Daniel Konicek Staff Writer

A common horror trope is the destruction of humanity and the corruption of self. Zombies, vampires, werewolves, mutants and other creatures prey on this fear; that is why they continue haunt to us. In this time of technology and social media, the fear of a generation of having a anti-social jerks twisted by the evils of Facebook and Twitter rises. While it is true technology may have negative effects in the short term, social media is not going to doom our world, and history will look back on it’s creation as a good step in our technological evolution.

Social media itself is not the danger, but rather how we use it. News feeds pushing tabloids, biased news, and inane chatter can cheapen the public discourse, but it is an individual’s choice to click on that link. There will always be attention-grabbing trash to read as long as there is an audience to read it. As for Twitter and Facebook, they did not invent the concepts of insecurity, cruelty, ignorance or pettiness. They have only allowed people to project negative messages more visibly.

If social media is used intelligently, the potential is vast. During the Arab Spring year of protests, social media allowed activists to organize and coordinate their actions in defiance of government efforts to silence them. The internet allows the misfits and minorities of the world to gather and organize. People who are trapped in communities that disapprove of their interests and lifestyles can actually find people like them who have found a way out.

The fear of technology itself is not new. When loose-leaf books began to be mass-produced, scholars said that the sudden rush of cheap, printable novels would destroy literature forever. Today, paperback books make classic and contemporary books more affordable for readers. The internet, while initially labeled as the death of the music industry through piracy, has not only failed to put popular artists out of business but allowed struggling musicians to reach new audiences. The human race has managed to survive the invention of the gun, biological warfare, and the continuous attempts of the greedy and cruel to seize control, social media is not going to be the final nail in the coffin.

With the new-found connectivity of social media and the internet, the world has the potential to become a more intelligent, compassionate, and effective place. The mere fact that one can meet and talk to people half a world away so easily is a huge step to overcoming the divisions between nations, and the visibility and accessibility can empower those who seek justice and truth. Social media is a powerful tool. It is up to each individual person on how they use it.