Has social media is taking over our lives?

By Loo Wan Shin

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Social media is present in our phones, laptops, tablets and other gadgets. Just the beginning of the year, Coca-Cola created a social media guard video. It’s humorous solution: E-collars on humans to keep their gaze horizontal. The solution is obviously a funny one and an impractical one but it has definitely highlighted the issue on hand.

 

Social media has slowly been consuming our lives ever since it first started. Even the food we eat is involved in the sharing. Isn’t it annoying to see people taking pictures before enjoying their food? Of course, you may explain that sharing the food online has a lot of benefits. But gaining your likes on Instagram and Facebook doesn’t add any value in your lives to be honest. Where has the appreciation of things around you gone to?

 

Choo Shi Ying, 22, a business student from Monash University said, “It’s really annoying when people start taking pictures of their food. It seems to me that the food is still steaming hot, and after you snap your pictures, it’s turned cold. I don’t think it is good for the food.” 

 

By the time you finish taking pictures on Instagram, you might end up with a bowl of cold soup and a Coke that’s less fizzy. Remember when your mom tells you to drink the soup while it’s hot? So then savor your food while it’s hot. Appreciate what you have now before you start sharing them online in exchange for those likes.

 

Friends might even find you rude for concentrating on your phone rather than the conversation, if there is a conversation that is.  

Sean Kee Peng Koon, 20, an event management major from Sunway University said, “It is really rude to look at your smart phones while eating and not engaging in the conversation.”

 

Now, where are the eye contact and the laughs of the conversation? Social media somehow creates an extensive load of redundant text that comes at the wrong time. According to BBC news, just last year, a Taiwanese tourist fell from an Australian walkway while checking her Facebook. Can you see how distracting social media is? Remember when you were doing something important, and a post on Facebook distracted you?

 

With earphones on, and a small screen gadget on hand, you can easily watch any entertainment news/videos you want. You are trapped in your own world of entertainment and enjoyment that doesn’t include any interaction and physical touches. Exclude international events like the FIFA world cup, where a good old shout of joy and emotional expressions improves interaction and physical contact.

 

Lee Jun Yi, 22, studying for degree in culinology in Taylor’s University said, “In my opinion, YouTube has substituted a lot of our entertainment because this is our generation. We can find stuff there easier, some are not available on the TV so I go online. It’s much easier to find.”

 

Social media has substituted our entertainment world. Sooner or later we are all going to end up watching YouTube or other channels of social media that is free and accessible. Social media has definitely become stronger with our smart phones. And most social media platforms have their own phone application so that makes it a 24/7 activity that makes our hands and eyes glued to our phones all the time. Clearly, social media is very addictive. But let’s change that. Learn to appreciate what you have around you and savour the moment. After all, life is short. Which is better: 100 likes on your Facebook and Instagram or an enjoyable conversation over lunch with your best friends?