By Antony Dilleen

Modern society is increasingly entwined with digitisation as we adapt the ways we carry out activities; made more efficient and effective with the benefit of technology and its devices. In the field of communication, undoubtedly the largest is social media. As we are all aware by now, this is a collection of websites, applications and other platforms that enable us to share or create content.

Of course, there are many benefits to social media – for many it is the spearhead to wider digital interactions. It’s a comfortable platform for people to communicate innocently and, to some extent, it’s reassuring, too. It’s also worth remembering the fun element, which can contribute to our overall productivity, with people messaging each other to form groups and creating close-knit communities. Write On! – a community that connects established and emerging writers – is a prime example of this.

The different forms of social media offer a way of communicating with each other. We can send messages by email, but if we share our thoughts within a network, the sum becomes greater than the parts, as we are bouncing off others, enhancing and building upon our initial intent. But as well as informally gathering information and building awareness about what’s happening in current affairs and in the local community, social media is a way of expressing ourselves.

Though there are increasingly strident calls for more control around what is being shared – as we’ve seen recently, its algorithms can drive polarisation and extremism by affording us echo chambers around our own opinions – I still think social media has important benefits. For example, more introverted people find it can open up a social life which wouldn’t be attainable otherwise.

By engaging on social media platforms, people can also gain digital skills which can be useful in today’s marketplace. That includes people from a mature demographic, who can keep in touch with their nearest and dearest in an immediate and satisfying way. It’s worth remembering also that families are more fragmented and do not have that social bind they had in the past. Social media offers the sense of connection people of all ages might have taken for granted as a physical reality in previous generations.

Of course, for us writers, new ideas, images and snippets of news and information can contribute to overall inspiration. I’ve found myself particularly drawn to emotive content and literary references; both of which have fed into my own life research and activities.

But do people actually benefit from social media? It’s a way of feeling part of a community or society, even though you’re not interacting with anyone face to face. In fact, some people, the Gen Z demographic in particular, become accustomed to this medium, not realising that, unlike the regular news and media outlets, the information isn’t fact–checked and so can be misleading. The outcome of this can be seen in the demonstrations we saw across the UK in August 2024. Perhaps they feel a false sense of security, meaning they’re more receptive and tolerant of this media.

Obviously, there’s a lot to be said for improving communication, access to information and organisation efficiency. But there are serious issues to examine here. Technology 4.0, as it’s called, has been a revolution and has had major effects on the way we work and socialise. Communication using social media is a relatively new innovation. The internet first arrived in 1994 and has been gradually expanding and becoming more useful. It’s therefore an invaluable medium with far-reaching benefits and undoubtedly has transformed the way people communicate and do business.

As an extension of the internet, channels and apps were introduced to aid communication further and the realm of social media began. These channels made many different forms of communication possible and were adopted as Gen Z’s preferred way to contact each other and access information. In fact, some people prefer it as a window to their lives and use this medium as a virtual capture of their lifestyle. This notion might seem alien to those of us from the previous generation; horrified that strangers might be scrutinising aspects of our lives and invading our privacy.

But is technology all that it’s cracked up to be? If used to excess, it can be unproductive, a waste of time and, in some instances, the endorphin hits gained by ‘likes’ on our own feeds can be addictive. The social media platforms offer a skewed reality. It’s therefore important to bear in mind these places are ‘virtual’ and should be approached with caution. With so many distractions on offer, children tend to be more singular; only joining in with their families at major social and religious events, if at all. Instead, surely it’s better to develop communication and other social skills by interacting with real people?

Communication is effectively through a screen and therefore not actually real but, despite this, social media tends nowadays to have credibility as being an acceptable means of communication. People feel they can talk openly and frankly. However, it should be remembered there are privacy issues and the very fact of ‘sharing’ communication means that it’s not just a two-way process, but potentially open to all and sundry who are eavesdropping, or perhaps online for more sinister purposes. Though privacy laws have been toughened up, people should be prudent and cautious on social media platforms. Remember whatever you say or reveal will leave a digital imprint!

Social media is often perceived as being somewhat frivolous. However, it – along with the rest of the digital world, if used selectively and appropriately, can reach beyond this into promoting the wider good. The older generation, for example (many of us enjoying Write On! as both readers and contributors), are less likely to be taken in by social media as a communication catch-all. After all, we’re the ones who have spent most of our lives communicating in the more traditional ways, in person, on the phone and so forth and might be able to detect when something is being overused or misused. However, a generation who has grown up as digital natives may not be able to make the distinction so easily.

So, to summarise these are the points we all need to consider in terms of exploring social media as friend or foe:

The first is that we should be limiting screen time in order to focus on real connections. The pandemic and its restrictions certainly pushed us into the digital world, but we need to reclaim the physical space in a more robust way.

Secondly, there are several issues which may go wrong and the possible consequences need to be understood. This is worth discussing in light of the acceptance of social media and the wider virtual world as an intrinsic part of our social interactions. The days are gone where television was the focal point of an evening’s entertainment. Gen Z and younger demographics hardly ever watch TV. Something we could not have imagined 20 years ago.

Of course, different social media platforms come and go. Twitter was pre–eminent, especially for us writers, but is now most definitely fading as X to be replaced by platforms such as Bluesky and Threads. Looking further back, MySpace and competitors to Google such as Lycos and Alta Vista have almost disappeared. But these platform changes by no means spell the end of social media as a key form of interaction. Instead, they point towards the fact that our world, which includes our digital one, is constantly in flux. In fact, it’s probable that new platforms will continue to emerge.

In my opinion, social media as an outlet is fairly superficial and should not be taken too seriously. It overdramatises what are essentially menial and trivial activities, playing to the creator’s sense of self-importance. Even we writers, who look to connect and find inspiration and advice, shouldn’t confuse public and private domains. If, like me, you remember an age long before social media was created, you’ll have a hankering to return to those easier times. Whether you think of the digital world as friend or foe, or a mixture of the two, one thing’s for sure – it’s here to stay and, like most things, if used wisely and in moderation, social media can be beneficial!

Here are a few groups (writing and other) you may find interesting:

The Advantages Of Age – facebook.com/advantagesofage

Fiction Writers Group – linkedin.com/groups/12178764

Poetic Lauraceae – linkedin.com/groups/13632742

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You can hear great new ideas, creative work and writing tips on Write On! Audio. Find us on all major podcast platforms, including Apple and Google Podcasts and Spotify. Type Pen to Print into your browser and look for our logo, or find us on Podcasters.Spotify.com.

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