{"id":12537,"date":"2016-10-05T09:00:33","date_gmt":"2016-10-05T16:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/?p=12537"},"modified":"2016-10-03T12:21:49","modified_gmt":"2016-10-03T19:21:49","slug":"open-space-make-social-media-social-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/2016\/10\/05\/open-space-make-social-media-social-again\/","title":{"rendered":"Open Space<\/em>: Make social media social again"},"content":{"rendered":"

As metal machines of death impatiently rage on to nowhere in an age of isolation and self-loathing, phones have become gods; the screen is the messiah\u2019s call. The outside world is just so mundane. Yawn as your brain splatters, and with your last breath be sure to take a selfie; the blood in your hair is so in. And as you die amongst a sea of phones posting your bloodied pulp of a body to the masses, your messiah speaks to you, blessing you with a final prayer: \u201cWarning: low battery.\u201d<\/p>\n

Social media consumes a large majority of our time. Over two-thirds of our day is spent sleeping, going to work and school, and other responsibilities. What free time is left is frequently spent in front of a screen engaging with no one.<\/p>\n

Sure, we all need to tune out and shut off our brains for a while, but if it comes at the expense of missing out on real-life experiences, then we\u2019re really missing the social part of social media.<\/p>\n

\"This<\/a>
This story originally appeared in our October 5, 2016 issue.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We\u2019re socially connected, yet we see less of the people we know. Social media is transforming us into a non-committed, I\u2019ll-just-stay-at-home-or-reply-later society. It\u2019s become the norm for plans to fall through.<\/p>\n

Social media has dehumanized communication, becoming the middleman between connections to the point where we forget that the people we\u2019re messaging are real human beings, not just a profile picture and a line of text. We feel less obligated to someone when we can\u2019t see their face or hear their voice.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re constantly comparing our lives to the lives of people we see online. Every cherry-picked photo and witty remark reveals only a fraction of that person, but you don\u2019t realize that; instead, you compare your life to a news feed of highlights while simultaneously forgetting that your own profile is a highlight reel as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I only use it to stay in touch.\u201d Sure, but the majority of the people you connect with are close friends; even the lost connections are found, then lost again.<\/p>\n

Social media can act as a platform to showcase passions, businesses, and charities; it can be a place to voice opinions and support those making a difference. Huge changes in the world have happened because of mass social-media awareness.<\/p>\n

However, these things are the minority. Likes and re-posts aren\u2019t saving lives.<\/p>\n

Trolling, hate, and bullying thrive in this virtual world. These toxic behaviours are only simple annoyances to some, but these actions can truly affect the well-being of others.<\/p>\n

Social media is moulding our culture and boxing us in with windows of distraction.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s another window, though\u2014it\u2019s all around you and it doesn\u2019t fit inside your pocket. It\u2019s where the highlights of your real life exist.<\/p>\n

If our social lives continue to be shaped and manipulated, then the fate of our human experiences will not thrive and progress. Instead, they will die in silence before a back-lit screen of solitude.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As metal machines of death impatiently rage on to nowhere in an age of isolation and self-loathing, phones have become gods; the screen is the messiah\u2019s call. The outside world is just so mundane. Yawn as your brain splatters, and with your last breath be sure to take a selfie; the blood in your hair […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":12512,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,14,172],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12537","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","category-views","category-october-5-2016"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t