The prioritization modern society has placed on social media has led to–and continues to lead to– a swelling number of negative attributes. An increase in vanity, unrealistic expectations, and waned interpersonal communication skills are but a few of the multitude of negatives that derive from social medias crippling grasp. As modern society aimlessly uses social media on a daily basis, my faith in a future society that has gotten used to wielding the power of social media is, in my opinion, far from reach.
Social media addicts want to remain ignorant to the negative effects their devices have on them. For many people, the quick satisfaction and gratification found on the vane cesspool that is social media is enough of a reason for people to remain ignorant to its effects. Due to the over emphasis on making our lives look incredible on social media rather than living in the moment and pursuing meaningful life experiences, we have slowly all entered a widespread popularity contest. The exhausting innate feeling of needing to show off every fun thing you encounter from day to day may be the one saving factor that leads to possible reformation in terms of modern societies social media use. However, the amount of people trying to change the perception of social media to one that is media literate is much less than those that would much rather continue using their profiles as a platform for short term, quick gratification.
Nosedive, a popular "Black Mirror" episode, is not a hypothesized dystopia, but instead, is an allegory for where our current social media use is going to lead us. As the majority of our population is eager to compete in this world wide popularity contest, the 5-star rating system found in Nosedive is possibly going to be the best future foundation for curbing the constant craving for personal reassurance found in many social media users minds. Lacie Pound and her storyline in Nosedive is an exact representation of the innate feelings of many social media addicts. While although the intensity of the 5-star social rating system is not our current reality, it is a perfect representation of the feelings social media imbeds in its users manifested into a social ranking system. If we continue down the path we are currently on, we will eventually become an extension of our technology as opposed to our technology being an extension of us.
Just like any other technology form, social media will continue advancing and catering to whatever the majority of the population and their users are craving and 'need'. As current social media slowly loses the interest of their consumers over time, they will have to find ways to adapt to keep the money coming in and the people addicted. It's not until the majority of the population switches to the other side of the social media spectrum that change and an actual grasp on social media will be achieved. Until then, media literacy and social media management methods, as well as simple acknowledgement to its effects, needs to be our priority and broadcasted in a widespread manner.
If not, social media may one day dictate our opportunities, our interactions, and our overall lives.
