Was Life Better Before Social Media?
Social media has become a ubiquitous part of modern life, but it wasn’t always this way. In fact, life was very different prior to the emergence of platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Here are just a few ways life was different before social media:
Socializing was more face-to-face. Prior to social media, and especially its integration into smartphones, people spent a lot more time talking in person. They would meet up with friends and family and engage in activities that brought people together, like playing cards at home, going out to dinner with friends, or even throwing a neighborhood party. Without the ability to connect online, people were more likely to make an effort to see each other in person, which led to stronger, much more meaningful connections.
News consumption was also much different before the likes of Twitter. People relied on more traditional news sources like newspapers, radio, and basic network TV to stay informed about current events. They weren’t able to easily access news from around the world instantly through social media feeds. This meant that people had a more localized and curated understanding of what was happening, as they were exposed to stories that were relevant to their immediate community. They also had to wait until the next day’s newspaper or even the next news broadcast to get the latest updates on breaking news. This meant that people had much more time to process and reflect on what was happening before forming their own opinions, which usually led to more thoughtful conversations and debates.
Communication was also slower, and we kind of liked it that way. Prior to checking social media apps every other second, people communicated by writing letters to each other, making phone calls, and having face-to-face conversations. You couldn’t simply send a text message or post a status update and expect an immediate response. Instead, we had patience and waited for a reply, which made conversational interactions more intentional and deliberate.
Social media research was isolated to just a few places like the library. Before the internet, people had to physically go to libraries to do research for school or work. They had to search through books, journals, and other printed materials to find what they needed. This meant that research was a more time-consuming process, but it also meant that people had to be more thorough and selective in the sources they used. For many people today, research has been replaced with whatever shows up in our Facebook news feed.
Entertainment as we know it today was much more limited, which meant we had a lot more free time. Prior to social media, people actually watched programmed TV or went to the movies to catch the newest blockbusters. There were fewer options for entertainment, which meant that people weren’t filling their free time by taking selfies, refreshing Instagram, and posting about their latest vacation. This meant that people had more shared cultural experiences, as we were all watching the same shows when they aired or seeing the popular movies of the day and then discussing them the next day with friends and co-workers.
Sharing photos was such a different experience prior to social networks. Photos were shared in physical photo albums or by projector slideshows in their living rooms. We had to be very selective in the photos we took, then we had to develop the film, maybe even order duplicate copies, and then store them in a book that could be shared when company came over. This made sharing photos more of an event, as people would often gather together to see the photos that were taken on the latest family vacation.
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