[Ecohoon] The Concept of Social Media Space

It's a truly unusual space. Some people misuse social media and receive criticism, while others simply post their stories without gaining attention. Generally, it's the latter. However, at certain times, it's perceived as a public space, exerting influence on many people and even causing social problems.

I want to categorize social media into two spaces.

1. Private Space
Social media space is my space. It's a space where I upload the text and images I want. It's a space where I can do what I want. I make it visible to others, but I have a stronger desire to keep it for myself alone. I can set it to private, but I have mixed feelings about leaving it public while still only wanting to see it myself.

It's also a space where I interact only with people I know. I'm not very interested in others visiting my space; it's a space where I enjoy, experience, and savor content with people I know. I just leave my space open to the public; I don't want to make it private.

It's also my storage. Since using cloud storage can incur costs, I simply upload my photos and writings to social media. Then, later, I search and scroll through them to find and enjoy them.

2. Public Space
At some point, my private space becomes popular, and I gain the title of influencer. Many people recognize me, and after that, my posts catch the eye of journalists. Then they become news articles. My daily life, as reported in the news, causes social repercussions.

For example, there was a large wildfire in the Gyeongsang Province recently, and at that time, someone playing golf nearby uploaded content showing a fire-fighting helicopter taking water from the golf course. They were then socially condemned for this.

Celebrities cannot use social media privately. Each piece of content they post moves the hearts of their fans and can also cause social repercussions. Taking a picture with someone alone, subtly expressing their political views, etc., all have an impact.

It's a truly ironic and hard-to-understand space. It seems like my space, but it's media where others can also look into my space. Because of this, self-filtering arises.

Social media is a complex mix of a desire to be noticed and a desire to simply leave one's own things in one's own space.

The "following" (1chon) feature makes it an even more confusing space. Because of the "following" feature and concept, I want to follow people, I also want to simply leave my posts, but I also want someone to see them, and there are various complex desires mixed together about whether or not to follow people, even though the "following" feature exists.

Ultimately, social media can be a social waste, but if used wisely, it can make our lives richer. It's not about who uses it better or who becomes more famous; it's about using it well, appropriately, and wisely for the purpose we intend to use it for.