Technology is killing our souls.

Okay, so the title was a bit ominous and extreme... but I have been thinking about this for a while now, as I sumbmitted a project on friendship in Psychology last year. It's interesting how Facebook and other social medias have allowed us to hold on to our pasts with everything we have. Like... how many people do you have on Facebook that you haven't seen or contacted in the past 5 years? Why are they on your Facebook in the first place?

Surely these networks should be for keeping in contact with people you see often. Keeping in contact with those best friends who slipped through the net and moved abroad. Or friends at Uni you met, who lived abroad to begin with. Or for those friends you don't have time to see often, due to work, family, or other commitments.

Instead, it's become a platform of stalking your old classmates who have had babies, got "fit" or married. The friends that put on weight, or lost it. The people who are volunteering in Africa, and then the ones who share political posts about Donald Trump. 

It's not necessarily a bad thing that social media is so advanced; how would we know these things otherwise? Human nature is often about being curious, and comparing your own life with other people's (trust me.. I'm a psychologist ;D). But do you really want that person to share your life experiences, if you haven't seen them for more than 5 years? They are doing exactly the same to you; they are sitting with their current friends saying "look at this person I went to school with... look what they've turned out like!".

If you are reading this, and you haven't seen me in more than 5 years, don't take this personally. I'm not saying I don't want you in my life in any way. Those people who were so special to me once; I love being able to see what you are up to, and share in the beauty that your life has become. And I am also glad that you can share in my life too! I mainly mean those people who you didn't really know in school. Or those who friendships that didn't end as well. Or people who you never really got on with in the first place...

I am just finding the whole concept of Facebook strange at the moment. We are using it as a way to promote products, share pointless memes and vines (albeit they are often very funny). Don't get me wrong; Facebook is an amazing tool. It's innovative, and modern and reaches out to a large population of people. It's genius really. I just sometimes wonder about peoples motives when they use it.

I just think back to those days where you would wait a week for a reply to a handwritten letter you'd sent, but how beautiful that was when it finally arrived. A tag in a Facebook status, a mention in a tweet, or even a private inbox is just not the same.

Just something to ponder... feel free to leave a comment if you disagree/ agree... I'm always interested to hear other people's opinions!