This semester we have talked a lot about technology, social media, and our internet footprint. Most recently we watched two videos, one from the 1964 World’s Fair and remix by Moby of “Mad World.” Both videos were about technology and its impact of the world. The first envisioned a futuristic world improved by technology, while the second depicted our current world and highlighted the negative aspects of technology. Both videos, as well as what we have studied over the semester got me thinking about whether technology, especially social media is a good or bad thing, especially in my personal life.
For example, I thought about what I have posted on social media and who can see it. For me social media is Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat. For the most part I try to keep my social media clean because you never know who is going to see it. For example, my sorority reviews the social media of all possible new members to see if their image is something that we would want in our sorority. If a girl is posting pictures of herself breaking the law by participating in drug or underage alcohol use it raises a red flag and there are girls, we rejected just because of an Instagram post or tweet from Twitter. Girls in my sorority have also been fined for things posted on social media and that is one of the many reasons I am so strict about what I post and what I am tagged in. On a national level, some sororities and schools have taken disciplinary measures (and rightfully so) of students who have posted racial slurs or similar things. https://www.lsureveille.com/news/lsu-sorority-has-taken-all-actions-to-remove-member-after-using-racial-slurs-in-viral/article_23888942-a6b9-11ea-a92c-6f51ccaecb4b.html
As much as I try to keep my social media clean, I still have issues sometimes, not with things I post but things I am tagged in. For example, my dad likes to post extremely unflattering pictures of me on Facebook or pictures of us smoking cigars and will tag me in them even though I have asked him not too. While smoking a cigar with my father is legal, it is not something my sorority would approve of, and I could potentially get in trouble for it, and no one likes to see unattractive pictures of themselves on the internet. I currently just un-tag myself from the pictures which means they're still online and people could still find them, but you don't see it right away if you're looking at my page. The issue is; however, they are still out there and if I don’t notice that I’m tagged in something, it might be very visible to someone who was looking at my profile. One of the things I would like to see social media companies do, is restrict the ability of people to tag others in posts unless the person tagged approves it.
Another thing I worry about with social media is the idea of Geo tagging. On Instagram if I post a picture on my main feed or my story, I can tag the location of where I am down to the point where I could put my own physical address on there. There is also similar feature on Snapchat where you can have your location on, and someone can see where you are based on the last time you opened the app. This seems incredibly dangerous to me because you do not know who can see the location and who might show use this information the wrong way. There have been stories of criminals using these features to stalk people. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/police-man-used-social-media-to-track-stalk-and-steal-from-women And even thought I try to keep my settings as private as possible; I don’t know if all of my friends do the same. Since so many of the pictures etc. that my friends post, include me and our other friends, if their settings aren’t as private as mine, I am concerned that my location might be more publicly accessible than I think or want.
I do love the way social media can be a way to keep in contact with people even when you are away at school or do you live in different states or countries. I use it to keep connected with my friends from high school and camp. Social media is the main way I stay in touch with my friend Julia in Germany. Because of the time difference, it is really hard to call but with social media we know what is going on in each other’s lives.
Social media can also have some downfalls. I'm very self-critical about the pictures I post online because I don't want people to judge me based on what I'm wearing or how I look or how I'm posed, and I am not alone in this. Instagram for example has been linked back to depression and suicide rates in teenage girls. https://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/facebook-instagram-self-esteem-issues-teen-girls This is because people only post the good things and people feel that they need to look a certain way or act a certain way or feel a certain way to blend in and be normal. There's also studies that show other social media sites like TikTok that can be bad for your mental health and can increase depression. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/sen-mike-lee-releases-study-145410571.html This is one of the main negative impacts that I've noticed throughout social media because something I felt myself. As I said, I worry what I post and what I am tagged in and how that portrays me.
Overall, I see the good and the bad with social media. While I can use it to stay in contact with friends it also increases depression. While I can see where my friends are and make sure they're safe people like stalkers can also see where they are and stalk them. I don’t think technology like social media has made the world a perfect place like it was envisioned during the 1964 World’s Fair, but I also don’t think it is a terrible as it is portrayed in “Mad World” video. I think there are good and bad qualities and I think it should be limited but it will not ever go away, nor should it
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