Today, most of us living in are connected in a way or another to the world wide web. In fact, the very existence of this blog depends on the developments that took place in history, most obvious being the development of networked information systems, the computer itself and the software needed to operate this new technology.
However, there are less obvious factors that are not immediately relevant. For instance, adequate supply of food, water and energy; the fact that we are safe, even the fact that we can access the technology and had the opportunity to learn how to use it. Whether we like it or not, this legacy is also built on a history of the exploitation of natural resources, the practice of slavery, and bloody battles and wars between nations - to name just a few. There’s, of course, plenty of positive events that characterize our history, such as our solidarity for other nations which experience natural disasters, persecution, war and oppression. Our human inheritance reflects who we are as a species. There is plenty of good in everyone of us, but there’s that potential for destruction that is concerning. Particularly because it can destroy all we have built in a blink of an eye. In addition, although we may take this technology, many people living around the world are still excluded from internet access due to lack of resources or educational opportunities (to name just a few).
But what does this have to do with social networks? Apart from the dangers of our growing reliance, if not dependence, on social networks, there is also the risk that we forget that there are other people who either choose to keep their distance from the technology that enable social networks, there are others who simply have no choice in the matter. While this is a significant issue in its own right, in this meditation, I wish to focus my attention on the potential of social networks in communication and the possible pitfalls of this technology.
Social networks have been hailed as a radical shift in how people connect with one another. Personally, over the course of internet use since the late 90s, I submitted a lot of profiles and registered to so many sites that I forget. But, the question really is whether this paradigm shift in communication is making us better at relating to one another. In addition, are we being authentic or sincere in the way we present ourselves to the online world?
Here, I acknowledge that the internet has opened up possibilities that I would never have imagined. I can communicate with people around the world by using various means, such as blogs, podcasts, social networks, etc. Indeed, this technology enables to reach out to more people beyond the barriers of time and space or the disabling environment that still restricts my movement in society as a wheelchair user. However, while I type about the positive aspects in all this, I can’t help wonder whether by choosing this medium for communication, like many others are doing, I’m losing something in the process.
And this something is really being in the presence of another human being. While we can communicate by writing, podcasting our message, recording a youtube video or posting a status update, I feel that this cannot replace the human element. In fact, I fear that this technology can make us forget that, on the other end, there are people coming from different backgrounds and who have their own insight into life.
I fear that instead of connecting to a wider world, we form our own exclusive communities which promote exclusion rather than encourage inclusion and social dialogue. Indeed, another serious danger remains that we lose our sense of who we are and surround ourselves with things that validate us and make us feel good about who we are. Finally, the danger is that we end up misrepresenting ourselves for fear of being unpopular or not fitting in with the rest of people. At the same time, in an attempt to draw attention to ourselves, we may also choose to be controversial, if not seek notoriety.
However, what it boils down is the fact that I’m left a feeling with a certain disconnection with those who are my online friends and contacts. This is not because I doubt their intentions are insincere, but they remain, at best, incomplete and, at worse, even isolating. Of course, there is value to social networks as they provide people, like myself, who still encounter problems with accessing society with the opportunity to relate to others regardless of time and distance.
However, as II end this rather lengthy meditation, I cannot help comment that I believe that social networks and the internet as a whole is not a replacement for our need to connect to other people. It may help, yes, but there will still be an essential component that we can only find in human relations where we are in the presence of another. Believe me, we may be accepting or even loving of other people in the online world but find out that we meet that sane person face-to-face, we become not so accepting and tolerance. Indeed, the old saying that “action speak louder than words” is quite appropriate in this context. For in an attempt to fulfill the need to belong on the world wide web, we might really end up entangled in its thread and even lose the sense of reality and of who we are.
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