Letters to the Editor

Letter: At what cost social media?

Modern communications media was intended to put the user "in the moment," to be fully connected to the world, but at what cost does that happen? Cellphones enable us to draw a magic circle around ourselves, shutting out our surroundings so we can be present somewhere else.

At a family gathering we quietly text friends right under the noses of those trying to speak to us. Driving, ditto — often causing accidents because our brains can only accommodate one tight focus at a time. Ever stand in line waiting for a cellphone user to hang up and come back to the checkout counter?

Does social media put us fully in the moment — or does it only make us more fully involved with ourselves?

— Suzanne Miles

Eagle River

ADVERTISEMENT