Is It Normal?

As a society we are so deeply engaged in social media that we fail to realize our level of dependency on social media. A great analogy would be a drug addict! Just like an addict we build a tolerance that requires more and more of the use of media outlets to keep us satisfied. Yes, it’s convenient and as a nation that accustom to speed we appreciate the easy and fast accessibility.  But honestly, despite the fast food and cars, do we need to have fast communication? I think its more of an addiction rather than a tool. College students have been surveyed and admitted that they can't function properly without being “plugged in”. We depend too much on our computer or phone screen to communicate with one another. We lost our sense of feeling comfortable in speaking in front of people. College students lack public speaking skills because they are so use to “tweeting” or “facebooking” a status or statement. Even though I am a child of the Millennial generation, I much rather appreciate an in-person conversation instead of a text message conversation. Young people today are so caught up on the virtual relationship concept that they forget how to actually socialize and hold an intellectual conversation. The high level of reliance on social media decreases the relationships formed between students, professors, staff, and friends.

But you may ask yourself, what would it be like to go without social media? You possibly can’t even begin to imagine a life without such necessities! Could it be possible to give up your phone, iPod, and computer? According to a study conducted by the International Center for Media and the Public Agenda (ICMPA), most college students can’t go without their media links to the world. If a student were asked to abstain from plugging into their media sources they would feel isolated and lonely. They would have the urge to check their e-mail and text messages. It’s like a tick goes off and you then feel anxiety to know what’s going on. I personally know when I’m in class I fidget at times when I feel my phone vibrate. I feel secluded from the world. So is it normal to constantly be in the know of things? Is it normal to constantly be plugged in? This reminds me of the concept behind The Matrix, I honestly loved that movie but it made me think! Are we like Neo, plugged into another world? Just like Neo we can be discouraged with the grim realities of the world outside social media that we continue to stay plugged in.

There was a line that stuck out to me in the film,

Neo: “This isn’t Real…”

Morpheus: “What is real? How do you define real?...”

The above conversation is so relevant to what young people think is reality versus virtual reality. The relationships they form online tampers with their capability to actually form real relationships. Just like the characters in the movie, young people are hopelessly dependent on the systems. Rather than experiencing life they are experiencing a simulated life programmed by computers or phones. There are many comparisons from the film to today such as, sleeping and wakening. When a character awaken they realize and see the truth of the world. Just as students, once unplugged, they are awakened from the world they are busy creating all day. As in the Matrix, they aren’t ready to be u n p l u g g e d.