In the last post, Adults May Have More Imaginary Friends than Toddlers, I reference my daughter asking why I care so deeply that social media has infiltrated nearly all aspects of life, and why it bothers me that many scroll more than speak.
Here are 15 responses that encompass my opinion and generalize global social mediause. There are exceptions to everything.
- People don’t want to think. Thinking is hard. Scrolling is easy. I know, I’ve done it myself.
- Less thinking leads to fewer inventors, creators, writers.
- What society adopts as normal isn’t always good. Societal norms directly or indirectly affect the family.
- A façade is accepted as truth – at first glance – without further investigation or credible sources.
- 500+ followers on LinkedIn but void of humanity at work. Numbers are often illusions.
- Facebook friends but unkind to those same folks in real life.
- Collectively, we compare. This is wildly unhealthy and we have seen enough articles blaring the sirens that we continue to silence.
- If the U.S. Surgeon General is requesting a warning label on social media platforms, due to “profound risk of harm” for youth, I suspect social media has lack of edification for adults as well.
- Apps are leading to control. Basic functions like accessing my bank account is halted until I read their nonsensical marketing slogan. After that, they ask: How would you rate this app? I wouldn’t, please let me into my bank account.
- All applications: “This app requires an update.” That leads to the updated privacy policy that I must agree to before being permitted back into the app. We simply cannot read every single word, every single time. So, we click ‘agree’ to who-knows-what.
- I care that Statista reported: “46% of Americans didn’t read a book in 2023”. In 2021, Pew reported: “roughly a quarter of American adults (23%) say they haven’t read a book in whole or in part in the past year, whether in print, electronic or audio form”. Scrolling has replaced reading.
- Jordan Peterson states that “the activities that you repeat every day including brushing your teeth, constitute 50% of your life.” (12 Rules for Life). With the time we have, is scrolling a worthwhile investment of our most precious asset: earthly time?
- Comforting images conveying falsehood can be more esteemed than genuine interaction – which can sometimes be uncomfortable.
- I question whether social media raises our spirit and encourages us more than it decreases our inner self-value. Are we aware of how scrolling influences our subconscious?
- The few headlines below indicate that the inventors themselves foresaw the potentially detrimental effects of their platforms. Former Facebook exec won’t let own kids use social media, says it’s ‘destroying how society works’; Bill Gates and Steve Jobs Raised Their Kids Tech-Free — and It Should’ve Been a Red Flag; Mark Zuckerberg doesn’t post about his kids on social media — and nor should we.
As indicated in these past couple of posts about social media, I can be a deep diver. Too much analyzing, not enough enjoying. I acknowledge that everything from TikTok to AI can be used just for fun, in moderation, and of course, for profit.
Tales from a Mid-Lifer 
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