Online, we can instantly connect with others we may not normally interact with. This can be because of opposing views, locations, and lifestyles. Social media is able to mesh together cultures and people from all over the world. In Konnikova’s article, she talks about how the limitless connection online is damaging to society. It limits the amount of face-to-face contact we have with others and diminishes the meaning of shared experience. With the rise of social media, we are slowly destroying the concept of personal connection. She contradicts herself in her article by stating, “Our real-world friends tend to know the same people that we do, but, in the online world, we can expand our networks strategically, leading to better business outcomes” (Konnikova 5). She believes that because of the internet, we are able to expand our own platforms to others. Konnikova contradicts her own view of social media by stating how it can expand our platforms of people and lead to good outcomes. Phelps-Roper is a sterling example of this. She was originally given her platform for the expansion of Westboro, but came out with an expansion of herself. She strategically connected with others to spread the words of the church, and through that she learned about others and their personal lives. Phelps-Roper described it as, “It was like I was becoming part of a community,” Phelps-Roper said. By following her opponents’ feeds, she absorbed their thoughts on the world, learned what food they ate, and saw photographs of their babies. “I was beginning to see them as human,” she said. When she read about an earthquake that struck off Canada’s Pacific coast, she sent a concerned tweet to Graham Hughes: “Isn’t this close to you?”(Chen 9). Wouldn’t this be considered a better business outcome? Konnikova’s point in her article is the negatives of social media, but disregards the deeper connections we can make. I can agree that some relationships online are superficial and for the interest of lives we do not live. This is just from human curiosity and something we cannot help but look for online. I don’t believe this factors into the real connections we build online. For Phelps-Roper, she did not experience this. Twitter humanized Phelps-Roper and expanded her mindset. She was immersed in culture and people she never experienced within the walls of Westboro. I feel that social media is a place where you are able to express, educate, and discover other cultures. “Unfollow” depicts this beautifully.
Naysayer Response
