It doesn’t take much for something to go viral today. Take for instance the recent case of Harambe, the gorilla that was shot after a child fell into the exhibit. Of course, a story like that would make headlines, but the fact that it caused wars on social media is on a new level.
That’s all it takes, though. One story to break on Facebook and suddenly the entire world is up in arms. Everyone becomes an Animal Rights Activist and begins scolding parents for how they should watch their children. Personal feelings aside, no one has a right to judge what happened that day unless you were present when it happened.
With all of these occurrences from the election to ISIS and tragic animal violence, it’s crucial to stay in the know of what’s going on. So what’s the issue? The not so important stuff Millennials are letting themselves get swept away in.
It seems as if our twenty and thirty-year-olds are willing to jump on any bandwagon that rides across their news feed. Kim Kardashian does something stupid (shocker), and instead of ignoring it, people let it consume a minimum of 5 minutes of their lives because they need to know more about this insignificant event. Beyonce was cheated on by Jay-Z? Millennials become fixated with what the true meaning behind her album is.
Why is it that they care so much about these things when they hold no bearings on their lives whatsoever?!
Because social media has forced fed bullsh*t and lies down the throats of Millennials. Facebook, which started off as something to keep in contact with college classmates over, has gone from a social connecting platform to a social bashing platform. If someone posts an insult, another person must then stop and post a rebuttal, followed by another insult, followed by another rebuttal and the pattern continues.
There is no outside world anymore. A Tragedy transpires, and the first thing that happens is a trending hashtag in the cyber world. If you don’t post a picture and the hashtag that goes with the tragic event, it apparently means you don’t care. Social media has made it impossible to empathic without proving your empathy.
With the recent violence that has surfaced, people have taken to Facebook to learn more. They start up groups proclaiming vengeance will be had. Even if someone is not completely consumed with social media, they will log on to see what all the fuss is about. That’s all you need to do today to start a revolt.
It’s not just bad either. The web has gotten smart with posting stories of heroic accomplishments and cats falling off sh*t. Who wouldn’t want to watch a hero come home or a puppy be saved from the streets nearing death?
The truth is, Millennials are consumed with social media because social media has replaced the word of mouth. Instead of parents calling the family to tell them about their child’s successes or meeting for coffee to see how life has been, it’s all just posted and uploaded. Everything that needs to be known is on Facebook, so why wouldn’t a Millennial feed off of the site like a dying leech?
If Facebook stated tomorrow that women with blonde hair were going to be charged more to get into clubs than women who were brunette, it would cause a war in a matter of 3 minutes. One hashtag and a few shares is all it takes for the world to get reality twisted, and that’s over a stupid topic.
It wouldn’t matter if everyone starting logging off and speaking to one another again. There is an entire generation who has adapted this way of life. The real news is dying, human interaction is in the grave next to it and Facebook is digging the hole.
So what are Millennials Feeding off of everything social media says? Well, do you ever turn down free food?
