“Social” has come to mean the exact opposite of what it’s meant for centuries. Instead of actual interaction and communication, we define “social” as once- or twice-removed ego validation through button-clicking.
“Social” is what happens when someone posts personal information—photos, thoughts, announcements, favorite songs, jokes—on the internet and another person comes along and clicks a thumbs up icon or a star or a heart. If someone’s really “social,” they’ll even type a comment or reply.
Kids aren’t leaving social networks. They’re redefining the word “social.” Rather, they’re actually using the word with the intent of its original meaning: making contact with other human beings. Communicating. Back-and-forth, fairly immediate dialogue. Most of it digitally. But most of it with the intent of a conversation where two or more people are exchanging information and emotion. Not posting it. Exchanging it.
That’s “social.”
See also my take on this study back in April:
The latest in “teens ditching Facebook” research
Plus:
Are disposable media platforms like Snapchat and Poke the future of social media?
The New Yorker: Delete This When You’re Done
GREG SWAN 