Editorial: Expression or obsession?

Although social media sites are effective in providing an outlet for self-expression, the endless quest for online attention has affected our standards for relationships and, more broadly, our interactions. 

Algorithms for sites such as Instagram and Facebook are designed to show the best content to the most people, placing more emphasis on the amount of likes received and users reached than genuine connections. 

Much of today’s media is founded on the premise of rapid consumption; Snapchat, for example, gives users a few seconds with a photo and asks them to immediately respond with their own. The sense of urgency associated with response has carried on to our personal lives. 

Lately, it seems as though some of us have forgotten that the most essential skill in communication is listening. We are so focused on bringing our own input and experiences to the conversation that we forget to take time to process or empathize, giving rise to what feels a lot like narcissism.

The gratification that comes along with a record number of likes, or a few validating comments from friends, has led to an increase in the use of social media as a tool for self-promotion. 

What began as well-curated feeds have become spaces for users to project idealized versions of themselves and their social lives, a byproduct of the “do it for the ‘gram,'” mentality. This begs the question, how much of our lives are we actually living? 

While social media can be used as a platform for discussing important topics, it has also become a place where people might feign relationships and construe a “like” for an actual connection.

It’s easy to become swept away by the notion that, because someone liked or commented on a photo, they’re playing an active role in maintaining that relationship. How many of us have passed a friend on the quad and felt in-tune to their lives, despite not having spoken face-to-face for days, weeks or even months?

Staying on top of recent Snapchat updates makes us feel closer than we are, and discourages the initiative required by in-person interaction because, what’s the point? Don’t we already know what they’re up to?

Relationships that begin with a mutual follow on social media rather than an in-person encounter or introduction can be hard to nurture, and the resulting connection is superficial at best. 

Because our standards for friendship or acquaintance-ship have deteriorated so considerably, many of our casual relationships have lost value. 

Social media provides something that is always left to chance in real-life, face-to-face interactions: instant gratification.

The high of receiving an instant like on a photo, or a message over Snapchat, can sometimes fill a void left by an otherwise unsatisfactory real-life encounter, and subsequently breed a sense of false happiness. 

It is crucial to be conscious of our relationships and the value we place on online interaction.