Share

Is mobile the death of social media?

When's the last time you've seen a 'quality' Facebook status, written in full sentences with real punctuation? Cancel that ... when's the last time you've even seen ANY Facebook status?
I realise that there's an inherent contradiction we often overlook with cellphones, tablets and laptops (already seeming like dinosaurs) - we're more connected than we've ever been before, but we're less incentivised to say anything.
When Facebook was first launched, everybody discovered it on their PCs, and typed witty customised 'pokes' with their keyboards. With most people now accessing Facebook and other social media apps on their phones, the tables have completely turned. It's so much harder to participate than consume - pecking away at touchscreens - that real engagement has disappeared.
So what has risen to the top? The most vocal 'love-me-daddy'-type personalities who embrace any soapbox they can;'shareable' content which you can use to substitute original thought on your part; photographs with two-word captions and (of course) corporate-sponsored click-bait.
Of course I'm just writing this because it's the decline most visible to me - my mother still insists on writing me letters (by hand) from time to time. It still means something when somebody cares enough about you to sit down and cover a full page in thoughts for only you to read, compared to clicking 'like' underneath a cat photo you clicked 'share' on.
So where's Google Glass - as ridiculously overpriced as it is - and other similar devices going to take this trend? Can it possibly get even worse, where we'll end up in a future where all our brains are networked directly by 100 Mbps fiber, and nobody's saying anything?
While the engineers were developing means of communicating, it seems the psychologists weren't involved in the development teams. We've collectively been led down a highly-connected path which has eroded our communication rather than enriching it ... and we're blaming our devices, rather than ourselves, when we're not entertained.
Who knew? Rampant consumerism isn't good for society, because people inherently want what's unhealthy for them.
We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Do you think corruption-accused National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula will survive a motion of no confidence against her?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
No, her days are numbered
41% - 557 votes
Yes, the ANC caucus will protect her
59% - 799 votes
Vote
Rand - Dollar
18.88
+0.3%
Rand - Pound
23.85
+0.2%
Rand - Euro
20.39
+0.2%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.32
+0.2%
Rand - Yen
0.12
+0.2%
Platinum
908.05
0.0%
Palladium
1,014.94
0.0%
Gold
2,232.75
-0.0%
Silver
24.95
-0.1%
Brent Crude
87.00
+1.8%
Top 40
68,346
0.0%
All Share
74,536
0.0%
Resource 10
57,251
0.0%
Industrial 25
103,936
0.0%
Financial 15
16,502
0.0%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE