I'd say this is one of the best post I have seen since the beginning of the week. If I am to put my pence to this note. I'd say, social media is like a "swiss knife". It is sharp to a professional users, to a kid, it is very dangerous. This is how I see every innovation. It has so much potential to drive change. But what that change is depends on the user. Social media taught us so many things; from dopamine (likes, following ans validation), genuine connection that led to marriage, distraction - short attention span, critical thinking laziness, fake personas, etc. However, the most difficult change that social media taught us is it is threatening the foundation of freedom of expression, mass control through algorithm and ads and monopoly of narrative and information/data. Yes, a lot of people do not have boundaries; oversharing or vulnerability boundaries. But as a result of this technology, we are in a verge of being silence. Social media also highlight whether the people we put to power truly represent our vision of freedom or not. #foodforthought ❤️👌
As an analytical person and former psychologist, I’ve always been fascinated by studying human behavior—especially in the digital age. The idea of sharing one’s life online is an entirely new phenomenon, unique to this century.
While reading “Hatching Twitter” (though I’m not convinced we’re getting the real version of that story), one of the early chapters mentions that no one would feel comfortable sharing their life online. Today, that thought seems almost bizarre when you consider how nearly everyone is doing just that. However, I’m left questioning how beneficial this has been for humanity as a whole.
I find myself comparing this to the invention of electricity, which fills me with awe and a sense of advancement. But when it comes to the tech revolution and its effects on the human mind, I have my doubts. The original intention of social media was to make people feel more connected and less alone, but paradoxically, it feels like people are more isolated than ever before.
Last year, I took a significant step back from social media. I shut down my online business, deleted all social media apps from my phone, and nostr:npub1dtgg8yk3h23ldlm6jsy79tz723p4sun9mz62tqwxqe7c363szkzqm8up6m can vouch for this—each time he showed me something from one of those apps, I felt disgusted with what the world had become. During that time, I felt truly free, as if I had finally taken off a mask. However, I also noticed an odd side effect: I felt disconnected from the world. I wasn’t updated on what my friends were doing, and I missed that sense of social interaction, even if it was superficial.
One of the most intriguing aspects of social media is how followers, likes, and engagement seem to dictate people’s sense of worth and relationships. People can become genuinely offended if someone they know unfollows them, to the point where they may not want to maintain an in-person relationship anymore. It’s as if the virtual world is dictating real-life connections: “Oh, you unfollowed me? I guess we can’t be friends in real life.” It’s a strange, almost absurd shift in human interaction.
Another bizarre aspect of social media is the idea that people who don’t resonate with you—or even dislike you—can still follow your life closely. They can see what you think, feel, and do daily. Ex-lovers and people from your past are just one click away from finding out what you’re up to nowadays. This level of access to personal information still feels surreal to me. How much information we handle and share without second thoughts is, frankly, unsettling.
In the end, while social media has undoubtedly changed the way we connect, it raises the question: has it truly improved our lives, or are we more isolated, less authentic, and increasingly detached from genuine human connection?
#FoodForThought #AskNostr
Btw, GM Fam🌹
Discussion
I love your Swiss knife analogy—it’s spot on. Social media can be super powerful but also risky, depending on who's using it.
You’re right about the dopamine hits, short attention spans, and fake personas being issues, but the most dangerous part is how algorithms are controlling what we see and say. It’s like we’re being silenced without even realizing it. Oversharing is a problem too, and people forget how to set boundaries.
Social media definitely exposes whether our leaders align with the vision of freedom or not.
The sad part is, it will only get worse if we all allow this trajectory we are in. The great part is we are here on #nostr. It is a beginning to shift the direction of travel. I have seen and interacted with so many people on here working towards the same goal fighting for the same beliefs, "freedom". All we can do now is to continue to spread awareness and to try our utmost to lead by example. I am grateful to meet you on here. I hope to see more of you and your notes. 👌❤️