Social Media has made us so nasty and our only hope is a mass unplugging
I’ve (23f) truly come to believe social media has robbed us of our basic humanity and it’s not normal and we need to unplug.
i know some might think ”that’s just your algorithm“ but I truly think your feed will Always attempt to raise your cortisol and outrage you.
recently in my city a black man was murdered because of excessive force and suffocation. There’s videos of course - there always is. the comments are filled with my fellow countrymen saying he deserves it, talking about “don’t resist like an animal” and “get rid of all those vermin”. some are certainly bots but a lot of them are real people with families in their profiles, young children, real lives who feel negatively affected by immigration to the extent that they wish death on them.
i have no doubt some of these ppl were always vile but I also believe many of them would be surprised to find out, if they could see themselves 10 years ago that they’d be saying these things wholeheartedly after witnessing a persons final moments. I believe many of them would consider calling for the extermination of vermin or animals would make them sound/feel like a nazi. But now these comments are normal.
many of these people are normal, even largely caring ppl to those in their lives. they work hard and theyre scared of change. I called my mother she said many people in Gen X, who once told their children to be skeptical of the internet have fallen down rabbit holes. My partners mom went from loving organic food and being a SAHM to a full on anti trans conspiracy theorist. My amazing uncle with two daughters is now a full blown trump supporter and we're not even in America nor ever will be. He thinks he’s a saviour of truth and the world.
I know we’re all rightfully scared. im scared of change too, I’m scared of technology and it’s implications. I’m scared of AI being used by men who’ve stalked me in the past to imagine me naked more than they already have, of social media’s anxiety inducing addictI’ve qualities. I’m scared of being filmed and going viral or doxxed, I’m scared of the negative feelings I walk around with towards strangers because I feel like everyone’s out to get me on the street.
im so much less likely to just talk to a stranger the past Couple years.
I say this as a long time social media user who’s been slowly moving my life offline - ie my communication with people out of Instagram etc - and an artist who has missed so many opportunities because of flyers and applications getting posted to Instagram and Facebook first despite being on email lists.
I was recently at an artists residency, with a bunch of Gen Xers who were highly activated and angry. One man who was running it was racist and so scared of the world he was completely threatened by me as a Gen Zer and screamed in my face about censorship and arrogance and “my government“. I was shocked and could not calm him. at that point I hadn’t used social media in thirty days and had experienced huge relief and less anxiety. They all went on about how entitled Gen Z were and never listened to when I agreed or didn’t agree with them, it was not a normal discussion but them taking out their frustrations w their own family members onto a stranger.
He harassed me for the entire thing to where I removed myself from group activities but would post long rants about how triggered I must be in the shared gc meant for logistical stuff. My friend who was supposed to come told me his Facebook was full of anti immigration stuff and he was obsessed with cancel culture. I was stunned by the whole thing about how sensational a simple disagreement and someone not wanting to be around someone they just don’t like became.
our ways of processing events and sharing information have become so strange a deformed. I know many may read this and say “I was with you until you brought up trump/immigration/blah blah” I’m not interested in labelling myself in American political terms, I’m not interested in debating anything. I’m talking about humanity. we all need to reconnect with humanity. Our values as people.
i believe we all need to “touch grass” effectively.