Reality is fluid. It is like a river that can be diverted into many different directions and can be interpreted in a variety of different ways. Like a river, however, reality also has mandatory truths that will apply to every situation. Despite this, imagination still takes the reigns and tries to mold reality into a new image.
This form of manipulation must be carefully watched, as it is easy for the human mind to get carried away and imagine something of which breaks one of the universal truths mandatory to understand the world we live in. Now, it is not such a bad thing to create such things mentally (we could not even begin to grasp the concept of fantasy as a genre in literature without it), but when the idea is attempted to be acted upon is when problems arise.
With current societal developments, it has now become significantly easier to communicate all over the world through social media and other forms of instant connection. This could have, and has had, both a positive and negative impact of the free-thinking psyche. Social media can act as an active forum to discuss potential thoughts or expand outreach for imagined ideas brought to life. One such program would be UNICEF, which utilizes websites such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to educate the public on their cause.
On the negative front lays the possible corruption and staining of innovative ideas or educational practices. Social media and other forms of instant communication can distract from not just daily life, but, more specifically, the time that could better be used to reflect on the basis of reality in order to better reform the society we live in. With such distractions, it becomes impossible to pay as much attention to or think as deeply about potential beneficial societal changes as necessary.
In order to really make a change in your personal reality (which may not have the same basic truths as the actual one), you must maintain a high level of dedication and focus. Otherwise, you will be stuck in the same position as before, imagining ways to improve the world, but never truly acting on it. In other words, social media can deprive avid thinkers of their motivation to take action.
Social media also has the potential to corrupt an original idea. If you were to actively try to draw attention toward the creative process in beginning a project, or reach out for assistance, there is always the potential the project will get away from you and transform into something completely unlike what it was before. With media allowing so many people all over the world with all different perspectives, it can be extremely difficult not to get pulled down by all of the opinions thrown your way.
In order to throw off these negative impacts, social media and instant communication need to be utilized the right way. By not allowing it to control your life (i.e. your time or ideas), social media can be an invaluable resource. Limiting your social media interaction by day or by week can be beneficial, by allowing you the time to reflect on your educational influences and imaginative conceptions without distraction. Outside influences, while they do have the potential to find and correct mistakes, can corrupt the educational processes involved in developing your imagination further.
As a cognitive response, a person's imagination is constantly changing and developing with their personality and life experience. If one spends all their time on social media and deprives themselves from potential life experience, it slowly starves the imagination of sources for muse. Imagination is something that must be cultivated and carefully watched, so the owner is able to anchor it with reality and create realistic ideas and concepts.
Without a source of natural inspiration, the imagination would become lax and deteriorate. To prevent this, one must be willing to give up outside sources of distraction, mainly the technology that dogs us through society. Only then will you be truly able to reflect on yourself, your realistic creativity and the imaginative response this deep thinking will insight.
Overall, it is the nature of the person utilizing social media and instant communication that determines the outcome of their ability to reflect. There must be a motivation to take part in something greater than yourself, a drive to better the world around you. That should be motivation enough to put down the phone or turn off the computer. Your imagination cannot wander to new realistically innovative heights if you are staring at a screen all day. The world will not change without you.
