I make no bold claim by saying that social media has taken over our lives.
1. YouTube reaches more U.S. adults aged 18-34 than any cable network. (Source: Huffington Post)
Technology and social media are pervasive, addictive, and perpetual — but at the same time, it is convenient, instantaneous, and interconnected. We have this love-hate relationship with social media and technology. It both makes our lives easier and complicates it to no end.
2. 93% of shopper's buying decisions are influenced by social media. (Source: Socialnomics)
Being a millennial, I have seen technology transform. Technology seemed to be a way to make our lives more convenient. Technology seemed to be an aid; it seemed to make our lives easier. Today, that idea has taken a whole new shape: children can only eat with an iPad in front of them, people are slaves to their Facebooks, and cellphone users constantly check their phone "in case they got a text." Today it seems as if the roles have reversed and technology isn't helping us but instead, we are slaves to it.
3. People are spending 1 out of every 7 minutes on Facebook when online. (Source: Search Engine Journal)
The consequences of technology are unclear, but there are plenty of studies that link increased Facebook usage, and social media usage in general, to feelings of depression and inadequateness. The way that we communicate and interact with one another has been completely shifted by social media. Screens replace people, messages replace conversations, and event notifications replace invitations.
4. 1 in 5 new couples met online. (Source: Socialnomics)
Social media has changed the way we date, meet people, make plans, and learn about people, events, and things. Social media has completely changed the way things used to be. Whether this is for better or for worse is completely up for debate, but one undeniable fact is that we spend less time face to face with people. Technology has changed our social habits, people no longer "end up" at a local and socially agreed upon "hangout location" as they did in the TV show Friends.
5. "Selfie" is now a word in Webster. (Source: Socialnomics)
Apps such as Snapchat has proven that we have entered the age of "selfies." Most of the time spent on Facebook and Instagram are spent viewing ones own profile. Our generation has been the butt of jokes and called the "Me, Me, Me generation" or the "iGeneration." We spend so much time engrossed in ourselves and sometimes forget about the world around us or even the people around us.
6. 500 new Facebook accounts are added every minute. (Source: IACP)
But alas, the penetration of technology and social media aren't going anywhere. If anything it is building up speed but the thing is that we need to know where we are going and how it's going to change us before we experience a snowball effect instead of the effects of a perceived progress. There's nothing any individual can do about the consequences of technology but try to keep themselves in check. The world may be changing and technology and social media may be taking over, but it doesn't mean that it needs to take over our lives. We are human beings and we are made to know and interact with other human beings, not screens.
