This country is in trouble.
I don’t think I need to enumerate all the ways in which we are in
trouble. One only needs to turn on the news or read a paper… Does anyone do
that anymore? Or perhaps, that alone is
part of the problem.
I woke up this morning and as usual, checked my email, then
glanced through the headlines and checked the “newsfeed” on Facebook. That’s when it hit me….
We are supposed to be the most advanced, wealthiest, and
best educated nation on earth. But we aren’t.
We have become a nation of gibberish speaking, fun seeking,
ill informed, under educated “social networkers”. And that seems to be ALL we want to be.
We no longer look to credible news sources, field experts
and intellectuals for our news reports and commentary, we look instead to the
“newsfeed” on Facebook. Therein lies the
crux of so many of our societal ills.
One article in today’s Cleveland Plain Dealer discusses the
current gang related homicide epidemic on Cleveland streets. Local law
enforcement suggests that the proliferation of social media has changed the way
gangs communicate. Allowing for quick assembly of “posse’s, flash distribution
of photos and addresses of court witnesses, and intimidation of those victims
and witnesses.
Two days ago, a video emerged on network television of a
group of young women at a major league baseball game at which, a game winning
play had just taken place. This group of approximately 10 sorority girls were
caught on video so caught up in texting and tweeting, that not one of them even
noticed the excitement taking place in the stadium they had paid to enter!
How often have you sat in a restaurant and watched people
around you who are so busy texting that they are not event speaking to their
dining companions? Or perhaps, you were one of those persons? Have you ever been rear-ended or side swiped
by another driver because they were texting, tweeting, reading email rather
than concentrating on their driving?
As much as I love my iPhone, I have to say that I have come
to the conclusion that much of what is wrong with America today is the
proliferation of smart devices and social media.
The combination of the two has served to do the following;
1)
Removed “intimacy” between friends by becoming a
constant “companion” or attraction that diverts attention away from real human
interaction.
2)
Confused the general population as what “news”
really is, to the point that the social commentary and posts of any individual;
educated or uneducated, is now called a “newsfeed” on social media sites. Setting aside the myriad of cat photos and
cartoons, is anything posted on social media really a “news” item? or for the
most part aren’t these posts opinion? Not expert opinion, but knee jerk, uneducated,
uninformed opinion.
3)
Sound bytes, video clips and doctored images,
without benefit of full story revelation have become the norm by which public
opinion is being formed.
4)
Rapid dissemination of false doctrine,
inaccurate facts, twisted statistics, all launched by individuals with specific
agendas has taken place of well founded and researched information. And while
well founded and researched information is being formulated by a few reliable news sources, the immediacy
of social networking has already caused a firestorm of misinformation to lead
groups of people into believing and repeating nonsense and the truth is buried
under a pile of trash.
5)
“Smart Devices” have created an entire new realm
of possibilities for identity theft, fraud, intimidation, and blackmail.
6)
Not only have smart devices introduced
pornography and graphic video violence to a new generation at a much younger
age, but has made it possible and even fashionable for many of these same young
people to join the parade through “sexting” and video shorts posted to sites
specifically designed to promote such activity.
Technology cannot be and should not be stopped or
reversed. We must however learn how to
harness the positive aspects of our discoveries and inventions and control the
adverse effects of those same inventions, otherwise each new “improvement”
opens the lid wider on Pandora’s Box.
What will you do, personally to make a positive change in
how smart devices and social media interact with your life?
