You read a tweet on someone's timeline. You like a comment on an Instagram post. You watch a video on someone's Snapchat story. The internet
has brought about so many new methods of interaction. You can see other people
anywhere, and wherever you go, just by pulling up social media on your
phone. However, with
all this digital space to interact in, why do nearly half of all Americans
always, or sometimes, feel alone or left out?
In today’s age of technological revolution, our biological needs remain relevant. We are lonely. Sometimes, it doesn’t matter how many people you
know; you just feel lonely. This phenomenon can be compounded by social media. Every
post on social media is a glimpse at what your friends are feeling, but it is a
permanent glimpse at a fleeting moment in time that has already passed.
Why am I blaming social
media for these circumstances? After all, social media only acts as a conduit
for communication, right? However, as Brey describes in Values in technology and disclosive
computer ethics, “computer systems and software are not morally
neutral”, and that some of them can “promote or demote particular moral values
or norms.” Social media facilitates the spread of
loneliness through the creation of another identity. Our digital personas can
be so mind-numbingly different than our physical personas that there is a discomfort similar to the uncanny valley. We see others on social
media, but they’re not exactly human, not exactly us. They’re facsimiles, and
they prod our need for human connection.
At the same time that
social media permeated among us, Pestilence rode his ivory horse into society.
Loneliness is an epidemic, and it is exhausting to deal with. In today’s
accelerating society, how are we supposed to deal with this draining
issue? Moor, in Why We Need Better Ethics for Emerging
Technologies, describes
the emergence of new technologies, and stresses that we need “better ethical
responses to cope with them.” Social media falls under the umbrella of
“mutually enabling revolutionary techniques”, and so it is necessary to develop
a framework of ethics for the field of social media. No matter what the next
steps are, the one thing that’s clear is the necessity of change. To change us
for the better, social media must actively be better.
I think your blog post does a great job of bringing relevant conversations in today's society into our conversation about information ethics. There definitely is a valid argument to be made about whether or not the values that social media promotes are ethical or not.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I was left a little bit confused as to what you think the solution to the problem you've described is. Who is to blame for social media promoting unethical values? What is a solution to this that would leave society feeling less lonely, as you described in the first half of the article?
Overall I think the concept you've described here is unique and creative but could use further explanation. Good job thinking outside the box with your topic, it was interesting to read about!
This is a really captivating and relevant article. I like that you make the distinction between the biological need for human connection and the presence of technological human connection. However, I was a bit confused by the logic in your third paragraph. How is loneliness the result of having two personas that are different from each other? I think you could make that a bit more clear. Also, how might we as a society develop a framework for ethics in social media when social media is already very developed?
ReplyDeleteHi James,
ReplyDeleteThe amount of improvement over your last blog post is staggering; included readings, photos, and revision of your grammar, everything. While you even include links to the papers themselves, how they are tied into your article feels awkward. I agree with the premise of your post that loneliness is rampant in an age where we have never been more connected, and I understand how it is a social issue through your article but I fail to make the connection to how it is an ethical issue that would link it with your quotes. Regardless, still a massive improvement.
Hello James. Your post provides some new insights to me. It is definitely an issue that people in today's society often feel lonely. To improve your post, I think it is better to include some reasons and solution for the loneliness. Also, your font seems too large for me. Overall, it is a good post for me.
ReplyDelete