Peter Yin | Less is more

Nowadays, visitors to China get to experience two great walls: one that is majestic and so grand that it can be seen from space, and the other not visible to the human eye. Recently, I discovered the latter while spending two weeks in China on vacation, where in addition to the sights, the people and the food, I experienced the infamously termed, “great firewall of China.”

The greatest change up for me was the dramatic cutoff in Facebook access. Coming from the United States, where the vast Internet access and smart browsing allowed me to reach my favorite social media site with a couple keystrokes, I was suddenly limited to daily 10 minute free trials through a website proxy. I inadvertently became a test case — a test that would give me insight into the effects of extremely restricted, yet regular, use of social media. How does the pervasiveness of social media, or lack thereof, really influence our daily lives?

Today, the opinion on the influence and consequences of social media on our generation is polarized. On one side of the spectrum, people say that social networking has had an overall positive impact. According to Mark Zuckerberg, the mission for Facebook is to “give people the power to share and make the world more connected and open.” From fueling revolutions in the Middle East to reconnecting with old friends, some people cite the surge of the social network as a force for progress and innovation.

On the other hand, there are those who find Facebook as the culprit for increasing procrastination, discontentment and anti-social behavior. They argue that time spent on virtual connections is taking time away from real-life interactions and giving us unrealistic windows into the lives of others. Instead of making the world more connected, Facebook has turned into the escape shoot from our real problems — an alternative to productivity and a dampener on motivation.

After undergoing my two weeks of limited Facebook access in China, I have found that the picture of the social network is not as black and white as the perception these two groups capture. Instead, I believe that when it comes to social media, less is more.

When in China, I did not have full access to Facebook, yet I wasn’t completely detached either. I was forced to prioritize my actions with the limited amount of time. I could access all the features of the site, but I did not spend my time mindlessly refreshing the news feed, exploring random links or browsing timelines. Instead, I found events around my city, shared my adventures with friends back home and looked for the local swing dance scene.

The limited access brought out the best in Facebook, and something Zuckerberg may have envisioned in his mission statement. After applying the pressure of restraint, I experienced firsthand the distilled benefits of social media.

However, with nearly unlimited access across most of the world the current usage of Facebook has skewed from its original purpose, instead becoming a detriment to our social interactions and productivity. Today, it’s the thing people turn to during extended pauses in-group conversations — the replacement for spontaneous banter in an elevator or classroom. Users can now turn to browsing random photos and fishing for “likes” as a fleeting escape from real life problems, deadlines and worries.

The potential for Facebook’s positive use is diluted by its overuse. Only if our time on social media is controlled, either by self-discipline or some direct intervention, can the good outweigh the bad.

In the midst of this social media whirlwind powered by growing internet access, it will be easy to overlook importance of restraint. Even in a time when most people have more internet freedom and independence, it is easy to become more and more dependent on social media for fulfillment and happiness.

It is unlikely that the over one billion users of Facebook will dramatically reduce their online presence, browse fewer timelines, or spend less time “liking” posts any time in the near future. However, with awareness and self-discipline we can choose to make our use of Facebook more meaningful and rewarding. After all, it shouldn’t take a trek across the great firewall of China to get the best of our social media.

Peter Yin is a rising College junior from Ames, Iowa. His email address is peteryin@sas.upenn.edu. “Lost in Thought” runs biweekly during the summer.

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