Social Media and Telephone – Is History Just Repeating Itself?

Some people believe that social media is killing personal relationships, corrupting society, and eliminating privacy. Many wish that we could go back to the good old days when life was simpler and slower.

So let’s roll the clock back to the good old days and take a look at the uncanny similarities between the telephone and social media.

85 years ago, adults were asking, “Does the telephone make men more active or lazier?” and “Does the telephone break up home life and the old practice of visiting friends?” The telephone was described as a fad and time waster.  There was fear that the telephone would erode privacy, fuel the rumor mills, distract employees and family from daily chores, and result in idle chit-chat. Business people complained that the telephone would allow false rumors to travel faster and result in disruptive, bothersome requests. 

So goes social media. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? History has a tendency of repeating itself.