Social media has evolved from a platform that fostered genuine connections to one primarily focused on retaining user attention. Initially, platforms like Facebook facilitated interactions between friends and family, reducing feelings of isolation and strengthening relationships. However, the current format emphasizes engagement through sensational content and passive consumption, detracting from the original intent of social networking. As a result, the overall experience of social media has shifted significantly, impacting how users interact with these platforms today.
Social media today is not designed to connect us. It's designed to hold our attention. And increasingly, it does so not through social interaction, but through titillation, outrage, and endless passive consumption.
The ease of connection was key to the growth and popularity of Facebook. It was easy to keep in touch with mates, and see what people you gave a shit about were up to.
That version of social media is gone. Not everywhere, and not for everyone, but enough that the overall experience, and the way the platforms are built, is now fundamentally different.
The magic of the early years was that social media was the internet's great connector, helping people feel less isolated, building new relationships, and strengthening old ones.
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