Published on 12, July, 2020
Discussion topic for today - Social Media. I would be interested to hear people's thoughts on this. I believe social media has destroyed the fabric of civilisation. We have lost the ability to "agree to disagree" and to tolerate opinions and beliefs contrary to our own, screeching names and insults at anyone who disagrees with us and calling for them to be cancelled.
We have become extraordinarily self obsessed and narcissistic, endlessly taking photos of ourselves and posting our every thought to the world. Most of all though I believe we have become incredibly unhappy and unable to experience real life. Most people I see are far more interested in filming and posting their lives to curate a perfect online profile of themselves than in actually living those wonderful moments that make life worth while. For instance, if you see a beautiful sunset is your first instinct to stand there and contemplate its wonder or to post a picture of it online? There's lots more that could be said on this discussion, especially the effect on young people.
Would be interested to hear everyone's opinions
Billy87 said:I believe social media has destroyed the fabric of civilisation
I disagree. It is people who have done this.
Without the tools of social media then we would have found a different way to do it in todays hyperconnected world.
Society has a tendency to peak, corrupt and destroy itself at different times in its history. It is hard to say when exactly it peaked - I would think maybe the 60s but it would be hard to pinpoint exactly where and how it is defined.
Once we have loads of time on our hands then the end is in sight - we slowly decay, corrupt and ultimately destroy ourselves as a society.
That would be my theory - I'll see what examples I can find of this happening through history if I have the time.
Iain said:Society has a tendency to peak, corrupt and destroy itself at different times in its history. It is hard to say when exactly it peaked - I would think maybe the 60s but it would be hard to pinpoint exactly where and how it is defined.
Interesting question. I would say it probably peaked in the 1990's. We had a period of reletive piece and security in most of the world, unmatched in any of the rest of the 20th century. People seemed to want to enjoy life and be light hearted. We had eridicated a lot of the more extreme prejudice and bigotry of earlier decades but had not yet replaced it with the stifling identity politics and censorship of today and there was an explosion of art and culture across the country. I would quite happily live in the 90s today.
As for social media, I agree that humans would always find a way to destroy our own societies but I think social media has given us the tools to do that in an unprecidented way, creating a virtual echo chamber of our own ideas and self importance that we carry round with us in our pockets all day, whilst at the same time creating complete anxiety and insecurity, seeking to project and curate an image of ourselves rather than live and experience the ups and downs of this beautiful life
IrishInManchesterUK said: looking at the state of the world in the decades since, our grandparents warnings and predictions have been vindicated
Well I think a balanced view helps here.
Since the sixties there have been a lot of societal evolutions that would not align with the war generations values:
1 - Homosexuality would remain illegal (legalised in 1967)
2 - The church would still have a rigid hold over the population, denying many freedoms we take for granted now.
3 - The police force and state would be beyond censor so many of the abuses of power that we see get taken to task from a corrupt police force or dodgey politician wound never happen.
4 - Freedom of expression would be restricted to meet societal norms, meaning many people would have to confirm to ways of living they detest.
5 - relevant for us - autists would probably be considered defective and sent to asylums "for our own good".
etc
I'm quite glad we live in times where we are capable of free expression, acceptance and accountability.
Most gay pride parades are like that now too
The 60’s was when the corruption started where our grandparents generation strongly advocated for a return to traditional moral and social values and they were the first to spot the corruption, which our parents were too blinded and brainwashed to the reality - decades after their passing in the 80’s, looking at the state of the world in the decades since, our grandparents warnings and predictions have been vindicated, which we gradually began to realise as our parents entered their own old age before their own passing and especially during Covid, this was brought into sharp focus
From the 60’s - to the 90’s we, especially our parents generation, became complacent and we dropped our moral vigilance, allowing forces of corruption to corrupt and pollute our society in the background - had we taken the guidance, warnings and predictions of our grandparents generation seriously, taken proper heed of and fully implemented these, we would not be in our current situation today - perhaps 9/11 and Covid among many other things would never have happened in our times
Iain said:Imaging having something like Woodstock festival today - it would be run by greedy corporations with rubbish sanitation, £20 burgers and £5 cans of soft drink. Not to mention it would cost £400 for a ticket...
Indeed, you only have to look at what Glastonbury has become to see that.
Billy87 said:I would say it probably peaked in the 1990's.
I witnessed loads of corruption and greed permeating society through the 80s from the Yuppies to the Thatcher years and the selfishness of the individual becoming ever more prevelant.
The 70s were a difficult time of tremendous social strife so I don't think this would be a peak.
The 60s seemed to be a much more open and accepting era, far enough from the war for the pains to be ever present and in a time when social freedoms were being experienced.
Imaging having something like Woodstock festival today - it would be run by greedy corporations with rubbish sanitation, £20 burgers and £5 cans of soft drink. Not to mention it would cost £400 for a ticket...