When we (the authors) were young, as internet-based social media was starting to become commonly used, a popular sentiment we often heard was:
“The internet isn’t real life.”
This was used as a way to devalue time spent on social media sites, and to dismiss harms that occurred on them.
Versions of this phrase are still around, such as in this tweet from statistician Nate Silver:
In that tweet, Nate Silver seems to be saying that that conversations and views represented on Twitter are not representative of most people, and thus devaluing the conversations and views expressed on Twitter.
We’re curious to see where this sentiment is continuing, being rejected, and evolving.
2.1.3. Social Media and “Real Life”#
When we (the authors) were young, as internet-based social media was starting to become commonly used, a popular sentiment we often heard was:
This was used as a way to devalue time spent on social media sites, and to dismiss harms that occurred on them.
Versions of this phrase are still around, such as in this tweet from statistician Nate Silver:
In that tweet, Nate Silver seems to be saying that that conversations and views represented on Twitter are not representative of most people, and thus devaluing the conversations and views expressed on Twitter.
We’re curious to see where this sentiment is continuing, being rejected, and evolving.
Reflection questions#
How often do you hear phrases like “social media isn’t real life”?
How do you think about the relationship between social media and “real life”?