Portfolio > Writing and Editing > Blog Writing
Project Overview
For a graduate course in social media, I blogged weekly on a topic related to social media. I wrote the blog post below on the culture of instant information sharing and its implications for love and connection.
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Wordpress
Microsoft Word
Selfieless Love
How is constant self-documentation affecting our romantic relationships?
By: Kacy Ewing
Single millennials have lots of complaints about dating that are specific to our time in history. From the frustrations of the "non-date date", to the struggles of resisting social media stalking potential mates, dating in 2016 is a strange beast. While youthful shallowness in dating is nothing new, I wonder how all this constant content sharing and self-documentation is affecting our ability to love and interact. Because it is easier than ever to have access to other people (via text, Snapchat, Facebook, whatever), do we lose our sense of mystery or ability to be thoughtful and careful?
I can't help but think of my grandparents; When they were young, my grandma went on one date with my grandfather, and then he was drafted for the war. She didn't see him for a year. They wrote letters and sent pictures, dreaming of each other's faces and wishing they could see each other. Of course the distance made them long for each other, but I wonder, would they have developed such a close bond if she had been snapping him videos of her cat, and he had been sending her selfies every day? More connection doesn't necessarily mean quality connection.
We currently have access to more content at the touch of a button than we will be able to consume in a lifetime. We also create more content than any generation before us; in a matter of seconds we can create a photo or video and share it widely. We have the ability to maintain a certain amount of anonymity and distance in our communications since most of them take place in virtual spaces. As Lara Kahn points out in a recent blog post, if you break up with or hurt someone through a text message you don't have to see their tears or share in the sadness you've caused.
Will social media degrade our ability to love-actively, thoughtfully, whole-heartedly? Most likely not; love is a basic human tendency and need. Will it make us less satisfied with our loves, our partners, our lives, and less accountable for our actions? I think the answer is, for a while, yes. At some point social media will become so entrenched in our lives one of two things will happen:
A. We'll learn to understand that social media does not reflect reality and see it more as a form of entertainment like television, not an actual representation of our friend's lives.
Or
B. As self-sharing becomes more and more instantaneous, social media will portray a more realistic version of reality.
Either way, we would all do well to love a little more openly, not hide behind vague text messages or Facebook likes. If you like someone, look at their face and tell them. If you want to get to know someone, be nervous and sweet, ask them to dinner. I'm sure some great things happen without risk, but the best rewards require some daring.