Rapid Consumption and Social Media

Let’s have a chat about the rapid consumption brought by social media today.

What social media brings

Most of us have a social media account, or at the very least, someone close to us has shown us a post, picture, or video. But is this social media really social?

Sometimes I wonder; humans are social beings. Could the “social” in social media stem from this? The concept of sociality is actually this:

In my opinion, being social is something that happens in real life. Because “social” media seems to be doing nothing but distancing us from true sociality.

Don’t worry, I’m not an old-fashioned person. Although social media addiction is a separate topic, people need to start viewing these platforms as something apart from real-life social interaction.

Artificiality

In a social environment, people engage with each other. Although people you interact with face-to-face can also be artificial, social media is an artificial environment in and of itself.

Most users only share their happy moments, what they wear, what they eat, their friends, or the places they visit. Sometimes, meeting up with friends is even just an excuse to post something on social media.

Instead of living in the moment, we take photos or videos. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing; moments should always be memorable, and it’s perfectly natural to capture them in the age of technology. However, sharing every single moment on social media can sometimes mean missing the moment itself.

Of course, sharing the good moments we experience or gatherings with friends can be enjoyable. No one is saying “don’t share anything” or “don’t look at others’ posts, delete social media apps.” But sometimes, living in the moment is more important.

Taking photos or videos has become an inevitable way to ensure moments are accessible later. I do this too, and it’s something that should be done.

However, I can’t help but wonder: are we sometimes forgetting to live in the moment because we’re so focused on capturing it?

Rapid consumption

This topic of rapid consumption has been around for some time, but it has increased as the volume of content has grown. By rapid consumption, I mean the endless scrolling we do due to social media, especially Instagram Reels and TikTok. These short videos, often recommended by algorithms tailored for you, bring constant streams of new trends, videos, and people. We scroll past them, sometimes share them with friends, save them to watch later—but often, never return to them.

These kinds of content introduce us to new people, songs, trends, thought patterns, and even change our attention span (sometimes increasing, but mostly decreasing it).

Sometimes it’s humor, sometimes it’s just plain trends… Social media has all kinds of things.

But when we look at it, our attention spans have shortened so much—I’m guilty of this too—that reading can feel burdensome. Never mind reading, even watching a long YouTube video can feel tiresome.

Distractibility, shorter attention spans, quick boredom… While these can’t be entirely blamed on social media, its role in these trends cannot be ignored.

The idea of “proper use of social media” is not entirely realistic. If you suggest it, someone might respond with, “What’s proper, and according to whom?” But at the very least, reducing usage time and taking personal measures to avoid being negatively impacted by the content are things that can be done.

Conclusion

In conclusion, social media can affect us both positively and negatively. Its influence is undeniable. The prevalence of shorter attention spans and being mentally and emotionally affected by what we consume are common outcomes.

Some people spend their entire lives here. They communicate with others through these platforms, follow strangers, and meet new people. Of course, meeting people online isn’t always bad. I’m not saying that. But from what I observe, people seem to have lost control, caught up in the frenzy of social media.

While there’s much to be done, there doesn’t seem to be much of a solution other than people taking personal measures. Individuals need to see how their social media activities are affecting them, consider whether they’re troubled by it, and think about whether they’ll regret it in the future.

We should always avoid regrets. Specifically, when it comes to the time we dedicate to social media, we should think about whether we’ll later say “I wish I hadn’t.”

I can’t tell anyone what they’re doing is beneficial or harmful unless they ask for my opinion, but I’m just sharing a general thought here. If someone is content with their situation, there’s not much to do. However, I can’t say “danger is coming”—danger is already here, and it seems like it will continue.

Every day, we see many people spending most of their time on social media. I can’t say, “They should do something useful instead,” because what’s useful to one person may not be to another.

In today’s world, it’s nearly impossible not to engage with social media at all. But it’s important that this usage remains within one’s control and that we understand why we’re using it.

In short, using social media to keep in touch with friends when you can’t meet, to consume content in your field, or sometimes just to have fun can be a good thing. However, if your life has become all about social media, this could mean you’re drifting away from true social interaction and getting swept up in media madness.

In general, it’s better to be occupied with other things. My humble advice is for people to find ways to be more social in the real world.