#PreSocialMedia #SocialMediaImpact #WorldBeforeSocialMedia
🌍 Do you believe that the world was better pre-social media? 📱
In recent years, the impact of social media on society has become a hot topic for debate, with many people arguing that the world was indeed better before the rise of platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. But is this really the case? Let’s take a closer look at the evidence and consider the ways in which social media has shaped our lives.
The Impact of Social Media on Society
Before we delve into the question of whether the world was better pre-social media, it’s important to understand the significant impact that social media has had on our society. Here are some key points to consider:
1. Increased connectivity: Social media has made it easier than ever to connect with people from all over the world. This has undoubtedly enriched our lives and allowed us to form meaningful relationships with individuals we may never have come into contact with otherwise.
2. Information sharing: Social media has revolutionized the way we consume news and stay informed about current events. The speed at which information spreads on platforms like Twitter has made it possible for news to reach a global audience within seconds.
3. Personal branding: Social media has created opportunities for individuals to build personal brands and showcase their talents to a wide audience. Influencers, bloggers, and content creators have used social media to launch successful careers and connect with their followers in new and exciting ways.
The Downside of Social Media
While there are undoubtedly many benefits to social media, it’s hard to ignore the negative impact that it has had on our lives. Here are some of the most commonly cited drawbacks of social media:
1. Increase in mental health issues: Studies have shown a correlation between high social media usage and an increase in mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. The constant comparison to others and the pressure to present a perfect image of one’s life can take a toll on our mental well-being.
2. Decrease in real-life connections: Despite the increased connectivity that social media offers, many people argue that it has actually led to a decrease in meaningful, face-to-face interactions. Instead of spending time with friends and family, individuals may opt to spend hours scrolling through their social media feeds.
3. Spread of misinformation: The rise of social media has made it easier for false information to spread like wildfire. This can have serious consequences, particularly when it comes to issues of public health and safety.
Was the World Better Pre-Social Media?
Given these points, it’s no wonder that many people believe that the world was better before the advent of social media. So, do you believe that this is the case? Let’s consider both sides of the argument:
Arguments in favor of the world being better pre-social media:
1. More meaningful interactions: Before the rise of social media, people relied on face-to-face interactions and phone calls to stay connected with friends and family. This nurtured deeper, more meaningful relationships.
2. Less pressure to curate a perfect life: Without the constant influence of social media, individuals were not under pressure to present a flawless image of their lives. This could have resulted in decreased anxiety and stress.
Arguments against the world being better pre-social media:
1. Lack of connectivity: Without social media, it would have been challenging to stay in touch with friends and family who live far away. Social media has made it possible to bridge the gap between long-distance relationships.
2. Limited access to information: In the pre-social media era, it may have been more challenging to stay informed about current events and news from around the world. Social media has made it easier to access a wide range of information at our fingertips.
Moving Forward in the Digital Age
While it’s clear that social media has both positive and negative implications for society, it’s important to acknowledge that it has become an integral part of our lives. Rather than focusing solely on the negatives, we should work towards leveraging the benefits of social media while mitigating its drawbacks. Here are some ways in which we can do this:
1. Limit screen time: Setting boundaries around social media usage can help reduce the negative impact it has on our mental health. Consider taking regular breaks from your devices and engaging in offline activities.
2. Fact-checking: When consuming information on social media, it’s crucial to verify the accuracy of the content before sharing it with others. This can help prevent the spread of false information.
3. Foster real-life connections: Make an effort to prioritize face-to-face interactions with friends and family. Building and maintaining these strong connections can enrich our lives in ways that social media cannot.
In conclusion, the question of whether the world was better pre-social media is subjective and nuanced. While social media has undeniably changed the way we live and interact with one another, it’s essential to balance its benefits with its drawbacks. As we navigate the digital age, it’s up to us to harness the positive aspects of social media while being mindful of its potential pitfalls. Let’s embrace a future where technology complements our lives rather than dictates them.
Yes and no
For mental health, yes. It was easier to be silly without video evidence, bullying didn’t follow you into your bedroom… the list goes on
Yes, absolutely. Everything on social media has some sort of effect on people mentally. You get likes, your happy. You dont get likes, your wondering why. So many instances like this and so much time is spent doing things that really don’t matter.
This is just my opinion obviously.
This is why I try to use anonymously and stick to learning things. But let’s be honest, most people don’t think this way.
Interesting point! Do you think it’s because social media can often lead to comparison and FOMO, unlike the pre-internet era where interactions were more personal and less frequent?
1000% but not to far back. The 80s/90s was the sweet spot. The internet is a wonderful tool but social media is insidious. I fully believe in the future it will be banned and frowned upon, like smoking.
100% absolutely. Social Media is so. fucking. bad.
the misinformation. the propaganda. the performativism. the mob culture. the advertising. the information collection. the voyeurism. i’m not exaggerating when i say it is one of the most powerful and dangerous issues we have in modern times.
I think it has halted critical thinking to some extent. People have become so self absorbed.
Nope, but it could be much better than it is now.
Yes. Too much misinformation now.
90’s internet was the best shit ever. It’s been down hill ever since.
Yes, to many morons have access to the internet which has made it much worse.
I would like to believe before smart phones. Social media had a fine spot when you mostly had to get on a computer to use it. Making it so much more accessible was the true downfall.
It’s really a double edged sword.
On the one hand, we have the negative effects on society as a whole, and people’s general mental health. Misinformation/Disinformation and lies peddled to millions of people that it would never have reached pre-social media. Bullshit influencers, the modern asshole “pranksters” etc, the list goes on.
On the other hand, people can communicate more (families, friends, people who might not be able to get out due to physical limitations, social anxiety etc). We can learn more, faster (being cognisant of the misinformation/disinformation), we can see what’s really going on in the world (real world war torn footage that’s not sanitised by the punk ass media), missing people can be found thanks to “crowd sourcing”… again, the list goes on.
For me, the question is… Does the good outweigh the bad?
I’m not sure of the answer yet, but I reckon we’ll find out come November 2024 when we find out if America is going to careen into full-blown fascism if tRump is re-elected, as that is going to have the biggest effect on the world that can be directly attributed to social media.
100,000% YES!!
Better is a strong word, it was way less sensitive I feel like, people couldn’t just talk shit behind a screen with no repercussions or consequences
i think a plus of pre social media era was less information sensory overload which is a big issue today. i mean don’t get me wrong they had t.v, radio, print ads etc to bombard us back then but you’re not around that stuff all day every day. but social media on your phone on you or near you at all times? that is a totally different ballgame.
the early to mid 00s was peak internet. it was capable of all the important stuff like watching movies and gaming but not popular enough for most people to be on it all day and it wasn’t all consuming.
People keep saying it feels like we slipped into an alternate reality 10 or 15 years ago.
Nope. Thats just when social media started really taking off. It’s cancer.
Social media yes, the internet in general absolutely not.
>Do you believe that the world was better pre-social media?
I 10,000% do…
100000000000000000000%
We definitely had better dopamine systems and social capacity
Every dumbass with some ridiculous opinion is able to blast their ridiculous opinion out there. Anything from “flat earth theory” to “omg you guys someone said someone I don’t like, I’m so upset right nowwwww!”.
With out a doubt yes yes yes yes yes! We had life and we actually socialised and connected
Yes because social media spreads false information. And now we are stuck with flat earthers.
SM has good and bad qualities. I do think the bad completely overpower the good, simply because somehow it’s more entertaining and easy to indulge in. Sucks, but unfortunately it has become a huge part of life now. Some ppl literally let their life depend on it 🤷🏽♀️.
Without question. Social media has been detrimental to society.
Social media has ruined people’s social life, It’s made relationships superficial there’s also a breakdown of emotional communication when you’re face to face with someone, you can gauge what they’re thinking and how they’re feeling but online you can never tell what’s genuine from what’s not as pertains to a person’s demeanor.
I grew up in the 80s 90s. Mom and pop told me, “Don’t believe what you see on TV!” Grandma and Grandpa told me, “Only trust what you can verify yourself!”
Now I’m the adult, grand folks thankfully passed before they had to see the shit storm we have today, and my parents are instantly believing every little thing they find in the Internet as if God himself touched their brain with it.
Millennials aren’t the idiot generation, boomers are.
I definitely do and I say this all time
IMO, without a doubt we were better off without social media.
Of course it was. Social media had a destructive effect on society, unfortunately.
People exagerate a little bit, you can just turn it off in the end of the day. Just don’t use your cellphones too much. It’s a marvelous resource if you know how to use it.
Back in the day, we only had television, and all the other old medias (magazines, movies, and so on).
The fact that I can communicate with people from all around the world effortless, by itself is such a huge thing. We couldn’t do that before. We would only have long distance calls, which basically nobody used because it was very expensive.
In the beggining of the internet (late 90s/early 00s), connections were so slow, we couldn’t do much. You couldn’t watch videos, you couldn’t broadcast anything.
Websites were full of ads and “pop up” windows, it was hell. We didn’t have ad blockers yet.
No YouTube, no streaming, downloads were slow, very slow, even opening a picture would take a few seconds, or even minutes. Yes, you opened a website, pictures would take a long time to load.
The only things that got really worse is chatrooms and blogs. Around early 00s, it was really easy to just enter in a random chatroom and make a few friends immediately.
And blogs were really cool, lots of talented people writing really great stuff.
But all for the rest, it’s much better now, no doubt about it. We couldn’t use internet in the street. You couldn’t open a map, check a information, nothing.
If you feel like social media is crap, why do you guys use it? Nobody is pointing a gun at you and telling you to enter it. Just quit it, or just don’t use it.
Use it less, half an hour a day, who knows.
The problem is you, not the social media or the internet, those are huge mankind achievements and people have no idea how life was before it.
People who say shit about the past wouldn’t stand a week in those days.
100%. Social media is a nice idea, but the reality of it is depressing as fuck.
Before internet, nah. Before social media, absolutely.
Without question
Yes the world before social media was way better. Too Many nut jobs now have a megaphone to yell into all the time.
No
Yeah but. This is a big “but.” There are artists I love in music and literature that never would have been discovered without social media. There’s writers I love that had to prove through their social media following that there was a market for their style first to get publishers to give them any attention. A lot of times these are people who publishing would ignore: black, queer, trans, etc. artists who never would have had a chance without it. So, that’s pretty awesome.
Social media gave every cretin the impression they have something meaningful to say to the world (me included, when I was younger).
On the plus side, watching people lose their jobs over their lack of impulse control on social media is hysterical.
Also, +1 for the 90s internet being the best ever. We’ll never recapture the magic.
My biggest gripe with social media is that is gave a platform and a megaphone to the ignorant.
this is fine. 🐕🏠🔥
The world as a whole, probably not. Mental health, absolutely. We were not made to be available to each other 110% of the time, and we were not made to constantly consume everything terrible in the world.
In a word: no.
Is there more propaganda and weird polarization and all that that is discussed here already ad nauseum? Of course.
But that’s a society hating the mirror being held up to it. Humans have always spread lies and espoused negativity and all kinds ofnother bullshit. It’s just not so pleasant when you’re forced to see it and have it magnified.
But consider the multitudes of individual impacts, the found families, the removal of walls, the sharing of experiences. There are stories and connections and talent discovered now that never would have existed otherwise.
I learned more about myself than I think I ever would have without social media. I got thebhelp I needed with addiction. I got the family I deserved instead of the family I was forced to have to accept as mine. I believe I’m literally still alive because of social media, not in spite of it.
Is social media good? No. Is social media bad? No. It’s new. It’s fucking crazy. It helps create division and inclusion. There are countless millions who’ve found in these digital connections the people they most relate with. The flaw is not in our socials but in ourselves. We shouldn’t be blaming it for cranking the volume of our voices to eleven. We should be examining how best to be decent human beings in a radically new paradigm.
Not at all. Before the social media, people were fed whatever the news makers wanted them to read or hear. A lot of real news was whitewashed or simply blocked. News had become a control mechanism. Social media began to expose the hypocrisy of the newsmen and “experts” who were peddling their own biased versions or were projecting someone else’s views for a fee. A lot fake news does go through social media. But it has shaken the foundations of the regular media. A lot of things that world did not know are coming out into the limelight.
Debatable whether or not the world was better, but people were definitely better before social media.
Excessive social media use is linked to increased anxiety, depression, loneliness, FOMO, and decreased life satisfaction.
There are positive aspects tho, since it also allows families and friends to stay connected, and people can find social support, inspiration, entertainment, and useful information. Also, social media provides marginalized communities with a valuable way to connect.
Ultimately, the impact of social media on happiness depends on how we use it. Using it to connect with others, learn new things, and stay up-to-date on current events can be a positive force in our lives. However, if we use it to compare ourselves to others or to escape from our real-world problems, it can have negative consequences for our mental health.