Tech talk
by Zoey Duncan
Photo by Julie C. Vincent. Gil Wilkes (left), debate moderator Marc Chikinda (centre) and Dave Marshall. Marshall challenged the audience to try quitting social media – even just for three days – to see how powerful the addiction can be.
Mount Royal University’s self-proclaimed techie president, Dave Marshall, engaged in a debate about the uses and abuses of social media on March 11. Marshall discussed the dependency of society on social media while Gil Wilkes, who holds the Ralph Klein Chair in Communication Studies, argued that social media eases communication.
Marshall said he was initially worried that people would discount his opinions based on his age.
“I was worried that just because I raise some concerns about social media that I would be called an old guy that just hasn’t caught up with the times,” he said in an email (via his iPhone, on an airplane). “But I have been a ‘techie’ for 37 years.”
In his opening remarks, Marshall explained that he was the second university president in the country to adopt the BlackBerry, and that he was the first to carry a portable computer – a 37-pound “luggable” that he carried to all his meetings.
“First, human beings are basically weak-willed,” he said. “Given the opportunity, most people will do anything other than what they’re supposed to do. Social media gives you the perfect excuse to simply waste time. And there’s no bigger waste of time than Twittering, Facebooking, Stumbling and Digging.”
Marshall expressed his horror at drivers who use Twitter or instant messaging on the road, endangering the lives of “presidential motorcycle riders.”
Wilkes, who teaches in the communications and culture faculty at Royal Roads University when he is not at Mount Royal, argued that social media allows users to control their desired content as well as open up their own channels.
“Now with Facebook, [it’s] just very easy status updates and everybody thinks I love them,” he said. “Even though I don’t, it’s lowering the coordination costs of those routine sorts of communication that we all take for granted.”
Wilkes said that services like Twitter open up huge doors for marketers and political engagement.
“This is a good thing, it’s keeping us honest,” he said.
The two men agreed on some points, including the amount of “crap” on Twitter and the size of some peoples’ friends lists. Wilkes said that our “simian forbears” lived in groups of seven to 12 members, and humans work well in those configurations.
Marshall said that he is baffled by people with more than 200 Facebook friends.
“We used to call people nuts that had imaginary friends they’ve never seen,” he said.
By the end of the debate, one thing was clear: all things should be taken in moderation. Wilkes said that he keeps social media out of the classroom, while Marshall cautioned those in attendance about addiction.
“Dependency, no matter how you look at it, is a bad thing,” Marshall said. “I’m worried just a little bit that maybe, just maybe, we’re getting a little too dependent on social media in all aspects of our lives.”
Marshall said that he is baffled by people with more than 200 Facebook friends.
“We used to call people nuts that had imaginary friends they’ve never seen,” he said.
Proof that Mr. Marshall doesn\’t get it. Nobody is claiming 200 friends, they have 200 contacts. The difference is they are semi-active. I\’m sure Mr. Marshall once had a Rolodex, but I doubt anyone criticized the size of that now archaic piece of technology. I agree Facebook has usurped the word \’friend\’, but those of us who use the service integrally in our daily lives can make the distinction just fine thank you. Social media allows me to stay connected with aspects of my community I never could have before hand.
My smart phone is a force multiplier, I\’m not longer just a man, I\’m nearly 2 men with what technology allows me to accomplish. For years I envied over the transporter in the star trek series, my iphone is the next best thing, I can be somewhere, in seconds, for seconds, without leaving my room, and return to where I was. I can stand in a farmers field in the middle of a photography shoot and take a video call from a friend in Thailand (did it on Saturday), or consult with a committed member two hours before an event to firm up preparations while being on the other side of the city (did that today.)
I know Mr. Marshall doesn\’t dispute these advantages, what concerns him is the noise. There is much more of it out there than signal, but we get to cultivate our own SNR these days, as opposed to being told what it will be.
Mr. Marshall also says “Dependency, no matter how you look at it, is a bad thing,” Marshall said. “I’m worried just a little bit that maybe, just maybe, we’re getting a little too dependent on social media in all aspects of our lives.” I dispute this as well. I\’m dependant on o2, not a bad thing. Fallacious yes, but it goes to the further point that we\’re all dependant on social interaction. We all used to depend on horse and buggy to facilitate that, or days long journeys, but I wonder if anyone ever said we were too dependant on mass transit for social interaction, in a negative tone.
My point is this, if you\’ve stayed with my rant this long, Social media is good, FBFriends aren\’t real friends, we\’re smart enough to make that distinction on our own, even if others miss that, and social dependency is a human trait, and not a bad one, it\’s the key to our success. The issue is addiction and poor decision making, but neither of those have anything to do with the technology, they pre-date it and will survive it. If you think I\’m wrong, tweet me @williamconner, I\’m always listening, or at least my phone is.