PANDEMIC w LOVE OUR GROWING AFFAIR WITH SOCIAL MEDIA BY TABOR LEWIS
Social media has seen rapid growth during the COVID pandemic with no sign of retreating. A majority of us spend our lives literally face down so much that we have developed terms for the poor ergonomics that technology has bestowed upon us. With our nose in our phones rather than in a book, many could squawk that the constant distraction of social media is no way to live. I would challenge those squawkers today. This year has pushed all of us to become so close to technology, we are no longer in a relationship with Facebook and dating Instagram on the side. We are married to them all. Living our lives shut in from the outside world since March, I expect your days have been similar to mine these past several months. Wake up, check Facebook, see puppies, go to TikTok, smile, check IG then back to Facebook and emails before I get in on the political banter on Twitter and end with a workout video on Instagram to get me motivated for the day. This is all before my feet hit the floor. All before I greet my partner with a good morning kiss. Social media is now my primary relationship.
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Vision Winter 2020 | cacm.org
However, I’m not cheating because my boyfriend understands our new relationship dichotomy as he is also newly married to social media. We have been through burgeoning radical changes that felt like they were getting worse by the minute. If you weren’t tuned into your phone, you were the last to know vital information. At a time when essential products were rationed and services were scarce, how could you look away? Social media has been a multifaceted resource for us, providing information and distraction. The place we go to for the dreadful news of new life regulations and social injustices is also the comforting place that we finger scroll for hours as our blue lit eyes widen to see grandmas dancing and Tiger King memes. SOCIAL MEDIA CONSUMPTION CHANGES If you feel that your scroll sessions have been the same pre-pandy, then you likely are not
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BETWEEN 46% AND 51% OF U.S. ADULTS ARE USING SOCIAL MEDIA MORE SINCE THE OUTBREAK BEGAN.
