Is social network really bad for us?

Wherever I look nowadays there’s a comment, a report, a Facebook posting or a film denouncing how people seem to have forgotten to interact with others more physically and therefore, emotionally. It is hard to look around and not see that indeed. In fact, people really seem to dedicate more attention to their smartphones than to friends next to them.  

However, is this behaviour a consequence of an abusive use of social networking or this use has just made evident what was not so noticeable before? Over 20 year ago when I moved myself to Europe I started working as a waiter. Saturday’s mornings always caught my attention because I could see couples simultaneously having their breakfast while they were densely reading a weekly paper and curiously, I could not see or hear any kind of interaction between them for all the time they spent in there. The same also happened in other days, with other types of relationships, where books, crosswords, magazines and sometimes even nothing looked like more interesting than talking to each other.

I believe that there is a powerful social construct selling out the exaggerated notion that relationships should be a constant exchanging between people; a system from where people get to complement one another while within this constant exchanging there’s mutual compensation, which ends up fulfilling each individual. However, it also seems a bit claustrophobic to me. I can see all the benefits that come from it though, but I can also point out enough material serving as justifying argument or as accountability regarding personal agendas.

The point for me is: There’re as many people stuck in their smartphones as there can be found in bars, discos, shopping centres, or public squares and they all are interacting to others. Whoever likes a party just likes it, and this kind of person would never prefer watching an event through a miniscule screen instead of going to see it live! Whoever enjoys a nice face to face chat will never hold much dependency on WhatsApp!  However, let’s think about the people that was never much popular, or those highly shy that used to go to the movies by themselves just to go back home later to a book. Think about how these people have never had the chance to say to anyone how they really feel. Social networking brought life, ideas, possibilities, lessons, inspirations and so much more to these people.

The thing is that we will find loads of narrow minded people out there, pseudo intellectuals not able to see further than the obvious common views by which they love to promote themselves. Of course that social network via communications technology did impact our lives and of course there are pros and cons. But there is such a fuss upon people that really don’t need anyone looking out for them! The excessive use of social networking comes from its own easy access and it is not an indicative of lesser life quality.

Nevertheless, for me, this phenomenon is just an extension of this backward stimulus that inspires a constant looking back type of behaviour, where people develop discourses comparing how childhood used to be in the 80’s related to now. They cynically, sarcastically, and ironically insinuate that the current knowledge that we have built up upon observation and research is nothing more than pedantry. They love narrating how ‘normal’ these children grew up to be despite of their childhood being devoid of all the current supporting laws and health and safety normative as we know it today.

We are about seven billion of people in the planet with a very long history to tell, but for all that matters, we have a spatial lab navigating all the way through Saturn and we also have landed another one on a moving comet, which is enough evidence that what we have been building up can lead us somewhere better. This insistent looking back behaviour is a huge anchor in society life and it is also very disrespectful at our own evolving trajectory. It is the same kind of principle underlying attitude that cut off human being’s freedom, that punishes differences, and that incarcerate those who dare to question or show new directions.         

As suggestion, try to think more deeply and with more reflection about whatever you are about to share in your social network. Remember that prejudice, ignorance, fundamentalism, and abusive behaviour are all ‘friends’ in their own social network and they are often connected and connect matters that in a first glimpse they don’t seem to relate to each other.

I wish you all an excellent week of social interaction.

Eduardo Divério.