To The Moon

This is not a post about investing but rather my muse on Social Media.

With excessive sensory simulations, sugar & information, we live from one high to another. Let us make time to enjoy art, music, nature, travel, food, reading & people.

Let us slow down our pace of life because time & space are luxuries too.

Let's not end up becoming digital junkies as there's more to this life. There is much more to this life than swiping and tapping on our digital devices.

Maybe it is time for us to redefine luxury. Maybe it is time for us to review the simulation, info and sugar we take. What is adequate & needful for us to survive, live and thrive? For a start, let us look into Social Media.

Social Media

Forbes Feb 2022 article about social media content overload

Here is another extract from the same article:

It almost goes without saying that the world would not be any better without social media. We’ve experienced a constant increase in social media channels since the coronavirus pandemic hit the scene and everyone wants to join the trend of social networking to win over prospects. There’s so much pressure to update your target market with new content nearly every day. But does that really work?

The availability of information in our society can be, at first, deemed a positive force. It’s certainly a big step from the paucity of information experienced by precedent generations. However, the problem comes when society is faced with so much more information than it actually requires. Information has become increasingly abundant with the emergence of social media platforms, which has led to a serious explosion of the same information repackaged and repurposed over and over again.

Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/theyec/2022/02/22/social-media-content-overload-what-it-is-and-how-to-deal-with-it/?sh=30b8871a21bc

Though the above article refers to business, there is some personal application too coming to sensory overloading. I am an active user of Social Media. I get most of my news update from Twitter though I prefer to have access to a wider spectrum of news sources. Currently, social media seems to be getting more media and much less social. I look at my own kids who spent (excessive) time on their digital devices. They are not getting more sociable.

In the world of social media, we are known as users. This means that we are not the customers. Through another lens, we and our social media data are simply the product obtained of these companies which in return provide us a “free platform” to upload text, video, photos with storage, security, access and allowing interaction. If we are not paying, we are not the customers. But someone else has to fund to support this massive ecosystem that we use regularly. The ones who paid to advertise or obtain our data are the customers. Going forward, how many of us are open to the idea of paying for our social media account with the conditions that our digital profile & lifeystle data are not sold to businesses and we would not received targeted marketing?

Social media - a shop window into our lives

In social media, most posts are “curated” to portray a certain image, lifestyle or status. It is a window where we show what we want the world to see about us. Each post is given at the expense of a slice of our privacy, thought, deed or event. My family do not like the “attention” from social media. They prefer privacy and thus, I have learnt to tone down my digital footprint.

Digital Connection

Once we sign up for social media, we have given up parts of our privacy. Do not get me wrong, social media has been helpful to keep in contact with friends and family who are away. This allows us a “non-intrusive” glance into their lives, replacing physical interactions with our likes & comments. This is especially good for those who are frenemy (one who is both a friend and enemy). This has also opened up a new industry of influencers and digital marketing that did not exist previously.

Digital collaterals

Yet, social media is double edged. Its reach is a strength and so will be the collaterals should we land on the wrong side of the fence. Through social media, there is a class of “keyboard warriors” that have risen, taking on issues and sometimes, individuals as vigilante. Some of them see themselves as Social Police, who have been empowered to exercise social justice or justice according to their views. To Americans, it is part of their “free speech” & a constitutional right. This has led to much polarization of views that spilled over on 6th Jan at Capitol Hill.

Capitol Hill

The news splashed headlines of “democracy under threat” as the nation tipped into an unnecessary confrontation between enraged men (fueled by groundless views of a stolen election), the police and government officials who were about their regular business. What captured our mind was no longer the claims of election fraud but behaviours & values on brazen displays. What America has lost are beyond the lives of the police officers and the peace of her capitol. What we saw is a country let down by her internal divides and a crumbling social fabric manifested in such violent ways. While it could be political to direct the nation towards common enemies of China & Russa, let us also spend time to heal the nation from within. There could be a point where this division becoming a bridge too far.

Such polarizing manifestations are not good for the country & the citizens. We can be entitled to different views but we can afford to be more accommodating to opposing, contrarian or different views.

Free Speech in a global world

Yet in a global setting, within a non-bordered social media, some of these “free speech” may not be well received due to different cultural, religious, racial norms & upbringing. This may lead to unwanted conflicts, confusion and in some cases, collateral damage (mentally & emotionally). The idea of “free speech” has inched her way into various cultures. As an Asian, I support the idea of free speech but I like to promote responsible & respectful speech too. I prefer conversations that exercise maturity, mutual respect, grace without imposing superiority or to the receiving end, a sense of inferiority. As I do not know fully the social & cultural norms of different nationalities, I see the need to be considerate & mindful so that we can enjoy a meaningful, sustainable & cordial conversation. This is by no means an absence of value but let us be big enough to place value to “whom we speak with” alongside the content we deliver.

Cyber bullying & mental well-being

As internet usage becomes more prevalent, we have also seen increase in cyber bullying.

an extract from UNICEF article on cyberbullying

Source: https://www.unicef.org/end-violence/how-to-stop-cyberbullying

With every post, transaction and click, we have left behind a digital footprint. This means that there is traceability and eventually accountability for our digital behaviour.

Is it a surprise to see more cyberbullying and mental well-being challenges as our usage of digital technologies increases? I have learnt that “hurting people hurts”. To a large extend, all of us are hurting in our own ways. All of us have the potential & means to hurt another. I hope that this view will allow us to render more understanding. Should there be willful cyber bullies, let us work with the law to address such individuals & events firmly & fairly. Should anyone be left traumatized by these experience, please reach out and seek professional help. The wrong has been committed but we should work our way out of these lingering pains & trauma.

Analog Time

I will like to introduce the idea of having more analog time. This is “face to face” time with others, meeting up in person, small or big groups. Instead of liking each other’s posts, let us catch up in person. This can be done over a meal, a drink, a movie, an outing or “live music” at a pub - the key is to be in person. May I suggest sharing the joys of Christmas by doing some volunteering for various charities of your choice.

At the same time, we can do a review of our digital well-being. Looking at the number of hours spent on various digital platforms can be a wake-up for some of us. Let us make time for the people and things we care about. Social media is a good workaround but never a replacement for socializing and connecting in person. With this, I wish all a blessed and safe analog Christmas.

@TigerStars

$Meta Platforms, Inc.(META)$