Social media reminds me of the mirage that an individual comes across in the desert, something that looks beautiful and leads you on but then, eventually, turns out to be completely the opposite. The glamour and the picture-perfect moments captured for social media accounts are a farce because they create the impression of a perfect life for the world to admire and maybe, aspire to. Since social media has taken the world by storm, what we see emerging is an extremely shallow and narcissistic society. Within the last decade, there has been a massive shift in the cultural dynamic, and as a member of Gen-X; it becomes very challenging to come to terms with the transformation in our culture over the last decade or two since the influx of social media and the advent of smartphones.
As an educationist, the writer fully acknowledges and accepts the upsides of technology in shaping the educational landscape and being in touch with the current generation, does appreciate how brighter, smarter, and sharper they are, as a result of the exposure to smart devices from a very early age. However, it has also raised a generation that is spending all its time in front of smart devices and as a result; seeks instant gratification and perfection in everything which are both recipes for disaster. It also encourages comparison and envy, both of which translate into discontentment and a distressed and agitated state of mind. Artificial Intelligence has also wreaked havoc. With instant responses to questions, this will gradually kill the ambition, drive, and motivation of the current generation (the babies born in 2025 will signify the beginning of the beta generation) and handicap them mentally. The brain is a muscle that has to be used to be kept active and by making things too easy, we are in fact handicapping the current and coming generations.
Individuals will eventually stop to think or create and nothing will be original anymore. A feeling of ennui will settle in and already has with the current generations complaining very frequently of boredom and since everything is available at the click of a button now, that discourages and suppresses divergent and lateral thinking. Education, with the advent of AI (Artificial Intelligence), will drastically change and educationists will constantly have to devise new strategies and techniques to challenge the current and coming generations to keep them intellectually stimulated. For example, ChatGPT and Gemini are a few AI tools that students use to help with their class or homework assignments and assessments. With students becoming increasingly dependent on technology, virtual schools appear to be the future with limited social interaction. Educationists will be replaced by their brighter and sharper technological counterparts and the educational landscape will undergo a quantum shift. Although many argue that machines can never replace humans, especially in education, with the advent of generative AI, this seems like a distinct possibility.
Social media is a sugar-coated pill that lures and ensnares the victim but remember; the side effects might be far more than the user bargained for
How will social media evolve in the future? Will the pros outweigh the cons? Will the world in ten or twenty years, changing at the speed of lightning, no longer need human beings? Looking at the bright side, new occupations will emerge and the beta generation will probably be studying subjects or disciplines that their predecessors never imagined, could exist. As generations become brighter, emotional intelligence will take a backseat. Social skills will become non-existent as more and more people communicate via smart devices and work online to reduce costs and cut down on expenditures. Gen-Z, Gen-Alpha, and Gen-Beta will be far more comfortable with existing in their virtual worlds and conversing with screens rather than other individuals. For example, it is a common sight to see individuals in restaurants or clubs who appear to be more comfortable chatting with someone thousands of miles away on WhatsApp rather than the person sitting next to them at the table. As we become more and more socially isolated, the art of conversation is dying a slow death and the generation gap is widening. We are all becoming slaves of technology as it divides and conquers, under the pretense of uniting us.
Social isolation will translate into mental and psychological problems like depression and anxiety. The IQs (Intelligence Quotients) will rise exponentially as the EQs (Emotional Quotients) fall. As social interaction reduces, softer skills will also become harder to develop. Emotionally intelligent individuals will be sought after and be in high demand by potential employers because, for everything else, cutting-edge technology will be preferred, especially for boring, monotonous, and repetitive tasks, thus eliminating the possibility of human error. In fact, with Generative AI, increasingly complex tasks that require analytical and critical thinking skills will also be performed by computers and this is just the beginning!
As we step into an increasingly automated and mechanised world, let’s focus on its impact on relationships and the cultural implications. As already discussed, it has given birth to a shallower, more materialistic, and narcissistic society where everyone is desperate to capture their perfect ten seconds in the day for their social media accounts to possibly, make others envious and discontented with their lot in life. Like a mirage, it sounds and looks promising but from afar. The ugly side would rather be ignored or brushed under the carpet, thus promoting perfectionism and a distorted and twisted reality, eagerly lapped up by all the netizens, leaving them hungering for more.
Social media is a sugar-coated pill that lures and ensnares the victim but remember; the side effects might be far more than the user bargained for. It is turning us into bitter, cynical, and discontented individuals. There is a quantum societal shift as Gen-Z, in their quest for perfection and instant gratification, turn into disgruntled and depressed adults with serious psychological issues. As the only constant is change, all the writer, as a member of Gen-X can do, is sit back and watch as the drama unfolds, struggling to come to terms with this generation of wannabes constantly striving for perfection and drawing comparisons, thus robbing themselves of what little joy they have.