A 14-year-old girl who quit social media:
A 14-year-old girl quit socials
I want to start with my thoughts on the article about the young girl who got off social media. A quick summary, the young girl wasn’t allowed to join have a smartphone, or even join the internet until she was 13. Once she did, she discovered that her mother and sister were both posting pictures, videos, and quotes of and from her on their accounts. This made her embarrassed, upset, and betrayed.
After reading this article I have to be honest and say that I personally feel she overreacted. If I were in her shoes, it wouldn’t have been as big of a deal to me. But I am completely aware that is my own opinion on the situation. However, I do understand where the 14-year-old is coming from. I’ve actually watched a video on a situation that was similar but on a much larger scale.
In the commentary video, there was a mother who would post videos of her extremely young daughter on her TikTok account. This account basically went from a small account to an account that had thousands upon thousands of followers. Her daughter went viral one day and has been famous on TikTok ever since. At first, this sounds adorable, but it quickly became concerning. The mother began posting inappropriate content about her daughter. All this while older men would inappropriately comment on the videos. The mother who is the owner of the account is getting paid for these videos as well, which makes it all the worse.
So, as I don’t personally resonate with the 14-year-old girl, I do see how something like this could essentially ruin someone’s life. Those videos of the little girl will be on the internet forever. It’s something that can’t be taken back!
Facebook, Social Media, and Ads:
Facebook Users Don't Know...
Moving on to some more articles that I read. Social media and advertising have taken over our personal information. We’ve already learned that the police and the government our tracking, but something that is installed on the devices that we have in our homes is scary. We type in all of this information when we log into these apps, and we don’t even think twice about it. If that wasn’t enough companies can go through our devices without permission and get even more personal information on their users.
But it doesn’t even stop there. We then have the social media platforms essentially selling the data they have on their users to third-party companies and advertising companies. The information just continues to get passed on over and over. My question is “Where does it stop?” I don’t think it stops at all. We can look at TikTok for example. TikTok is owned by a Chinese company called Byte Dance. Which as of recently is being threatened to be taken out of U.S. stores because of possible misuse and unauthorized storing of American citizen's data and personal information.
If these companies know when you leave your home, when you go to work, if you go do activities, what else could they know? How deep does the rabbit hole go?
Thoughts on Videos:
FUTURAMA
With all that being said, do we as a society really care? Does the majority actually care about what’s being done with their information behind closed doors? I would have to be home and say that I do care. But I truthfully think we’ve gone too far to ever go back. Let’s take the videos that we watch for this post.
After watching the video on the utopia ride, I think most can agree that the creators hit it right on the nail. I mean honestly, that is exactly what has happened up until this day and age. I always found it interesting how there always seems to be a movie, TV show, book, or some form of indication or thought of an idea before the idea actually becomes reality. I wonder if these are all coincidences, or if the powers at be on Earth know what’s going to happen ahead of time. I believe they do.
Moving on to the next video which is an illustration of how glued people are to their phones. Now that we are in this so-called utopia. We can see how humans behave. Most people don’t leave home without their phones. With AI advancements we are being pushed closer and closer to technology. Our society and the way we live depends on it. The video shows a great demonstration of how society loves being online. We have socials, search Google, watch movies and TV shows, stream games, and the list goes on.
When I sit back and think about it, they have and are making every place we go involved with technology. Our homes are filled with tv’s in every room, we carry our cell phones everywhere, we log onto computers at work and school, we have technology in our cars (look at Tesla), we have smartwatches, and you can even purchase internet on a plane or a cruise. Is anywhere safe from the internet? If the internet somehow completely shut down or was entirely hacked, would this society go into complete chaos? I don’t think we could ever completely unplug as a society. Some are lazy, some don’t mind sacrificing their personal information for entertainment, and others just simply would not be able to function without it.
My Personal Relationship with Technology / Family and Friends:
I don’t think that my relationship with technology is completely healthy. I also don’t think that it’s completely unhealthy either. I definitely utilize technology to my advantage, but I’m aware that there is probably a large sum of my data that is out in the world that I could never retrieve.
I personally don’t leave the house without my phone. I do use it for entertainment purposes such as social media, watching movies and TV shows, playing games, texting friends, and maybe buying things I don't always need. But I also use it as a GPS, for emergencies, to manage my business, for work, and many other productive things. When I’m in the car or working out I tend to listen to a lot of music. When I’m at home in my free time I often times watch YouTube, scroll on social media, or just talk on the phone with whoever. So, I would say I’m about 87% plugged into my relationship with technology. My relationship summed up is partially for entertainment and partially for productive purposes.
Nowadays I do a better job of pulling back from technology in my everyday life. And by that, I mean during times when I don’t necessarily have to be engaged with technology. For example, when I’m at home I try to make sure I dedicate time where I’m not engaged with technology. I like to pray in the morning when I wake up and get ready for the day in complete silence. This means no music, no TV playing, no radio, just me enjoying the silence and meditating on whatever. I also like to take time out at night before I go to sleep and read my bible. This takes away a lot of time I would probably be spending scrolling on my phone.
Another way I like to unplug from technology is by sitting on the porch. It’s honestly one of my favorite things to do. Especially during the summertime. When I was in middle school and early high school, I used to be glued to my phone. I remember even crying and throwing a big fit when my mother would take my phone when grounding me. It felt as if I would be miserable and bored without it. I did not like that feeling. I felt like I couldn’t live without it, and that is when I knew my relationship with technology wasn’t the healthiest.
Overall, I’d say my relationship with technology has definitely evolved. I would say for the better as well. It shifted from being a dependent relationship, to a resourceful and advantage-filled relationship.
I believe that knowledge is powerful. I have definitely used technology to help me become more informed. I like to read books online, and I watch a lot of content based on my faith online as well. I’ve gotten answers to things that I couldn’t find when I was younger because of technology. I even taught myself how to do not only my hair but other people’s hair because of platforms like YouTube. So, I definitely think that technology played a part in the knowledge I know today. Even in today’s technology where there is a lot of misinformation online, I have learned how to navigate that information. I make sure to triple-check everything I see, read, or hear online. This prevents me from being persuaded by misinformation.
Family and Friends:
When it comes to my family and friends, most of their relationships with technology are about the same across the board.
My friends use technology and its entertainment side a lot more than my family does, especially more than my elders. My friends use technology to do almost everything in their lives. For example: a lot of them use Apple Pay, Cash App, and all social media. smart watches, maps (for everything), video games, shopping online, getting delivery, using Bluetooth, ChatGPT, etc. Everything can and will be done using technology with this group.
My family on the other hand likes to be more in tune with the world. For example: taking walks, driving (without maps, they mostly know where they're going locally), paying with cash or a physical card, picking things up, shopping in stores, etc. There are a few ways they do engage with technology though, such as: watching TV, using the radio, seeing movies, posting on Facebook, playing phone games, etc.
Technology for the most part plays a good role in our relationships. It allows me to communicate with friends and family at any point in time, even if they go on vacation far away. I can contact long-distance family members or watch content with friends online. Technology has allowed me to stay constantly connected with my friends every day. I can see what cool activities they might be engaging in if they choose to share it over social. I can also see milestones and celebrations from them online and have that excitement for that person in celebration as well.
There are some instances where technology can put a wedge between friends and family. I've had friends post things that another friend might have thought were directed towards them, when in fact it wasn't. I've been out with friends and became uninterested in spending time with them because they were on their phones the entire time. There was even a time when I experienced cyberbullying at a young age when I was in middle school.
Either way, we all depend on technology in different ways, some more than others. I do see that technology has a more negative effect on my peer's lives, versus my family (most of them being a lot older). I believe this is due to my family simply engaging with technology a lot less.
My Online Footprint:
When it comes to my online footprint, I know that it is pretty big on the surface level. I also know that it's probably bigger than my family's. I also realize that our online footprints can vary tremendously depending on the person.
My online footprint is probably as big as the average person's online footprint that's around my age. I use most social media, I do some online shopping every now and then, I have a business page, I participate in a sport that has online platforms, and I even have a few YouTube videos up. But when I think about celebrities or social media influencers, YouTubers, or even a person in politics online footprint, I think it would be of a much larger scale. If someone were to look me up online, they might have a difficult time finding my socials, or personal accounts. However, if they were to search for Usher, they'd probably have a smoother experience.
If I were to apply for a job today, the prospective employer would most likely find my socials. Which are all friendly, I don't post what I would call crazy, or weird content, it's all appropriate. They might find my YouTube channel, which doesn't have much on it, a few hair and running videos are all. They might also find my business page which is an account I created to promote my hair business. They could possibly find pictures and videos of my running for High Point University on the HPU official track and field socials and school website. Finally, they would be able to find my LinkedIn profile which I use to network and potentially find jobs with.
Overall, I would say I have an average but positive online presence. It paints the picture that I am hard working, educated, have an entrepreneurial spirit, and athletic, and that I enjoy fun activities. It usually benefits me, when possible. I like to post my accomplishments, and I've been recognized for positive things throughout my life. So, for me personally, I'm not too frightened by the idea of someone or an employer searching me online.
The only thing that others may find overbearing is my vocal beliefs as a Christian. I post about my faith all the time. This has made some people feel as if they can't talk to me about certain things, maybe because of opposing views. But I do my best to be understanding of other's beliefs and perspectives, even if I don't agree with them. I make sure to be kind and respectful, but without compromising my morals. So, I would not edit this out of my online presence, but I do try to remain respectful of opposing views.
Private Information:
When it comes to private information, I know for a fact I've given out a lot of it online. They were all for harmless reasons, but I do realize that I have put some sensitive information out onto the internet.
I've given out my phone number, date of birth, and email to social media apps such as Instagram, and Facebook to sign up or log in. I have given out my locations to get to a certain destination using Google Maps.
Snapchat and Apple products even allow their users to share their locations for others to know where they are anywhere in the world. This is something I have done with a few of my friends and family members. This is a feature that not only allows other people to see your location, but the companies behind them to see where you're located at any given time.
Another one that I do, and I know others do as well is give my banking and personal information to online buying apps, and websites. When attempting to make a purchase online the site asks for your:
- First and last name
- Phone number
- Shipping address, and
- Banking and card information
Social Media and Depression:
Social Media Statistics
Finally, when taking a look at the article by Atlantic: Is Facebook making us lonely? I can see how social media has made humans more isolated than ever. As entertaining as social media can be it comes with a lot of hard negatives. Not everything we see, watch, or hear on social media is real, true, or sometimes even good for us. Social media can and has pushed harsh beauty standards, certain political or non-political agendas, cyberbullying, dangerous challenges, or even certain lifestyles that might not be realistic for everyone. These are some of the main topics that can cause someone to become, lonely, depressed, isolated, or even suicidal.
There are cases where after using social media people have developed eating disorders, have gotten dangerous cosmetic procedures, attempted deadly challenges, have gone into debt, or broke trying to obtain a certain lifestyle that they couldn't truly afford.
These are just a few of the reasons why many social media users slip into depression. We as consumers must maintain a healthy balance between the real world and technology, especially online. Our mental health drives what we do, how we react, and how we feel about different things in life. That's why we must strive to protect it daily.
Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed and took something from this post!
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