After a day full of lectures and tutorials, I needed to take my daily of caffeine. Since time was on my side, I decided to visit a local café that was closer to home and take the time to reflect on this week’s tutorial conversation as well as de-stress (well, try to) about the upcoming assignments in week three. It was around the lunch peak hour where people in their business attire dash in and out of the front door, mums with their bubs, friends catching up, and couples here and there. As I observe my surroundings, I’ve noticed that at least every person on every table is constantly on looking down on their screens socialising with other people. That seems to be the norm nowadays. I’m not saying it’s entirely a bad thing, it can be when it comes to proper etiquette but then again I can’t judge, but it made me realise how much social networking has added another dimension to what it means to be “social”.
According to the Pew Research Centre, 49% of smartphone owners’ aged 18 to 29 use messaging apps followed by 37% aged 30 to 49, and 24% aged 50 and older. Almost half of 18-29 year olds prefer using Wi-Fi in order to communicate with people rather than text messaging or phone calls. If I can get access to free Wi-Fi why not? Even finding out if the person has read your message or not comes in handy (most of the time). Despite the convenience and efficiency, text messaging and phone calls are still prevalent for times when your data runs out, when there’s no Wi-Fi or even communicating with people who don’t use messaging apps.
Moreover, Facebook has become a global community with more than 1.3 billion accounts existing in 2016. It would be the most populous nation in the world. According to The Guardian, Facebook’s user base grows by eight people per second, or 7,246 people every fifteen minutes. Due to its popularity, impact, and cost-effectiveness, Facebook ads have made the site one of the most popular online advertising platforms in the world with approximately more than two million active advertisers. However, using Facebook for free comes with its catches. Ever seen an ad on the side of your timeline or news feed that relates to something you’ve posted or searched about recently? Maybe those shoes or those concert tickets that you’ve been continuously Googling? We are consumers who provide our own personal information as data. Furthermore, this personal data can connect you to your other social media sites and could potentially cost or win you your job. Employers have resorted beyond a resume in order to employ according to their checklist such as how well a person presents themselves to the whole world.
Snapchat has revolutionised the way we socialise. According to Expanded Ramblings, as of March 2016, there are more than 100 million users with 1 in 4 being teenagers. Compared to Facebook, it’s more of a “personal” way of communicating where the Snaps are basically an instant recount of someone’s life within a few seconds or “day in the life of…” Some have even dubbed SnapStories as “diary account of sorts” (minus the privacy part). The only way Snaps can be released into the world/an entire audience, is through a screen shot or saving the video.
As I said before, it’s necessarily a bad thing when people are on their phones while having coffee with them. I’ve seen the mums exchanging their phones on hilarious photos or stories of their bubs on Facebook, a couple bonding over silly memes, friends catching up on their latest adventures by flickering through their Instagram pics. Ironically, at the front of the café, a bright sign in chalk says “Sorry, we don’t have Wi-Fi. Talk to each and pretend it’s 1995 again”. It’s hard to pretend its 1995 again when we’re in the middle of such a shift with what we perceive as “social”. Balance and proper etiquette is ultimately the key.