The idea of having circles of friends and social interaction has been changed by technology.
A recent piece of group work regarding buddying and befriending brought this to the forefront of my thoughts. Traditionally the idea of being isolated related to staying in the house due to inability to get out, coupled with a lack of people to visit or meet up with. Over the past decade Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and web based games console interfaces have made the world accessible from the house and brought your friends to your fingertips. Now wireless technology means there is no longer a need for being where the connection is, Xbox in bed is now possible. Romantic relationships are even possible using interests, values and attitudes to match people to each other. A study of that related to future marriage and divorce rates may show interesting findings.
It isn’t just this format which is creating a less interactive population, online banking takes away the need to visit a branch and drive through food outlets now have bigger prominence then the car park at your local fast food outlet. Shopping now takes place at in shops surrounding huge free carparks and the high street is dying because you have to walk to get there. Does this mean that convenience has a big part to play in how sociable humans have become or is the traditional format of social interaction the problem?
My specific area of work is 0-19 wellbeing, hence my interest in the social aspect of their existence in relation to mental wellbeing. Ask any professional and they will likely suggest the problem with young people is that ‘they don’t get out and play in the street like we used too’. The average professional I ask this question to is older than me and I’m 34. It may be true that the smart phone has become the portal through which lives are lived but is that now the way? Are those who don’t post a status becoming the isolated minority because they are not plugged in?
Social interaction has changed, you don’t visit your friends unless you have to because you can snapchat them. I communicate with my two best friends daily via whatsapp, one works in Norway while the other lives round the corner but I find out more from him on my pocket instruction box than I would in person because he is socially awkward.
There is a great deal of stigma surrounding those who live the social media dream #beachlife and the standard brochure shot of amazing holidays or current location, personally I unfollow my online buddies for excessive posts like this. The above picture comes from my own social media to let world know I am a superstar racing driver in my spare time, I’m not but #trackcar certainly helps me live the dream. Could social media help young people with motivation and aspiration that many older people say is lacking?
Computer games are the main currency of this alleged anti-social attitude of the younger generation. There are arguments that some titles can normalise unacceptable behaviour, although that is a whole blog post in itself. I have experienced consoles and games machines since their conception and it is a subject I understand. The lack of physical exertion and interaction required to participate is the focus of negativity towards anyone with this interest, but I would argue the neurological development required to be competitive can be closely compared to Formula 1 drivers and fast jet pilots.
The invention of social media has pushed forward human ability to communicate and young people are using it to develop the English language and to have a window into the rest of the world. This world has already been discovered and largely explored, so how about we give young people some credit for exploring the new world of technology, where the only limit is imagination. And has anyone considered it might actually be stimulating and fun sometimes too?
