For this week’s media share, I decided to create a meme that reflected what I felt was a point being reiterated throughout both of the texts about the internet and addiction; which was that people who are “addicted” to the internet in one way or another usually start out as people just looking to stem the flow of boredom into their lives. Everyone’s just looking for a distraction and an outlet of experiencing life in a manner that doesn’t specifically require their input, rather all they need are hits, clicks, and shares. That’s reflected in what I made because we can conclude that there’s a definite domino effect when people see something interesting and engaging, they crave more content like that, and this attitude slowly snowballs into dependence on the technology and media of today’s world.
The ideas of reversing such addictions are all well and good, but from a practical standpoint, with the ongoing pandemic in mind, the norm is undeniably technologic. Almost nothing happens in recent years, and especially in today’s world where nothing happens without digital or electronic records existing. Due to the limited capacities of the outside world, we have found solace in the arms of the cold digital world. And although there is the idea of normalcy coming back when the pandemic is over with, you kind of get to thinking about the ramifications of such a long period of time spent on the screens. Will we ever find a way to combat addiction and bring more humanity into our lives again, or are we doomed to constantly be eluded and tantalized by the embrace of the Internet?
