UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES
You might disregard these concerns as overly reactionary, but some of the biggest names in the industry now express regrets over where they have taken us. It has happened so rapidly, and if there is one axiom that it would do us well to consider, it is the law of unintended consequences. While some of these social media entrepreneurs continue raking in money, others express grave concerns over the monsters they personally helped create. Their concerns are for children and society in general.
Perhaps it is time to take stock and ask yourself: What is social media and all its related technologies doing to me and to my family? The road is beautiful, but where is it taking me?
In a recent RT article titled, “Phone addiction can mess up brain chemistry, study finds” we are told, “Scientists at Korea University found that teenagers who obsessively used their mobile devices scored higher on standardized tests that detect mental disorders. The test measured how much internet and smartphone use affected daily routines, social life, productivity, sleeping patterns and feelings.” The same source reported the following: “A recent study found 46 percent of Americans [say] they could not live without their smartphone, according to a Pew Research Center study. Scientists are increasingly looking at disruptions in the glutamate/Gaba-glutamine cycle because of a variety of neurological disorders and conditions such as epilepsy, Alzheimer’s and autism” (RT.com, December 14, 2017).
It is obviously hyperbole to suggest “they could not live without their smartphone,” but it demonstrates the addictive nature of these devices and their importance in the lives of too many, and “addictive nature” is no exaggeration. Some “tech execs” and social media founders now admit this. Significant Silicon Valley players are sounding alarm bells. Sean Parker is not as much a household name as Mark Zuckerberg, but his influence is felt by every Facebook user.