Social media is the new cigarette. It’s cool, it’s everywhere, and it’s something we can’t seem to quit — no matter how much we’d like to.
Roughly 7 out of 10 people admitted in a recent survey that they use at least one social media platform. YouTube and Facebook were the most popular sites and have been for the past five years, according to the Pew Research Center. Even a majority of Republican users, who tend to be warier of Big Tech given its antagonism toward conservatives, reported using Facebook and YouTube regularly.
There’s no question social media use has become an addiction. Respondents who do have online profiles reported visiting these sites at least once a day. Nearly half of all Facebook users interviewed said they visit the platform several times a day, and more than 60% of younger users said they check Snapchat and Instagram repeatedly on a daily basis.
These numbers have held steady over the past several years, which means one thing: Our dependence on social media has not wavered in the slightest. If anything, it’s gotten worse — especially among the younger generation.
It’s easy to understand why. Many of the institutions that the public once depended on for connection and interaction have deteriorated over the past decade: Church membership is at an all-time low, marriages fail almost as often as they succeed, and most people believe they have nothing in common with their neighbors. So, we’ve turned to the internet, which has become its own sort of community. Friends can connect on Facebook, follow each other’s whereabouts on Instagram, and catch a glimpse of a person’s day-to-day life — all from a computer screen.
This online distance obviously has consequences — we’ve all heard about them. But we always return to our online lives because it’s convenient. It’s much easier to send someone a message on Twitter than it is to call them on the phone, and it’s much simpler to check in on one’s friends via their Instagram stories than it is to visit them in-person.
But if the past year in isolation has taught anyone anything, it’s that community (actual, face-to-face, intentional community) is vital. We are social creatures, and social media simply doesn’t cut it.
