- Jayesh

At a certain point in most of our lives, a phone or a device of any kind was some sort of a soft privilege, it was a means of communication without being held back by the distance inbetween, a truly miraculous invention as well. What then proceeded was the eventual introduction of social media which allowed the population to slide into accepting digitality as a part of their natural life. Rather amusingly, almost as if the implications of accepting such a thing were lost on us, digital space had begun to grow in value. The comfort and efficiency that communication through technology brings cannot be passed up, however, allowing such a thing to carelessly become accessible to the whole world without first sharing the knowledge of what the consequences could be was something that would eventually bite us in the back.

This isn’t to say that digital communication isn’t helpful or hasn’t allowed for the progression of humanity, in most cases, it is a blessing. However, if we were to consider this digital space as we do with social spaces then wouldn’t the equation change? Digital norms would be harder to notice and bring to our awareness, which could explain the lack of research that looks into the subtle and nuanced manner that digital spaces impact us. 

A stimulus. It grows or has grown to take such a role, our attention spans have been reduced to that of a minute or less, content that is concise, and translates information well in a short moment is valued over content that may prioritize information and details. Nevertheless, some of the biggest arguments for such dangers is the fact that digital space, much like real social spaces, is perceived subjectively and has a unique impact on every person. However, the role of this medium is consistent for every person, therefore, it is safe to state that a certain number of effects are common within the majority of the users lives. 

In linguistic sciences, it is largely accepted that our language provides a sense of time and space, that is our linear understanding of time is a byproduct of our usage of english. In that case, it would be interesting to know if digitality has had any such impact, if so, on what exactly?

Would it be our method of communication? Would it be our attention span reducing? Or our perception being triggered only by certain stimuli? Nevertheless, considering all of this while using social media would make digital life more of a bane than a boon.

With the above information in mind, it would be pertinent to follow certain practices that allow for “optimum” or “safe” usage of social media. These include:

Reduce screen time: In a lot of instances, we scroll not for the sake of content enjoyment but it is purely for consumption. As in, we doom scroll without considering whether or not any of this content is being absorbed in a meaningful way. Moreover, in a wide majority of cases, posts are a channel for procrastination. Therefore, the one sure shot way to reduce and curb these possibilities would be to simply reduce the amount of time you may spend on social media. This doesn’t have to be a strict time limit but perhaps one that could allow for a certain level of functioning while also being able to maintain a healthy digital life.

Mindfulness: Perhaps the only thing that could allow for digitality to have a lesser defining impact on us would be to bring to our awareness the possibility of such a thing. While this may not negate the impacts, it could at least make it harder for us to fall prey to such a phenomenon. Moreover, being aware of a certain thing allows us more agency in making a decision against it.

Exercise Boundaries: Perhaps the most important step or action to inculcate would be to exercise our right to privacy and security. The perceived anonymity that digital spaces bring to us, makes us believe that our actions, thoughts, and feelings may not be traced back to us. Moreover, it is this trust that individuals abuse when they act in an unconventional manner, this could include unsolicited messages or photos being sent, cyber bullying, manipulation, scamming, etc.

Perhaps comparing our digital experience to diet planning would help understand the situation better. While we COULD fill our plate with sweets and other easily pleasurable but not healthy foods, we are aware of the dangers and opt for a holistic meal that includes everything. However, when it comes to digital media, we find ourselves constantly consuming “junk food” and not even questioning what it is that is on our plate. The rush and the temporary pleasure that reels or short clips provide us often gets misinterpreted as happiness or contentment, however, as we may be familiar, this feeling is short lived and only provides us with the illusion of giving happiness.

References

Boroditsky, L. (2011). How language shapes thought. Scientific American, 304(2), 62-65.

Campo, E. (2022). Attention and its crisis in digital society. Routledge.

Hussein, B. A. S. (2012). The sapir-whorf hypothesis today. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 2(3), 642-646.