I am Important

I think that social media sites are bad for America. I think that it empowers people in the wrong way. Facebook, MySpace and LinkedIn are sites created to bring people together and make one feel that their voice could be heard. Democracy and America is all about everyone having a voice and participating in the social discourse, and that is all well and good. But, what I believe social media sites have done is taken this "empowerment" to such a degree that individuals, young and old, feel as though what they have to say matters. I know this is a hard concept to understand and as I write this post I find myself cringing when I write that what someone has to say doesnt matter but let me explain further. People now tweet what they are eating for breakfast or where they buy their socks. The post on facebook every time they switch their laundry over from the washer to the dryer. The constant feedback that these people feel the need to give on their lives is selfish. Facebook and twitter and social media empower people to such a degree that they now feel that anything and everything they do matters to others. "I am going to post what I had for lunch." If someone tweets their lunch menu what are they really trying to accomplish? Is it merely a harmless suggestion to their other potentially hungry friends as to where to grab a bite to eat? Or is it an unconscious selfish act. I think facebook while it is meant to connect us has actually made us a collective group of individuals more concerned with what we are doing and what we have to say than ever before. Plus, the sheer number of posts and tweets and blogs in todays society drowns out the ones that actually have something meaningful and important to say. It is a hard concept to grasp (much less explain) but it is something I truly believe and have felt for years now.