Trivial Social Media Conversations

Is social media, social or anti social. I wonder. The more I see of it and observe the users of social media the more I think that people who constantly use social media do so to avoid physical contact with humans.  When people post inconsequential notes in a habitual manner, it might be a defense mechanism acting to cover their lack of interaction off line.  They tell themselves that by posting such things they are in fact socializing. But they are often socializing only with themselves in doing so.

I don't know about you, but I don't want to take my time logging on to Face book and sifting through such posts as (these are real ones I just saw a few seconds ago in conjunction with my writing about this subject).

"Hot and stick today. Time to get myself some Gazpacho"
"Me eating Dim Sum at Dim Sum Suk"
"Chillin out loud" (A picture of two empty glasses is shown)
"Go Conchita. Rise like a Phoenix!" (Don't ask me to explain it. I have no idea.)
"Thank God it's Friday. LOL"
"For some reason I'm sitting here now listening to Billy Squier music"
"Hmmmm" ( That was it...just the "Hummm")

Had enough?  It is all mush we don't need or want to see and a wasteful use of time for both we and the posters. And remember, this is just a typical slice of social media life that I saw at one glance on an ordinary day. Do we speak to each other the same way when talking in person? Maybe. But we also say significant things when we are interacting face to face. As much as I think most cell phone chat is an abomination and waste of time, social media posts and twitters are probably even more vacuous than cell chat.

I suppose those kids of posts are attempts to garner attention from others. It's a "look at me" manifestation. But if people want to be noticed why would they not post more meaningful things that viewers would actually read and take interest in? The answer may be that social media posts are mostly trivial because the social mediums themselves are trivial. Perhaps they are living up to the low expectations of Face book and the others when they post garbage. It surely is easier to write or post pictures of such fluff  than to actually think and converse in a useful or interesting way.

The electronic evolution has freed the slug inside us and encouraged us to be less than we once were. Trivia is now mainstream conversation and the serious....well, you rarely find that on social mediums.