Anti Social Media

I. Do we really need to socialize as much as we do?

I feel bombarded by so many offers to go unlimited in texting, calling, and surfing the net. It's great that competition in the industry is strong enough to drive all players into offering better and better promos to consumers.

But, really, do we need to be connected this much? Do I need a limitless amount of SMS in a day to connect with my family and friends? Do I need to keep posting photos of what I had for lunch, or broadcast to the world which milk tea place I go to? How many minutes should I spend on the phone in a day?

II. Face-Hooked?

Facebook has grown from a social networking site to a connectivity platform of its own. With the dynamics of the website ever changing and "ever improving", we have to rethink it as more than a website... it's an enabler of media and communications consumption.

Everything we consume digitally can be found on Facebook: news, videos, photographs of long lost uncles hanging out with his friends from high school, socialist rant from the girl who works at the next table, the engagement announcement of the gay couple you buy ice cream cakes from.

The thing is, the easier we have access to Facebook, the more it drives face-to-face human interaction obsolete.

I hate the fact that I no longer have anything to talk about with some of my friends because we're always on Facebook. At the same time, I hate the fact that I know too much about my friends than I care to. I hate it how I no longer spend hours on the phone with my friend who is also a Doctor Who fan because we've already talked about the most recent episode of Doctor Who on his timeline. I didn't bother to call my friend to greet her on her birthday, because I already posted a photo of a cat wearing a birthday hat on her wall.

We need to disconnect to find ourselves whole. We need to step away from the computer, and spend more time under the sun. Disconnect, and instead, engage.

Engage in experiences together. Learn how to selfishly keep memories to yourself. Make moments more memorable, by not sharing them with strangers. Keep things to yourself, because they mean so much more than a trending topic.

They are our lives, dammit.