Has Twitter taken away the need to live in the moment?
February 15, 2011
Twitter, the phenomenon that has had users addicted since 2006, allows users to receive information faster than they could through any medium other than the live-web. Whether the information comes takes the form of news, entertainment, or updates on friends, Twitter has made it unnecessary to actually watch television broadcasts or meet with colleagues in person.
In her article “How Twitter has made the tape-delay obsolete,” Tara Dublin examines Twitter’s effects on the 2011 Grammy Awards. She points out, “thanks to Twitter, not only is every ‘shocking moment’ ruined before I can lay eyes on it, it’s also been processed and snarkified by all the people I follow.”
After reading Dublin’s article, one might ponder on her question about living in the moment. If we can get our information from our friends, who get their information from news source twitters, who get some of their leads from people in their communities, what need do we have to actively interpret the world around us? In the age of Twitter, somebody else will always be able to analyze and interpret the world around us, for us. In this sense, Dublin is right, Twitter is taking away any need to live in the moment.
Who are we when we're not behind the computer?
It is time that people realize that social media is taking away from our livelihood. It is time that people realize that by hiding behind Facebook we are preventing ourselves from building and maintaining real
relationships with our peers. It is time for us to realize that there is a fine line between gathering information through social media, and needing to be connected to those outlets to survive. As a collective body, we have become so lost in this digital age that we have ceased to live. So readers, after realizing the addictive nature of these outlets, will you disconnect or cut down on the time you spend with social media?
To read Tara Dublin’s full article, click here.
To follow Tara Dublin on twitter, click here. To follow her blog, click here.
Entry Filed under: Individual Tech Blog Items. Posted in Individual Tech Blog Items Tags: Grammy's, Social media, Tech blog 2, Twitter.
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