The Double-Edged Sword

It’s 2016, and technology has brought us closer to people than ever before. I’m in India right now, but I can stay in touch constantly with my friends and family in the U.S. like I’m just miles, instead of oceans, apart. We can text over Whatsapp, talk on the phone with Skype, share pictures and experiences on Facebook and Instagram, and send each other funny video updates on Snapchat. The world is growing smaller, and I can share my life with my friends with just a click of my phone. I don’t even have to flag down cabs and negotiate prices with drivers anymore; I can just order an Uber and sit comfortably in the back without exchanging a word.

It’s 2016, and technology is distancing us from people more than ever before. I am on my phone on the train, at work, and as soon as I get home. When conversations are awkward and stifled, I end them by peering intently at my phone. Instead of bonding with my family here, I scroll through newsfeeds of people thousands of miles away. I don’t even converse with my Uber driver anymore because we don’t have to; he knows where to go before he even meets me.

                Technology, like almost every other innovation we make, has two sides to it. It presents greater opportunity to stay connected and informed with everyone important in our lives no matter what the distance, but it can also take us away from the present moment, removed from the immediate people surrounding us and alter our relationships with them. One thing that’s clear, though, is that there’s no going back from where we started.

                Innovations in social media and technology have certainly changed my relationships with other people, but I think on the whole it has changed it for the better. I have Whatsapp groups with my family spanning from the U.S. to India, where we can stay connected and share important news in our lives. I can see what friends and family are up to on Facebook and Instagram, and reach out to them about our common experiences. I can share important political developments and how they affect me, and reach hundreds of my friends with a click of a button.

                I know sometimes I can be a little more removed and distant than I should be, caught up on my phone or Netflix on my computer, and sometimes fail to be present in the moment. I try to counteract this by pulling away when I am with family or friends, putting my devices on silent, and lightheartedly reminding friends and family to do the same.

                We have a whole new generation of kids growing up with iPhones, iPads, and laptops. They are whizzes already at harnessing the power of those devices, but they are also in danger of getting sucked in by their devices so that technology is their present. We must counteract that by putting our own phones down. When I am with my family at dinner, I don’t use my phone. There are sacred times and spaces that we must keep technology-free. In doing so, we can harness the power of technology without succumbing to its insidious effects.

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"But He Tweeted It"---The Pros and Cons of Using Social Media as a Primary Source

It all started with Wikipedia….Well, maybe not, but social media has brought about a revolution of sorts in how teenagers and people around the globe do a lot of things, including research. As celebrities, reporters, and everyday Americans turn to Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for major updates, fact-based reporting can get complicated.

On the one hand, it's all there. With just a click of a button, you can scroll through the Real Donald Trump’s twitter feed and read about whatever vitriolic rant he’s currently expounding on. You can follow Taylor Swift on Instagram to view her latest escapades and updates. You can friend the “glimpses of Gaza” on snapchat to get direct, live video feeds of the region. You can read blog posts and Wikipedia links on topics you’re interested in, or need more information on accessibly. You can use this information in your own research. However, relying on social media as a primary news source can be a slippery slope.

In India, the reputable Times of India newspaper just published a piece claiming that Bollywood and Hollywood star Priyanka Chopra may have tried to commit suicide years ago. Aside from the questionable newsworthiness of the piece itself, the other glaring question is: Who’s the source? Well, the “source” is Priyanka Chopra’s ex-manager, with whom she had a contentious relationship. Was it an interview? No; it was a series of tweets posed by her ex-manager, Prakash Jaju, commenting on her “vulnerability” and depression on his Twitter account. This is the limit.

Social media can be used as a starting point and a small reference for research. Certainly, if you are writing a piece on President Obama’s current initiatives, it is more than okay to refer to his official Twitter and Facebook accounts and report what he has to say there. Of course, going to the official White House webpage is an even better idea, but Twitter and Facebook are good places to get a pulse for things.

Sometimes when beginning new research on an idea or for a paper, I turn to any number of sources, including Wikipedia and blogs. These aren’t going to be my primary sources of information, but they offer me a starting ground to further develop my thought and get to great primary sources. I might not cite a Wikipedia article directly, but I may use the links it cites to find a book or a research article I can cite in my research. A blog post may offer a fresh perspective I hadn’t considered, even if I need to cross-reference the information provided.

For teenagers and other youngsters growing up in this brave new world of rapid technology evolution, we as a society need to educate them about both the power and the pitfalls of social media as a research source. On the one hand, social media allows a platform for famous and everyday people to post about themselves or issues they are well-versed in to an audience directly, unfiltered. On the other hand, it allows messages and information to get published directly, unfiltered. Social media is a great starting point from which to investigate an issue. However, it is not a finishing point. The goal should not be to stop our youngsters from turning to social media, but to harness its information with finesse and a critical, cross-referencing, eye.

ks1531@georgetown.edu