Diffusion Theory

Why did the idea of social media catch and spread so quickly? Simply put, we are nosy. Since the beginning of time, humans have always loved to be in everyone else's business all the time. Its just simple curiosity. So, the idea of being able to get attention from others and spread news quickly became incredibly appealing. Although, the idea of how fast your information can spread online can feel terrifying at first, leading some to be hesitant to hop on the social media train. 

Some may say if you are not on Twitter, Facebook, Tik Tok, and so on, you are living under a rock. However, Is it such a bad thing to be disconnected from the thing that's taken over everyones brains? Social Media is an incredible source for entertainment, communication, and a way of learning about the world. Although, its been proven to impact our attention span for the worst, and drastically effect our self esteem and mental health. There are many reasons people may stay clear of social media.

A main reason people may stay clear of social media is because they do not want people to know where they are, or what they are up too. If you are more reserved, the idea of posting your ideas, or meals, or photos of yourself for the world to see may just feel unnecessary or uncomfortable. Also, sometimes, the less you know about people the better. Social media tends to push peoples accounts to your feed if they know you used to be close at one point, hoping to reconnect you. Although this feature may have been created to keep you in touch, it can ruin your day to see images of your ex boyfriends engagement announcement. Not only that, but in the past, body image issues stemmed from comparing yourself to a select amount of models on tv or in magazines, now, those models are your own friends on your phone, everywhere you go! It is not unreasonable for someone to not want to partake in any of this, despite what everyone else may think. 

So, what are the negatives of not being involved in social media? Well, nowadays everything is posted on social media. From party invites to pregnancy announcements. If you are not on any of these sites, you may be left out from major life events from the people around you. It can be argued that you would know the important things from the people close to you, but you would be behind. This can cause a huge sense of feeling left out. I know personally, I did not have social media for many years, way later then alot of my friends. At school, I constantly felt left out of the latest new joke or gossip. Although some may not care, in many instances, it may be crucial to be involved on social media in order to relate to the people around you.