May 21, 2026: Life and Technology

  

Family and friends are everything in life.

Searching "Social Media" on Social Media

Curious about how people think about social media, I searched the term on one of the world’s largest social media platforms: YouTube.

The latest videos focused on lawsuits against Meta, especially accusations that their platform designs intentionally encourage addictive behavior while minimizing transparency regarding their effects on users’ mental health, particularly among young people.

Other videos discussed topics such as:

• phone addiction,
• digital detoxes,
• deleting social media,
• social media’s negative influence on mental health,
• and even the possible “decline” or “end” of social media.

These critiques led me to think about the relationship between capitalism and social media. Although users often do not directly pay money to use platforms, companies still profit from user activity and engagement.

Companies analyze user behavior through tracking systems, cookies, engagement metrics, and algorithms to better understand preferences and attention patterns. This information then helps shape advertising, platform design, subscription models, and recommendation systems. As a result, platforms can sometimes feel disturbingly personalized. Many people, including me, have experienced moments when content appears to be related to conversations I recently had but never actively searched for online.

This made me think about the following questions:

• Do we truly have privacy if nearly everything can be tracked?
• How will social media evolve alongside AI and increasingly sophisticated technologies?
• Would you live without social media?

Regarding the last question, there is a great video. It aligns with my belief that social media should ultimately remain a tool rather than something that controls people’s lives.

Ideally, it can help connect across cultures, exchange ideas, share knowledge, and build cross-national communities. When used responsibly, social media can positively support education, creativity, and communication.

At the same time, I believe the focus in life should remain on real human experiences and meaningful interactions offline. After all, no app can truly replicate sitting with friends, sharing a meal, or simply being with family and friends.