Smartphones and Social Media: Misplaced Blame

In today's society, the bashing of technology and social media have become a commonplace rant for many people. The cons of Facebook, Instagram, Alexa, Amazon, and Apple dominate the tête-à-tête of the table within many homes and social settings. This largely springs from the fact that there are indisputable correlations between interactive screens and social dysfunction. However, today, I submit to you the idea that smart phones and social media are not the problem, but rather the symptom of the root issue. The truth is that the overuse of smart phones and social media are not the cause of social dysfunction, but are rather one of the countless ways through which social dysfunction manifests itself. 

Many people today seem to be making the false assumption that, if smart phones and social media are strictly regulated and restrained, social dysfunction will be solved and the value of face-to-face interaction will begin to flourish. In other words, we assume that, if we get rid of the symptom, the disease will go away.

I'm glad we don't use that logic with cancer.

Covering Up the Symptom:

Think about it for a second. We don't assume that giving someone a narcotic will cure a broken bone! Sure, you've cured the painful symptom, but you haven't done a thing to heal the issue. So, why do we assume that getting rid of cell phones and starving social media will encourage the decreasing amount of face-to-face interaction? The expulsion of smart phones and social media is nothing more than a band-aid; a condom; a gun-control act; the makeup that covers a zit. To be honest, scrapping social media wouldn't fix anything with regards to social dysfunction. Why? Because you've just gotten rid of the litmus and left the issue to fester. Another interactive entity would inevitably arise to fill the shoes of the iPhone and take the place of face-to-face connection in our lives. 

Misplaced Blame:

You see, cell phones are nothing more than the modern form through which a timeless issue is expressing itself. They are the modern symptom of an ancient disease. Excessive cell phone consumption is NOT the cause of social dysfunction within society, but is rather the fruit of the root issue; people’s fear of vulnerability, intimacy, and connection. I hear so many people slamming cell phones and social media, yet I rarely hear anyone slamming the underlying problem. It's almost like we don't even recognize that it's there. To continuously attack smart phones and social media is simply blame misplaced. The truth is there have always been distractions which have stood between the individual and connection with others. People in the 1890s and beyond were just as enraptured with newspapers as people are today with smart phones. Any time-consuming entity can be a cause of social dysfunction when we allow it to stand in between ourselves and connection with others. We live in a society where adults go to work completely separated from their family for an average of eight hours per day. Yet we blame smart phones for the erosion of family connection and social interaction? The average adult will spend 13 years and 2 months of his/her life in the workplace, yet we blame our phones for taking time away from our families? As of 2017, the average American over 65 years of age spent approximately 4 hours and 20 minutes a day watching TV. Yet we say social media is getting in the way of genuine connection? My point is that smart phones are not the only area of life which can become a dominating force against connection in our lives. Why don’t we stop attacking one symptom of relational dysfunction and start promoting the cure to the timeless issue. Rather than sacrifice social media on the alter of sociability, why don’t we teach people the value of face-to-face, relational exchange and vulnerable social interaction. 



The Antidote to the Root Issue:

"That sounds great Seth, but how do we cure the disease instead of simply cover one symptom of it?" Firstly, we have to identify the root disease. The fact is, face-to-face interaction requires a certain degree of intentionality and vulnerability. Oftentimes, for whatever reason, people find it difficult to put that vulnerability and intentionality into practice. That is the core issue: people's unwillingness and discomfort regarding face-to-face, vulnerable interaction. We've forgotten the importance and joy of eye-contact and verbal communication, and, because of that, intentional conversation and quality time often take a back seat in our lives. The solution to having a life dominated by distractions is to promote the importance of relationship; not slam the distractions that keep us from it. If we wish to see growth in relational exchange, instead of slamming smartphones, let's promote the importance of face-to-face connection.

Coram Deo, Coram Populus.