What should not be normal is now the new normal

 

 

I think 99 percent of people visit social media to see how badly other people are doing. By doing this, they get to feel a little better about their own shortcomings.

Stalking
Interestingly, Gen Z reveals very little about themselves online, yet ex-lovers, ex-spouses, former bosses, and former employees use social media extensively just to keep tabs on someone else. This can easily tip into harmful, obsessive behavior. Imagine if we stalked people like this in real life, most of us would end up in jail.

Sharing Unnecessary Intimate Moments
I speak from experience here. Sometimes I wish I hadn't followed certain people, simply because I don't want to see them in silly swimsuits or fancy-dress costumes. It's even more grating when people post pictures of their kids in staged, "cute" situations that nobody asked to see. Ironically, with the level of unemployment in the country, even these throwaway moments rack up lakhs of views.

Mediocrity Is the New Excellence
Terrible dance moves, fail reels, bloopers, and somehow they pull in massive attention. Everyone now believes they're a great actor, dancer, singer, or performer, while genuinely talented artists who've spent years perfecting their craft get a fraction of the views. Social media has quietly rewritten the rule: you'll get more attention than you deserve, regardless of skill.

Desensitization Is the New Normal
There was a time when people helped first and asked questions later. Now, the instinct is to film first.

In an accident, we record before we help. If someone is being bullied, we film instead of stepping in. If we witness a calamity, we capture it on camera before calling for help.

Decades ago, sensational content rarely made it into newspapers or the news. Today, everyone has a camera, but far fewer people have the judgment to know what's worth sharing — and how much. Social media has made "film first, help later" feel normal.

The cost of all this is a culture that rewards voyeurism over connection, noise over skill, and spectacle over compassion. The question worth asking isn't whether social media is good or bad — it's what kind of people we're becoming because of how we use it.