An exploration into how 21st century technology is affecting society’s behaviour, creating an unhealthy dependence on social media. Alix Picken
An exploration into how 21st century technology is affecting society’s behaviour, creating an unhealthy dependence on social media.
Contents Page
I Abstract II Introduction 1. Rise in social media 2. Is social media changing our social skills
2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4
To reliant on smart phones Anti-social social media Dependence on social media Benefits to social media
3. Document our lives online 4. Over publicising 5. Celebrity and media influences
5.1 Reality television & twitter 5.2 Appreciation of those around us, no longer grateful
6. Rose tinted glasses
6.1 Over editing 6.2 Do we ever know the full story? 6.3 Insecurities
7. Has social media made us lazy? 8. Awareness of societies obsession III Conclusion IV Bibliography V Table of illustrations
I Abstract
We are a generation and nation, who have become attached to our smart phones and always connected online through social media. Has our infatuation with technology and smart phones disrupted how we live our social lives? Do we prefer interacting with people online as opposed to those around us, affecting the way we live and enjoy our own lives? This report explores the different impact social media and smart phones are having on our society, and whether we have an unhealthy dependence on social media. A variety of methods and appropriate research was carried out to support the argument for and against this question; an ethnographic study was conducted where I removed myself from all forms of social media for one week and documented the results and affects. Alongside this I was constantly immersed in society where we rely on our smartphones for communication and entertainment. Two surveys were formulated, one on social media and the other on travel. Both gave convincing feedback that confidently supported my view on whether we have a clear understanding of what we want from life, yet aren’t willing to do anything about it. These results were triangulated by a focus group of nine people, ranging from 20-35 years old, and provided my report with a diverse mix of views from different generations and genders. These results along side a review of recent literature; ‘Our Virtual Shadow’ by Damon Brown, allowed for a strong investigative analysis of the influences social media has on our society. A wide range of evidence was gathered from different sources that were used to collectively analyse the different affects social media has on society; from the sociable and anti social aspects it has created in the 21st century. There are some positives qualities to smart phones and social media, though it is creating many anti-social aspects. It is generating a society and in particular a generation of people that have become so attached to their mobiles that they forget to disconnect, and appreciate the people they have around them. The research conducted has proven that the affects of social media hasn’t necessarily influenced our aspirations in life to travel. It is very much depended on the individuals themselves on the ways social media can affect their views on life.
II Introduction
Brown (2013) in ‘Our Virtual Shadow’ argued that: ‘our real discussion in society today should be about the conflict between documenting our lives and actually living them’. Brown’s (ibid) statement is very pertinent to 21st century society as a staggering 864 million active members of Facebook use the site on a daily basis (Statista, 2014). In the UK alone (Ross, 2014) argues that there are 31 million users and, as a nation, we have become overwhelmed and almost controlled by the power and influence of information technology and social media. Throughout this ethnographic research study, I investigated the influences that social media platforms had on our generation. The research also analysed the impact that this modern technology had on 21st century society. It is very apparent from the above statistics that social media has become a paramount part of 21st century culture. However, has social media transformed our perception of the perfect life, affecting the way we live? Does this stop us from appreciating what we have around us, leading to a sense of ungratefulness? The research gathered investigated these areas to give a better understanding of how smart phones and social media affect population behaviour on a day today basis.
1. Rise in social media Research carried out by Curtis (2014) argued that information technology has evolved greatly since 1971 when the first email was sent. Now in 2014, we as a population explore Internet sites every minute of every day having access to countless social media apps that are all available at the tap of a finger. It is clear from this technological evolution and the rise in the use of smartphones; we, as a consumerist population, now have an incredible array of platforms where social media has availability throughout the world. It is evident that the phenomena of Social media have played a huge part in increasing the profile of many businesses throughout the world whether large corporations such as: Amazon and Sony to small family sized consortiums. Access to the online world of consumerism can be seen as having a positive outcome for business for access to social media can and does bring profit to organisation throughout the world. This particular finding was detailed by a member in my project focus group who acknowledged the positiveness of information technological
advancement. The statistics shown in fig 1; show that those involved in marketing while collaborating with social media platforms, tend to gain a large amount of publicity and profit on behalf of their organisations. For example, research suggests that 93% of marketers use social media for business and at least 70% of brands have a major presence on search engines such as Google where, it was detailed that organisations developed 4% growth in footfall 2012. These forward thinking organisations have also used Twitter and Facebook successfully to generate leads for their organisations. (Throughreach. com, 2013) found that 49% of small businesses have also found marketing via social media platforms to be highly effective in gaining new business.
Figure 1
Figure 2: Email Icon
Evidence suggests that, the link between working from computers to working from phones has had a major transformation due to the advancement of information technology in the 21st century. An article by mail2web describes the population’s computers as our best friend. (Ozgur, 2011) argues that: ‘this is why one of the most life-changing pieces of technology for many has been the smartphone — an all-in-one, portable device that combines the functions of a cell phone with the functions of a computer’. The development of smart phone technology has increased drastically over a short period of time to such a point that people now seen to refuse to leave their homes without their smart phones in hand. And, if they do by error, individuals then feel disconnected from their world because they are unable to be in contact with others and or cannot be contacted by their peers. The idea of being able to communicate and interact with peers while online at the same time as reading and recording emails to work colleagues through mobile technology seems to appeals to everyone in 21st century society. The reliability of smart phone technology allows this technology to remind the uses of friends’ birthdays, where to dine or even guide you to work through the use of Google maps. During the focus group discussions, it was stated that these apps were used on a daily basis. A very clear statement was made by the entire group that: We rely so heaving on mobile technology to give us information that we feel is sometimes irrelevant…information that is not very useful to be stored in our brains.
Figure 3: Iphone 5c New York Weather Forecast
2. Is social media is changing our social skills?
2.1 To reliant on smart phones
Brown (2014) describes the changes that have taken place in the use of information technology by fact that: as a society, we originally relied on this type of technology to help us with information that we were not intelligent enough to solve by ourselves for example, ‘solving Pythagoras theory to the 1,000th place’. Whereas today, as (Brown, no date) argues: we now use mobile technology to check the weather forecast instead of looking outside our window or check our city bus app to inform us when the next bus arrives. Evidence suggests that, we have become so dependent on information technology in the 21st century; we are content to go through life at 100 miles an hour. A member of the focus group commented…‘If we can have someone or something else work-it out for us, then why not’. As stated above, we as a society have become very attached to these technological devices - devices that can do almost everything for us. Although, it is pertinent to ask if being continually connected to online services with our family and peers - are we now becoming disconnected in person with those around us? Is ‘social’ media making us become an anti-social society? Results from the focus group stated that: the group all use social media countless times over a day, whenever they are bored or have a space moment. This information was underpinned by a social media survey published online via Facebook as part of the research study that indicated that 63% of users confessed to being online ten or more times a day, when bored. The Facebook survey published online ironically got as many replies and answers as possible. Here are some strong views that were made when asked if there is an anti social aspect to social media: ‘Social Media makes us all anti-social…we get too caught up in the virtual world’. ‘It ruins many social situations, allowing you to miss moments and lose focus on the truly important people in your life’. ‘Technology has swallowed people’s capacity to converse and interact with person…If it’s not tweeted, posted or snapchatted, you have no chance… No chance in knowing what is going on in the world, whether important or not’. ‘I’m always on my phone… people have come into our house and commented on the fact that we are all in the same room but using our phones… sometimes we even text each other while in the same room… Thinking about it now, it’s pretty unacceptable’.
The fact that this candidate was willing to confess about her own experiences noticing that: they themselves are always online, provide an insight into what is happening around us, and although we are mainly aware of this‌ are we doing anything about it? Throughout the ethnographic study, it became very clear that there was a seemingly unhealthy dependence on social media. A true illustration of this dependence resulted in a social environment when I was surrounded by friends and family trying to hold a conversation but was constantly being interrupted by notifications on their mobiles which they felt a need to respond to right there, at that very moment in time. This was even though the user was conversing with me at that time. These actions illustrated the antisocial aspect of needing to reply to something or someone that is not even around at that particular moment.
2.2 Anti-social social media
During the week, I was part of two conversations where I was asked a question and while I gave my reply, those who originally asked ignored me. They resorted back to their mobiles and were in no way connected in the conversation we were previously having. These unconscious actions illustrate the seriously rude and disrespectful aspect to social media that I observed thoughout my week offline and which has become worryingly acceptable in 21st century society. One response from the survey summed up their view on social media as: ‘destroyed conversation in the 21st century’.
Figure 4: Comical cartoon showing what society can be like today
2.3 Younger Generation Throughout the focus group discussion, one member of the group who is a primary school teacher stated that: today, even in primary schools, it is clear the effects and impact of social media and smartphone technology is having on young children today. The participant was very passionate and saddened about the increase in cyber bullying that she had become aware of recently in the school environment. The participant stated that: children as young as six years have access to phones, and schools are now using iPads to teach children. The participant also discussed her disbelief at how the children knew how to work touch screen technology. Are schools now encouraging the idea of using smartphone and touch screen technology? Children play on iPads, or iPod touches to play games and watch movies. Although, seemingly positive with parents supporting their children’s interest in technology, its use has had a negative knock on effect within the schools environment. The teacher in the focus group discussion discussed an issue regarding a young girl, age 13, whose life in school was identified as being challenging and difficult due
to aspects of bullying. Contrary to this issue, it was evidenced that while the young girl was on social media, she had a large group of followers to the point that she was classed as ‘twitter famous’, thus, making her feel confident and comfortable with her ideal self when online with her twitter friends. Goffman (no date) argues this phenomena can skew real life situations by suggesting that people can become actors in life. In the case of the young girl above, she was acting front stage through the safety of social media even though she could be viewed as hiding backstage to alleviate her issues. When the bullying was confronted, it was acknowledged that the young girl had been bottling up her real issues having no one and or nowhere to turn for help and guidance. The Megan Meier foundation (2013) cited in Espelage and Holt (2013) that: ‘Youths victimized by their peers were 2.4 times more likely to report suicidal ideation and 3.3 times more likely to report a suicide attempt, than youths who reported not being bullied’. Evidence suggests that: The rise in suicide rates in the youth population in 21st century UK has increased since the growth in smartphone usage in the school environment.
Figure 6: 21st Century children playing with technology
Figure 5: Children playing outdoors in older days
Young people have become so attached to their mobile phones and people chat while online with individuals they may not actually know as opposed to socialising with the people around them and having real face to face conversations to help build and create their own character. Research suggests that face to face socialising has become less common possibly making some young people to become socially awkward, and not able to hold real conversations in the moment. This change in communication could create an anti-social generation. Although having discussed many anti-social aspects of information technological progress, further research has identified that there are numerous benefits in accessing social media which argues against the original negative statements.
2.4 Benefits to social media
The focus group all felt that conversation can stem from issues that have been observed while online, for example a funny video, article or news story. Due to social media being so known, most big name newspapers, magazines, and websites have Facebook, Twitter and YouTube accounts. These accounts Allow for their information and topics of discussion to been seen straight away on peoples newsfeeds, creating links to their own website thus, allowing for a wider market to view their content. When asked about social media being anti social in the survey one candidate commented: ‘I agree that it was possibly anti-social but the opposite can also apply. Often you see something on social media you can show to your friends and this starts a conversation’. ‘I also agree because celebrity deaths and even local news can go viral within hours if not minutes when released through social media and these all start conversations that are not anti-social’.
Figure 7: Variety of Social media Icons
3. Document our lives online
‘The more aware you are of your surroundings, the more your brain can create a cohesive, solid memory’ (Brown, 2013). The best way to create a memory is by being fully in the moment, aware of everything that is going on, using all five senses. People have become accustomed to documenting everything that is going on in their life, and building a history of it all as opposed to living the life that is. Brown (ibid) discussed what it takes when using technology to create a memory. He argued that ‘It takes time to snap a picture, it requires a moment to upload a status, and it demands forethought to virtually check into a venue’. This quote is very relevant to what is happening in society in the 21st century where we get to caught up in creating our online persona that we forget to live the life unfolding in front of . This can result in us, as a society, becoming anti-social to those around us. Many of the candidates in the focus group acknowledged that they took a picture, tweeted and or checked in on Facebook when they were doing something with other people. It is evident that: by carrying out these actions (possibly unconscious) they were disconnecting themselves from the moment to document something to other people. Brown (ibid) argued that: we do this to look back on the image to recall the memory of the moment. By fixating ourselves on the tool as opposed to the experiences, our digital souvenirs may become reminders of nothing as we are focusing too much of our energy of getting the perfect shot to represent our ‘great night out’. Due to people aiming to creating an exciting online persona, it is creating an anti-social environment for people to be in. Are we now more interested in the rise of our online persona to people we may have never met, apposed to the people we know well around us?
Figure 8: Ironic picture posted on facebook
4. Over Publicising
Social media is seen as a great way to stay in contact with friends and other relevant people. It also allows individuals to become ‘Facebook friends’ with mutual friends of friends. Although most people today are connected online, along with organisations and their brands. The research survey revealed that 38% of people have between 400-800 friends on Facebook, and 24% of people between 800-1600 friends. This is a staggering number of people to be friends with while online. When asked how many people they would actually meet with or chat to in a public setting, the answers averaged between 100-200 people. Taking these statistics to the focus group, it was asked whether they knew of everyone on their newsfeed. It was evidenced that, many people have friends of friends online that they don’t particularly know well, but may have met once or twice on a night out. This is when the focus group revealed that they had Facebook friends that they would never speak to again in person or on a social media sight yet, they still kept them on Facebook being able to see what they were doing or where they were going. This was due to people posting their daily activities online. This type of voyeurism gives people an insight into others’ lives - lives that have no real impact on our own life. This is an area of social media that can be seen as being intriguing. Facebook has become a place to post our self-importance where we detail everything that we are doing to show to our friends, and in many cases…’randoms’ that we have wonderful marvellous important lives. This can be viewed as publicising our overcompensated reality to others unnecessarily. When the focus group discussed this issue, males admitted to not taking notice of what they scrolled past, it was more about the funny pictures and videos (viral) that they watch most of the time while online. However, in stark contrast, the females in the group admitted to looking at other people’s lives to gain an insight into what others on their newsfeeds were doing. This was an interesting topic as it split the focus group into different categories; the age gap of the group also altered there views on what they expressed. For example, the 28+ and above age group felt that they didn’t actually post trivia online Instead, this group usually posted information on engagements or posted pictures of family. In contrast, the 21 year old group agreed that they over publicised information online such as: everything from what they wore on Halloween night to the new shoes they had bought at the weekend.
Figure 9: Facebook Screenshot, example of people over publicising online
5. Celebrity and media influences 5.1 Reality television & twitter Twitter and Instagram are another two social media platforms where it is seen as being acceptable to follow people that we don’t necessarily know. These particular platforms provide people the ability to follow another without them having to follow back. Celebrities have millions of followers yet, they themselves only follow a selected few. Research suggests that people in today’s society have been known for publicising themselves online. This is often to people of a variety of ages and from different areas around the world. One member of the focus group did confess to thinking that this generation over publicise themselves online and that it wasn’t necessarily a good thing. The focus group member further stated: ‘We have become so accustom to uploading statuses, images and videos of our life that we are forgetting to live in the moment, and care about the people that mean something in our lives’. Where has this over publicising online come from? Has the relationship between the media and celebrities inspired us? People in general have always been interested in other people’s lives and in particular, celebrity lifestyles. A focus group member acknowledged this by stating that: ‘we think they’ve got it all’. It is evident that people get enjoyment from watching other people live their
lives whether this is in the celebrity world or something as simple as Big Brother. The UK as a nation seemingly love reality television shows. Plunkett (2013) argued that at least one million viewers tuning into Big Brother in 2013 /14 with Suanders (2013) detailing similar events by detailing that 9.2 million people watched the 2013 final of The X Factor. During the focus group interviews when asked about celebrities having an influence on our lives given the fact that they used over publicising to achieve these statuses, the younger members of the group acknowledged that they had a very real insight into famous people’s lives. This information primarily arose from the girls within the group who revealed information relating to Kim Kardashian and the fact that the Kardashian’ were practically household names. The older members of the focus group were amazed at how much information the younger girls in the group knew about this particular family, as they spoke about them as though they were long family friends. The older members of the group were amazed that the younger members knew so much information such as: who got divorced, and what business each of the children in the family owned or were involved.
Figure 10: Quote posted on Instagram, ironic as it was seen while online
5.2 Appreciation of those around us, no longer grateful
It could be argued that celebrities themselves may have encouraged this ideal of over publicising. It was questioned whether it was to do with the media and the paparazzi’s focus on celebrity that gave an insight into how they were living their lives, or the idea of celebrity using the tools of social media thus, giving ‘normal’ people the chance to chat and get to follow their favourite celebrity as a way of getting populations online to follow them as people want to be noticed. Getting a reply or being followed by a celebrity can be seen as an achievement for, we want to be known. We never want to be the person that fades into the background and this is where over publicising our lives has become accepted, showing and proving to those that know us what we are doing… that we are enjoying life and that you, as an individual, is someone that people want to be friends with. This is a subconsciously social construct. It is what we all do. Fashion photographer Rankin interviewed by Claire English on BBC Radio Scotland (2014) discussed the idea that fashion isn’t always about creating images of perfection, and that camera phones are going to be the problem for young people, not the fashion industry. Rankin (2014) argued that ‘People are marketing themselves by the way they look on Facebook, or Instagram and
Image has always been with us, since the invention of photography or even before. It’s just very, very easily accessible now.’ He envisages a whole load of new problems for people going forward. “You are doing a selfie, but there is so little selfreflection…so little analysis or discussion or conversation. That’s going to be a problem. We are human beings just trying to relate to each other in a modern way.” This discussion is interesting from a photographer’s perspective. Rankin (2014) photographs stunning models on a daily bases and is aware of the damage that the use of camera phones and self marketing is having on people lives in the 21 st century. When taking part in my ethnographic study, I was unable to look on all forms of social media. Resulting in being incapable to access the information I would normally be able to see of other peoples lives. It made me aware that having an interest in other peoples lives is allowed, but getting caught up in them through social media is not necessary as it will not have an effect in your own life. It made me appreciate what I have around me instead of being infatuated with others lives. Are younger people today no longer grateful for what we have? Do teens need to take a step back from social media and realise the importance of other people in their lives?
Figure 11: Three images showing how instagram can alter the original image
6. Rose tinted glasses
6.1 Over editing
Social media and smart phone technological apps have created so many editing and filtering techniques to the point that: is what we see online a realistic comparison to the original? There have been a number of videos posted online where people express their views on the strong impact that social media has on a society for example, this media concept allows us, as individuals, to hide behind the technology and hold conversations with others without being in person. This concept allows us to construct who we are and what we a doing at any given time. Cited in YouTube Higtonbros (2014) the video ‘What’s on your mind?’ illustrates the concept, which is what Facebook has written in the status box before you would write your post. To encourage people to say what you are thinking at that moment in time to your Facebook friends. The video clip documents a man’s life that isn’t necessarily going to plan. It reveals his false Facebook posts in comparison to his real life situations for example, posting information that he is having a date night with his girlfriend when in actual fact, in real time, they are not talking. He details in his Facebook post that his work presentation went very when in fact; it was deemed to be poor in content. Another scenario from his Facebook page consisted of a selfie of himself on a 5km run although the selfie was actually taken when standing outside his car in the rain. All of these situations shown online were either false and or elaborations of the truth. Throughout the video clip it reveals the real extremes of what people can do while online, and that what you see someone post online may not necessarily be the whole truth (Sorokanich, 2014). Images that are taken and posted online can realistically be taken from anywhere on the internet or having been screenshot from another’s image and used by themselves. These actions can be carried out easily by using smart phone technology and, because of the advances made in these technologies such as: Photoshop, the technology has enabled people to develop and manipulate images to the way they want.
6.2 Do we ever know the full story?
2014 saw a young Dutch student fake a five-week trip to Asia unknowingly to her family and friends. The student went to the airport said goodbye at the exit gates to her family… and then went home. These actions were carried out by the student for a university project. Stower (2014) argued that this ‘shows people the simplicity of filtering and manipulation on what we can show on social media and that we, as individuals, can create an online world in which reality can no longer meet’. (Stower, 2014) continuing by stating that, ‘My goal was to prove how common and easy it is to distort reality. Everybody knows that pictures of models are manipulated. But we often overlook the fact that we manipulate reality also in our own lives’. The student project was successful and the images below show the detailed images that the Dutch student (Zilla van Den Born) was posting online to family and friends to make the project believable. This digital experiment was only recently completed, and ironically went viral online. This viral got social
media talking about the fact that: what we see online is often seen through rose tinted glasses. Should we believe everything we see online when we are aware that we ourselves edit our own images and alter the way things look by the way the image is taken? 21st century generation post images online of things they think people want to see and hear and can even agree with. Throughout the focus group discussion, it was agreed that people post the exciting fun moments in their lives and not the dull mundane parts of their lives. Although the group felt that this was not necessarily a bad aspect to social media as people don’t necessarily want to see your boring day in the library, but instead would enjoy your visit to a fancy cocktail bar. The ethnographic study revealed that: as a twenty-year-old female, being part of a generation that can get engrossed in other peoples lives and convincing themselves that these other people online have it all, It has become evident that those in the focus group were fully
Figure 12: Editing done by Zilla van Den Born. Above original, below photoshoped
aware about the editing that they do themselves to certain images; though don’t necessarily take note of how much other people also edit when scrolling through their feed. It is evident as individuals that we cannot see behind the scenes and we don’t know the rest of the story as to why someone would be out for cocktails or buying lots of new clothing. Our virtual persona can be changed and manipulated by ourselves through editing or through other people’s perceptions. Brown (2013) argues in ‘Our Virtual Shadow’ the relation between our online shadow and physical shadow, showing their similarities; “Think about your physical shadow and how they can get distorted based on outside influences, how it turns your fleshy, three-dimensional presence into a flat, paper-thin image, and how it can be manipulated by others or even yourself to reflect something that, in reality, simply isn’t true.” This quote is very relevant to what is happening in society today. We alter what we see online thinking we know of the story behind every picture, when in reality we make up our own perception of what we see.
6.3 Insecurities
Figure 13: Image expressing insecurities
Brown (2013) argued that ‘the Internet is the latest technology to magnify our insecurities and issues’ where one hundred years ago it was radio. The girls in the focus group discussed girls of this generation follow other girls around the same age grouping and the same lifestyles. These same individuals are aware that they have ups and downs like the rest of us and they often feel envious and or jealous of other people’s lives whether they are: on a night out, in a relationship or on a holiday. Although we can all over edit our images, the study revealed that it was predominantly the younger generation of females that allow this to affect them when on social media when looking at others online, thinking others are living the perfect life. The discussion contrasted with a male, age 30 + in the group who view on social media in a different perspective. ‘When I was younger, I would look at peoples lives and want what they had or wished it could be me, but now that I’m older, and I think the rest would agree, I no longer care what other people think… I do what I want’.
Figure 14: Travel image, representing outdoors
7. Has social media made us lazy? I conducted a second survey (online), which focused on travelling. The survey questioned whether it was something most people enjoy and want to do more of. 88% of the survey participants agreed that travelling and exploring was the best way to enjoy life to the fullest. One candidate described their love for travelling stating that: ‘It expands the mind mentally and is physically stimulating. It also allows you to gain a greater understanding of other cultures, allowing an escape from a routine lifestyle, and giving a broader perspective of good and bad aspects of life’. This was an extremely detailed and interesting view to why some people love to travel which was revealed a lot in the survey answers. Continuing, the survey asked participants: Do you feel that our generation know what living life to the fullest means? This question revealed that 81% of people in the survey agreed that we, as individuals are a generation that have become lazy and too infatuated with social media although one member of the survey described their views in more detail, ‘I do not think that our generation is lazy but more uninspired to actually going out and experiencing things. They would rather spend money on drink and or clothing rather than going abroad and actually getting out of the country to experience different things worldwide… Although people claim they want to do what they see in pictures… they will never truly go for it
because they think going out is more important’. This may be a very one-sided view on our generation, making this statement based purely on specific people this candidate has witnessed. During the survey, one member discussed their love for the outdoors; “I do enjoy the outdoors and being adventurous, but I question whether someone in this generation even defines as being outdoors. People are connected all of the time and some even have anxiety when they are not connected. When people are disconnected and outdoors, there seems to be a rush to get back to the connection and connect to people - be it posting a status update of posting a ‘selfie’ of them hiking. I think many might be outside, experience nature for a brief moment and consider they have been ‘outdoors’. We don’t as a society have the ability to unplug for long periods of time anymore - unless it involves a planned holiday.” This particular candidate felt very passionate about the topic as they truly enjoy the outdoors for what it is, and don’t feel a need to document what they do. Through the evidence gathered I have shown that social media has effected many members of our society and generation resulting in being lazy and uninspired, though this statement does not generalize society as there are some members who do not get caught up in social media influences.
8. Awareness of societies obsession As discussed above there are many people that are trying to bring awareness to our societies obsession with social media. It has previously been done through animation videos, raps or poems. A new project by Katie Cadwaller, called ‘No Screen Sunday’ was brought to my attention. Cadwallader’s website (2014) describes what the project should entail; “No Screen Sunday aims to encourage the public to turn off all screens for one day a month. By turning off devices, they will be turning on the other neglected aspects of their life. Sunday will become about socialising, cooking, exercise, travel, learning etc. All these forgotten activities are crucial
to maintaining a good work/life balance and ultimately, in preventing mental illness. This campaign will act as a forced break from the constant noise of modern society.” (KatieCaldwallader, 2014). This is a very interesting campaign that was short listed for RSA Everyday Wellbeing competition. My research has proven that this campaign could be very effective, and many people in society could benefit from removing themselves from all screen products. If it was marketed correctly and given the recognition it deserves, our society could become less attached to our smart phones and social networking signs and become a lot more sociable with those around us.
Figure 15: Explination of No Screen Sunday
Figure 16: Comical image showing one man not staring at his phone - taking in the world around him
III Conclusion
Throughout this study I have collected a wide range of evidence from different sources and collectively analysed the different affects social media has on society; from the social and anti-social aspects it has created in the 21st century. Overall the outcome of this essay has revealed that smart phones and social media are creating more anti-social aspects than sociable aspects. Creating a society and in particular a generation of people that have become so attached to their mobiles that they forget to disconnect, and appreciate the people that have around them.. The social media survey gathered information proving that people are connected online an incredible amount. The survey additionally backed up the point that people are aware of this yet doesn’t necessarily do anything about it. The second survey that was conducted on travel, proved that not everyone is so obsessed – if they truly enjoy the outdoors, they do not let social media get in the way of them doing what they want in life. Throughout the focus group, a range of responses from a variety of ages, were gathered. It was during the focus group that it became clear that age and gender had a large impact on how social media affects people. Lastly the ethnographic study that I was apart of for a week, removing myself from all social media platforms made it very clear and apparent that people today subconsciously check their mobiles and can be very disrespectful to those around them, oblivious to how often they check social media. The results conducted have proven that social media is resulting in an over all anti-social society, particularly with the way the younger generation. Smart phones and social media have not necessarily effected people aspirations in life, though it has had an effect on many people’s motivations towards their goals. This is very much depended on the individuals themselves on the ways social media can affect their views on life – young females are the most infatuated by other peoples lives appose to appreciating what they themselves have around them. Throughout this report I have investigated how 21st century technology has affecting society’s behaviour, and the unhealthy dependence our generation has on smart phone technology and social media.
Brown, D. (2013). Our Virtual Shadow: Why We Are Obsessed With Documenting Our Lives Online (TED Books Book 35). Kindle edition: TED Conferences. Dr. Anthony R. Curtis, a. (2014). The Brief History of Social Media. [online] Www2.uncp. edu. Available at: http://www2.uncp.edu/home/acurtis/NewMedia/SocialMedia/ SocialMediaHistory.html. [Accessed 1 Nov. 2014]. Goffman E (no date) The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life (Penguin Psychology) London Katie Cadwallader. (2014). RSA Everyday Wellbeing. Available: www.katiecad.co.uk/noscreen-sunday. Last accessed 13 Nov 2014. Meganmeierfoundation.org, (2014). Megan Meier Foundation | Statistics on Bullying, Cyberbullying and Suicide. [online] Available at: http://www.meganmeierfoundation.org/ statistics.html [Accessed 12 Nov. 2014].
IV Bibliography
Ozgur, (2014). The Smartphone Revolution: The Growth of Smartphones & Exchange ActiveSync. [online] Mobility & Email Blog. Available at: http://mail2web.com/blog/2011/05/ smartphone-revolution-growth-smartphones-exchange-activesync/ [Accessed 4 Nov. 2014]. Plunkett, J. (2013). Big Brother wins it for Channel 5. [online] the Guardian. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/media/2013/jul/05/big-brother-channel-5-tv-ratings. [Accessed 9 Nov. 2014]. Protalinski, E. (2014). Twitter Passes 241 Million Monthly Active Users. [online] The Next Web. Available at: http://thenextweb.com/twitter/2014/02/05/twitter-passes-million-monthlyactive-users-x-million-mobile-users/. [Accessed 9 Nov. 2014]. Rankin. (2014). Interviewed by Claire English on Skin Deep, BBC Radio Scotland, 12th November 2014 Ross, K. (2014). UK Social Media Statistics for 2014. [online] Socialmediatoday.com. Available at: http://www.socialmediatoday.com/content/uk-social-media-statistics-2014 [Accessed 3 Nov. 2014]. Saunders, L. (2013). It looks like Sharon’s popular! 9.2million viewers tune in to see Mrs Osbourne’s return to The X Factor... 500,000 up from last year’s series launch. [online] Mail Online. Available at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2408468/The-X-Factor2013-9-2million-viewers-tune-Sharon-Osbournes-return.html [Accessed 1 Nov. 2014]. Sorokanich, R. (2014). This is why you shouldn’t take people’s Facebook lives seriously. [online] Sploid. Available at: http://sploid.gizmodo.com/this-is-why-you-shouldnt-takepeoples-lives-in-facebook-1595563358. [Accessed 1 Nov. 2014]. Statista, (2014). Facebook: global daily active users 2011-2014 | Statistic. [online] Available at: http://www.statista.com/statistics/346167/facebook-global-dau/ [Accessed 5 Nov. 2014]. Stower, C. (2014). Woman fakes an elaborate 5 week holiday in Southeast Asia.. [online] Mamamia. Available at: http://www.mamamia.com.au/lifestyle/photoshop-holiday/. [Accessed 5 Nov. 2014]. Thoughtreach.com, (2014). 20 Facts About Social Media Marketing for Small Businesses - Thought Reach. [online] Available at: http://thoughtreach.com/facts-about-social-mediamarketing-for-small-businesses/. [Accessed 1 Nov. 2014]. What is on your mind (2014) [online] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxVZYiJKl1Y&feature=share [Accessed 1 Nov. 2014]
V Table of illustrations
Figure 1. Buisnesses and Marketers Love Social Media. (2014). [image] Available at: http:// blog.hubspot.com/marketing/social-media-stats-infographic [Accessed 2 Dec. 2014]. Figure 2. Leech, D. (2014). Email Icon. [image] Available at: https://www.iconfinder.com/ icons/167630/email_icon [Accessed 2 Dec. 2014]. Figure 3. Picken, A. (2014) Screenshot on iphone 5c Weather forcast, New York [Image] In possession of: The author: Picken. Figure 4. Rifkin, A. (2014). Do you mind if I strap your phone to my forehead so I can pretend you’re looking at me when I talk?. [image] Available at: http://pandawhale.com/post/594/doyou-mind-if-i-strap-your-phone-to-my-forehead-so-i-can-pretend-youre-looking-at-me-when-italk [Accessed 2 Dec. 2014]. Firgure 5. Boys playing football in a residential street in London. Children today do not have the freedom these children had. (2014). [image] Available at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2104579/The-magic-1950s-suburbia-socks-darned-baths-shared-kids-roamed-wild.html [Accessed 2 Dec. 2014]. Figure 6. joel@fbclevelland.com, (2014). My Child and Technology in the Home. [image] Available at: http://www.fbclevellandkids.com/2014/05/06/my-child-and-technology-in-the-home/ [Accessed 2 Dec. 2014]. Firugre 7. Unknown. (2014). [image] Available at: http://www.9-20professionalservices.com [Accessed 2 Dec. 2014]. Firgure 8. alecu, (2014). May your life someday be as awesome as you pretend it is on facebook.. [image] Available at: http://www.pixteller.com/img/915 [Accessed 2 Dec. 2014]. Figure 9. Picken, A. (2014) Screenshot on macbook pro from Facebook Newsfeed[Image] In possession of: The author: Picken. Figure 10. (2014) Regret wasting time on the internet. Instagram. [Accessed 2 Dec 2014] Figure 11. ‘Staff’, (2014). “OMG INSTAGRAM, LIKE, TOTALLY JUST GOT A NEW UPDATE” — SOME GIRL AT THE BAR TONIGHT. [image] Available at: http://slamxhype.com/culture/omginstagram-like-totally-just-got-new-update-girl-bar-tonight/ [Accessed 2 Dec. 2014]. Figure 12. Zillavandenborn.nl, (2014). The top photo was taken in Van Den Born’s pool. The bottom, she uploaded on social media after adding in some tropic fish.. [image] Available at: http://www.mamamia.com.au/lifestyle/photoshop-holiday/ [Accessed 2 Dec. 2014]. Figure 13. jack_threlfall, (2011). Self Image - AS Level Photography Coursework - “Insecurities” (shot two). [image] Available at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jackthrelfall/6302325301/ [Accessed 2 Dec. 2014]. Figure 14. Picken.A. (2014). Male enjoying view of mountain landscape. [image] In possession of: The author: Picken. Figure 15. Katie Cadwallader, (2014). No Screen Sunday / A Manifesto. [image] Available at: http://www.katiecad.co.uk/no-screen-sunday/ [Accessed 2 Dec. 2014]. Figure 16. PAULRODILA, (2014). A man was caught watching the real world.. [image] Available at: http://9gag.com/gag/aDwWGw7/a-man-was-caught-watching-the-real-world [Accessed 2 Dec. 2014].
Alix Picken