Let’s Talk About Consumption

Lets talk about consumption of social media. We all check it; as soon as we wake up, on our commute, at work or in class, and a couple of us even sneak a peak whilst driving. This makes the consumption of social media sound a little bit like an addiction of sorts, right?

Wrong. Social media is dependent on user-generated content, and as such, is only as strong as its users; without anyone to post, comment, ‘like’ or subscribe, social media simply ceases to exist. There’s also another side to social media that is often bypassed by its critics (let’s face it – that’s basically our parents and Gen Xers in the media), and I believe that this is the true benefit of social media.

We all use social media as a tool, whether this be to keep up with the latest trends, world news, to follow our sporting heroes, online shop, and, yes, we’ve probably all given each other a good Facebook stalk by now; the list of reasons goes on and on. However, they do all have one thing in common. Each reason fits under the same category, and that is education. Through social media, each time we post, react or engage with a post in any way, we learn from it.

Learning is such a vital part of our lives. It is almost a ritual for all of us – we transition through kindergarten through to primary and secondary school, and then we take our own paths from there; every day, still learning knew things and trying to become the best we can be. How we consume that knowledge is just another evolution that is in front of us. When we create knowledge for one another, the easiest way to share it is online through social media, and as such, it’s consumption has become an intricate part of our day to day lives.

Social media does have its downfalls, but when utilised correctly, “it” can be the single largest form of education imaginable, and the best part, “it” is powered by us, for us. “It” isn’t some textbook written by some old guy that doesn’t relate to us, “it” isn’t forced on us. We have to seek “it” out. We have to consume “it”. We have to figure out what “it” is, and “it” is generally what we find the most value in.

We consume social media to learn, to engage, and most importantly, to develop a social connection with others. So can you really call something that we ourselves create an addiction? Or perhaps we are just conditioned to see the darker side of the tools at the hands of a newer generation? Or perhaps, could it be both?