Social Studies

“Social bounce” is a new term that describes what happens when social media users fail to engage in the way their online hosts would like them to. Reducing bounce rate is the big challenge for my web developer colleagues, but until the problem of social bounce goes away — which I don’t foresee happening — I advise my clients to invest in their own websites instead of throwing their money into social media, which provides a lot of static background noise but very little turnover.

The more research I do, the more astounded I am at the way intelligent people blindly embrace every new online platform that comes out, without even waiting until the effects of the new technology are studied and the benefits and drawbacks analyzed. When Instagram first released its Android version, in 2012, the app was downloaded more than a million times in 24 hours.

Everyone claims to need social media for their work, but I have yet to meet one person who can prove that his parnassah improved because of Facebook or Twitter. The upsides of social media are all speculation, while the dangers are already well-documented; just google “social media and suicide” or “Facebook and depression.”

Back when people warned me of the depravity in the field of creative technology, I thought they were referring to the schmutz of the Internet and the problematic lifestyles of the greater Silicon Valley community. Today, I understand that the worst depravity of the industry lies in the creation of platforms designed to cultivate addiction and act as a virtual substitute for meaningful human relationships.