Being original is a matter of creativity and uniqueness, but also of courage. In our current existence, driven by social media, people tend to think the same, to develop similar communication patterns and to represent reality based on a virtual, viral model, as promoted on social media networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterrest, Instagram, among others.
As a social media user, I have access to diverse content that is being posted, published, shared, commented, liked, twitted, re-twitted or is being exposed to various other actions. As users, we contribute to the generation and dissemination of web related content and in the same time we are being exposed to such content. Having access to diversified information is a positive outcome of social media networking, but the formation of an online networking behavior also comes with the disadvantage of absorbing a global communication pattern, which hinders uniqueness and creativity.
The concern that Fr. Adolfo Nicolas expressed regarding the fostering of a “globalization of superficiality”, wherein individuals are discouraged to practice deep reflection and engagement with the reality because of the rapid absorption of the global networking trend is critical. The instantaneous global communication and social media instigate a copy-paste behavior, communication and reasoning pattern. Because they spend considerable time online, people tend to think and to act according to a “Facebook model”, sharing the web content into the real life, promoting popular and trendy online information for revealing their actuality and connectivity to globalization. However, they are expressing others’ ideas or reasoning structure, which, as Fr. Nicolas observes, hinders the process of going in depths of reality and recreating it.
Acquiring and fostering a global thinking, which is based on superficial values promoted through social media and instant communication is highly concerning for students. Preoccupied with re-sharing in the off-line reality the absorbed content of the online world, students will lack the exercise of developing a deep, critical and creative thinking. Learning how to think critical is the solution to overpass this condition of the copied global superficiality. Just as when exposed to a political message, students must learn to discern the dogmatic, propagandistic and manipulative strategies from the real information provided through the communicated message. While having access to the online media content and engaging in instant communication, students must remain loyal to finding the truth in everything they are exposed to. Instead of sharing, liking or appreciating social media content through other specific actions, students should carefully analyze it and decide whether they want to be exposed to such content or not. If they decide that a specific content does not reflect their interest or their personalities, there are specific actions that they can utilize for removing the unwanted content.
Another solution for students to practice serious reflection is to go offline more often. Nowadays it is challenging to spend even a single day without entering online and activating social media profiles. The greater the challenge, the highest the satisfactions of rediscovering the offline reality would be. Students could engage each other on serious, deep subjects, which require reflection and enables their creativity. However, social media and online communication can still be utilized for practicing serious reflection, if students learn to use them, not to let themselves be used and influenced by the virtual content that promotes a global superficiality.
As a candidate for the undergraduate Film and TV Production student role for Loyola Marymont, I am committed to respecting the Jesuit values, which include fostering a meaningful education, founded on profound reflection and serious thinking. I like to challenge myself to critically analyze the global values and compare them with my personal values, being selective with the social media content and attentive with how I utilize the instant communication. This atypical behavior enables me to think out of the box and to explore reality, recreating it in an original and courageous manner.
