People appear to be more distracted and struggling to focus. There can be a number of reasons for this , not necessarily all at the feet of social media. I want to suggest the following. There is general disorientation of life and living patterns that emerged during Covid.There was less face to face contact and a greater dependency on digital communication, both in our work spaces and in our domestic lives. Digital communication is short hand and it’s a form of abbreviated relationship sharing.
Also, there has been a flourishing of social apps in the cyber space and they have extended their kingdoms especially so during the epidemic. Such apps such as Instagram ,which gets mentioned much in conversations, is very much image based along with all the photo shopping and and electronic air brushing that goes with it. I have just returned from Europe and also then travelled to Asia. The degree of personal preening that I observed in historical sites or perfectly beautiful scenary, being seemingly ignored, for the sake of focussing on facial iPhone snaps was silly.
Digital communication is also a communication style that encourages image rather than the more demanding one of verbal communication and the reading of non verbal language. Its in the digital space that there can be a creep or graduated movement towards less attention to detail. ( Unless of course its the crafted coiffure of my lovely hair or stage managed presentation of my body) Less personality is conveyed and you certainly don’t need to try as hard if the alternative are those of interaction via emailing or using a platform. This of course raises terrible internal questions for the Insta users. Namely am I good enough ? Do I come up to passable and admirable levels? The answer that people give themselves is that they don’t. The answer boils over into other spheres of work and relationship.
I also have had conversations with individuals who made a stand to reduce their own social media consumption or simply to stop. I am told that like smoking it was hard at first . Life, apparently got progressivelybetter.
