Matter of Seconds
- Toven Bella
- Jan 15, 2019
- 2 min read
Updated: Jan 16, 2019
Station Eleven has a focal point which being the outbreak of the Georgia Flu. Despite many efforts to overcome this catastrophe, this global epidemic has wiped out 99% of the population. The disaster has created a new world twenty years later with only a few survivors. The epidemic commences with Hua telling Jeevan the news, and quickly starts to take action by telling the others including Frank and Arthur's ex-wives. In this situation, not only is the Georgia Flu spreading but so is the news about it. This connects to the media, specifically social media in terms of the ‘outbreak’ and how something can spread so fast.
Society today are so focused on their electronic devices and parents no longer call their children playing outside to come back home. There is no need for this gesture because the majority are already at home on their phone, laptop or TV. This results in a world where children are not getting the physical activity they need on a daily basis. However, the main contributor encouraging these actions is social media, something that we enjoy; and in some cases, addicted to. Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Facebook are some popular examples but the list goes on. It connects us with people around the world in which we can contact them in a matter of seconds through our fingertips, or post a picture.
But teens our age don’t realize that social media is open to the world, even if its a text toward one of your friends or if you have a ‘private’ account. The saying: “what you post online stays online” supports this point as we think we can take it back within a matter of seconds in deleting it right away. Social media is similar, but more intense as opposed to reality where rumors are also present. Likely at some point in our life, we have told someone a secret in which they didn’t keep. That secret eventually came around to a couple of your friends, then perhaps a couple of strangers. Those strangers then told their friends, and as you know in a couple of days, it might be on a hundred people’s minds. Before you can even blink, BOOM. The friendship with that person is damaged and you must deal with the embarrassment the rest of your life. This is the exact same situation with social media, but people find out within seconds.
This may not be an ‘epidemic’ that can cost your life but it is definitely a form of an outbreak. Social media is worse than the Georgia Flu in regards to how fast it can spread and cause drastic effects on people. It may not hurt us physically like the flu, but emotionally, mentally and psychologically which is as bad, if not worse than physical pain.
Hey Toven, I found it really interesting that you described social media in terms of the flu as something that can spread to large numbers of people in the matter of seconds. You brought up a point that is very important for our generation to realize which was "what you post online stays online". Although it can be beneficial when used responsibly, in situations such as a rumour, as you described, it can be catastrophic. I like how you mention that kids nowadays are spending their time at home on their devices instead of going outside, getting some physical activity, and doing what kids are supposed to do- have fun. What I found though is that this issue has no…
Very insightful post! I like how you described social media as an “epidemic”, and how it has become so easy to communicate information without even seeing the person. I find it very interesting that you made the connection between social media and the flu in Station 11, to being just as painful, but in a different way. I completely agree that social media can cause serious psychological detriment, which (in many cases) can be a lot worse than physical pain. I like how you used the word “catastrophe” to describe the flu outbreak, to which I would even go to describe the spread of social media to be a catastrophe as well. It has completely changed the way we think…
I really like the comparison you made between social media and the flu virus. After all, “going viral” comes from a virus going viral. I think social media can definitely be good and bad. Whatever it carries has a chance of going viral. Sometimes very wholesome things go viral. Other times, very nasty things can go viral. As always, tools only become good or bad depending on the person or people using it.
Like you mentioned, when something nasty goes viral it can hurt the people who are infected by it. I think it’s very easy to see the nasty side of social media just because of human nature, but there’s always going to be something good on the internet.…