Where did all the joy and fun people go? Does social media take the place of humans?

Are you feeling isolated? Are you feeling suffocated? Are you afraid of walking alone? Are you looking for someone to celebrate? Is your happiness rely on others' judgment?

If yes, you are in a trap of the social media world. Life is as beautiful as a natural creator. You complain that it is brutal. The truth is you made it like this.

Illustration by Jean Jullien. The fun people didn’t go away — they’re here and everywhere

A group of friends scrolling through on their smartphones while chilling out together. Almost everyone on the Metro hangs their heads down and fixes their eyes on gadget screens. Every member uses phones in their hands and seems busy when they sitting with their loved ones. People get obsessed with the devices. They lose interest in talking with people and pretend to be the busiest person in the room. Technology, especially smartphones is fading away interest in their real life. People get detached from loved ones and attached to gadgets.

In the contemporary, people love to criticize and judge others on social media. Over and above that, they share everything about their personal and professional things with the people who have been following them on distinct platforms. Checking phone for stats, likes, and comments, and gaining attention through as worst and best posts on social media.

Photo by John Blanding tweeted by Wayne Dahlberg. It’s trying to convey the idea that this woman is enjoying the experience more than the other people taking photos or recording. I’m not sure those people are enjoying it less because of their smartphones

If you have used the internet in the last few years, you probably have seen a picture on your Facebook feed or your Tumblr dashboard, or nearly everywhere pointing out, a sense of superiority. How people are slaves of technology nowadays. I am talking about the illustrations like these or comics like these or short films like these or photographic projects like these. In the sea of technology, people get affected by trauma. They utterly rely on their life on social media.

You have to pay attention before reading further:

The popular image of nearly everyone on the train reading the newspaper instead of talking with each other decades ago

Vignette of a comic by Gavin Aung Than

Anonymous put:

Digital Technology over just the past decade has connected and educated more human minds than probably the entire sum of our planet's history.

IT’S ALSO A MIRACULOUS FIRST-WORLD PRIVILEGE THAT ALLOWS YOU TO MAKE FRIENDS, SHARE YOUR IDEAS, LEARN NEW THINGS, HEAL EMOTIONAL WOUNDS THROUGH SOCIAL INTERACTION, FIND ESCAPE FROM ABUSIVE SITUATIONS, FIND NEW LIVING SITUATIONS, APPLY FOR JOBS, CREATE YOUR OUTLETS AND GENERALLY PURSUE HAPPINESS AT THE TOUCH OF A DAMN BUTTON

You don’t have to take their word for it. There are studies that back all of that.

In conclusion, As far as I have noticed that we should prioritize good habits that lead to making a big difference, we should understand that smartphone is nothing more than an addiction that gives us pleasure and feels less isolated. We are farther away from the real world, good people, new things, new changes, and opportunities, and all the happiness and sorrow come from that materialist device which can damage too. Apart from this, the device is the most powerful thing people leverage to build 6-figures businesses, start side hustles, and connect with people from any corner of the world.

The question arises:

What incites others who are using social media?

Why is everyone trying to act on several platforms especially, YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram?

Why do people share joy via social media instead of whooping it up alone?

Two types of people have the same target - grabbing attention.

Some do hard work to make a personal brand, run small businesses, build million-dollar businesses by putting out content, and so forth. On the other hand, some are making videos that can be both informative and entertaining.

People gain millions of followers in the form of writing, visualizing, or recordings. Platforms, you can use to showcase your knacks or upgrade your by learning new skills.

So, stop feeling superior for making fun of other people because they’re using their smartphones, stop pretending our lives and society would be better without them, and stop blaming technology for natural human behaviors.

If you see an image like the ones I referenced here, the ones trying to show how we are “letting technology ruin social interactions and pleasant experiences”, stop and reflect on why people are using their electronic devices. Furthermore, stop romanticizing the past, believing life was better without all of this ubiquitous technology like in some form of “neo-nudism”. Consumer technology is good. It enables us to connect in amazing ways as humans. It is not replacing real interaction.