Once upon a time, people communicated on things called “land
line telephones.” For the recent
generation that grew up with smart/cell phones the size of a deck of cards,
that’s probably hard to imagine. These old-fashioned phones needed to be
plugged into a special wall outlet which in turn connected to long snakes of
“phone lines” either below or above ground. If a phone wasn’t plugged in, you
couldn’t get or receive calls. (Believe
it or not, we still have a “land line” in our house!)
So what’s wrong with this picture of two “old” phones?
They’re not plugged in. (See the plug-in at the bottom of the photo.) They can’t send
or receive signals.
Thanks to wireless technology, we have new opportunities in
communication. With it have come new problems, like Facebook’s recent admission that its users’ personal information had been
hacked. Those private accounts aren’t
really so private any more.
I am not on Facebook, although as a proud grandma (with photos in purse) I certainly would be a good
candidate. I
know many who use Facebook in healthy ways.
But I also have been a victim of cyberbullying (the accusations were false), and such abuse makes me very careful about any media platform.
I've long been concerned about negative
effects of social media, so I wasn’t surprised when I read this report:
“While social media is still too new to gauge its long-term
effects on human psychology, a handful of studies seem to confirm conventional
wisdom to the effect that social media—including online gaming—can have
addictive qualities that are harmful to vulnerable people who over-use the new
technologies.” The researcher also observed that “teens who log into Facebook
more than average are also more likely to be ‘self-absorbed,’ ‘narcissistic,’
belligerent, paranoid, and—ironically enough—antisocial.” In addition, the
author concluded, “I believe excessive social media use is closely related to
the sense of incompleteness and insecurity which bedevils many teens (not to
mention a good number of adults): like alcohol, tobacco, drugs and sex, it
serves to occupy a restless, wandering, attention-seeking personality, which
believes itself totally unable to find peace and tranquility on its own terms.”
(1)
Another study said that “these constant forums for
self-expression could be baiting, even feeding, the symptoms of personality
disorders, such as narcissistic personality disorder and borderline personality
disorder.” It’s not surprising, given
that both mental health issues seem to crave an audience for sharing every
detail of their lives, whether good or bad. (2)
Mental health professionals refer to “emotional
intelligence” as a gauge of mental healthiness. Its components include
“self-awareness, personal motivation, empathy, and the ability to love and be
loved by friends, partners, and family members.” (3) Authentic face-to-face interaction is
involved in building those aspects of personality. In other words, people are connected, like those old-fashioned
phones.
I’ve been reading through Proverbs in different translations
lately, and am struck by how its timeless sayings can apply even to the pros
and cons of modern communication devices, like social media. On the plus side (those who use it for good):
He who refreshes
others will himself be refreshed (Proverbs 11:25)
But on the other hand:
Do you see a man who
speaks in haste? There is more hope for a fool than for him. (Proverbs
29:20)
People-smart and people-sensitive connections do matter, modern technology or not.
(3) Randi Kreger, Essential
Family Guide to Borderline Personality Disorder (Hazelden, 2008), p. 54
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