Local Social Media is the Answer
so·cial me·di·a
/ˌsōSHəl ˈmēdēə/
noun
- websites and applications that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking. — Oxford Languages
Introduction
Since the beginning of the Internet, people have used computers not just to calculate but more importantly to communicate. Without it, so many forms of human interaction would be impossible. It only took a few years before we could carry it around in our pockets and hold it in our hands. History shows that we gravitate toward frictionless, innovative ways to connect and improve our social lives. But at what cost? Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter are free to download, so what does it really cost us? Why are we so quick to accept these innovations as positive forces in our lives? Could it be that we are driven by the idea that there is something more, some better way? MySpace and Facebook took the world by storm, and years later after the latter captured most of our attention, we are finally looking back and asking; Is “social media” a movement in the wrong direction? Is social media to blame? Is there something better? Is there something more?
Therr is.
Social media and all that the blanket term refers to has remained stagnant for years now. We even call out the discrepancies in what we are offered by big tech and what we actually get, yet we DO NOT STOP participating. We are willing to forego the deficiencies and detriment to our own communities for the sake of human connection. We crave attention. We crave feedback. We need direction and validation. We need it. It’s time to innovate again so that social media can foster that which we need from our local communities. And, it’s time for local communities to have an influence on the algorithms that define value in our everyday social lives online. You should be rewarded for the value you bring to a community.
…to be continued…