say it has been a big part of my life, including my development into an adult. Having spent so much time on the World Wide Web, I’ve watched many podcasts and various interviews from different creators. A lot of them have shared the same experience I’m going to detail in a minute. Because of this, it was made clear to me that the way we interact with people digitally will create a feeling of friendship between some viewers and their respective digital creators.
Might I add a one-sided friendship, but a bond nonetheless. When someone is regularly sharing different aspects of their life to an audience. It’s common for viewers to build a bond with their chosen internet personality, as they can feel intimately connected with them via this exchange. This can happen especially in people who take up daily vlogging or more intimate forms of media such as OnlyFans. As they’re including the internet in their everyday lives, something that usually only occurs with close friends and family.
Many internet personalities have expressed how bizarre their interactions with viewers in the street are. Often being treated as if they’re already friends, when in fact they’re complete strangers in the eyes of the creator. To the viewers these in-person meetings are only an extension to their ongoing digital interactions, but to the internet personalities. This is the first time they’re meeting these people, total strangers.
I feel this really speaks to the way in which we build social relations on the internet. I know information can flow both ways. For example, messaging a friend. Where the issue arises is when the reality of the situation blurs and we begin to feel truly connected to the online avatar. As if somehow the real person behind the profile has now been substituted for their digital presence. I’m sure you can see how this may present a real issue. If people substitute real connection for this digital bonding we begin to move towards a dystopia of sorts. Luckily for us, it’s all a matter of choice. Many of us have learned to use social media in a way that develops our real-world connections instead of substituting them. However, this message exists as a word of caution, to be present with your own choices surrounding human connection and the digital age.
Socialising is a human need.
How you fulfil that is a matter of personal choice.
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