overthinking with nick.

by Nick DiCicco

Like many of you, I grew up with the internet, and with this came the inherent decline of time spent engaging with actual people, rather than the portrayal of themselves they display online, through social media, or texting. Despite this, it seems like most people my age would consider themselves “social,” due to society’s new interpretation of the word involving social media and online interaction.

While nostalgia has always clouded judgment, the incorporation of social media, 24/7 news, and constantly being aware of everything that’s happening in the world at all times, nostalgia for “simpler times” has flooded society. Whether it be our obsession with the 80s and 90s, seen through Stranger Things, and the reemergence of baggy clothes and vintage cameras, or the current MAGA movement which relies on nostalgia for a country which never really existed, there must be something that attracts people to past times. I, too, prefer the look of film cameras to digital, the fit and material of vintage clothes, and the idea of a life without the excessive amounts of technology that plague our society, but I am still willing to accept and be proud of how humanity has moved forward and changed lives through technology.

But like all things, there are pros and cons to the way society functions today. While technology has increased the ability to be “social,” paradoxically it has also made people less social. According to a study conducted by the University of Rochester, which examined the change in social patterns from 2003-2020 from people ages 15 and older, time spent alone rose drastically, and time spent with family members, friends, and others drastically dropped. This was noticeable after 2010 when social media became popular.

Now, I am Gen Z and use social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube daily, more than I’d like to. And thanks to these platforms, I have made friends, found influencers who have produced content that has changed me, and many other benefits. But like the rest of society, I have been affected by the negative impacts these platforms have.

Walking around a modern college campus is a strange experience. Thousands of people walk around doing everything they can to avoid interaction with strangers—rarely thanking others for holding the door, they’d rather stand than sit at a table for 8 occupied by one person, and god forbid conversations occur before the professor enters the class. Everyone has headphones in, is looking at their phones, and ignoring the world around them.

Like I said, I do this too. Social interaction can be tiring, and in the current world, there is enough to worry about. It doesn’t help that our phones show us a constant feed of the world’s evils and teach us to see political opposition as enemies, which shrinks who we are comfortable being friends and interacting with.

This semester, I decided to major not only in film but also in journalism, which seems to be the career path I am headed towards. When I started the semester, I was very politically frustrated, as I’m sure you could tell if you read some of my earlier posts on this site, and I wanted to find truth and change people’s minds through journalism. As the semester has gone on, and I’ve not only learned about the practice of journalism but also have gone out in the field and been a journalist covering politics, hearing artists’ stories, and more, my mindset has changed.

First of all, when I was first sent off to go report at an event and interview people, I was terrified. I’m sure part of this was just normal social anxiety, but I can’t help but attribute a lot of this anxiety to the years I have spent unintentionally isolating myself through the internet. As I’ve gone on to conduct more interviews and talk to more people, I still get anxious, but I have realized something else…

Talking to people is cool!

In today’s world, I don’t think we actually realize the importance of talking to people. To start, when you talk to people, you actually see the humanity in them, something you can’t really grasp online. When we text or see people online, all we see is what they are saying, not who they are. While they might be telling you their opinion or story, the actual lived experience is not visible online.

I know this sounds stupid and simple, but we so often don’t think about it. Through my time as a journalist, I have talked to many people with whom I have huge disagreements politically. Before, I would get frustrated at people with these views, wondering why they think that, and consider them uneducated, but as I’ve had actual conversations that are longer than a post on X or a comment, while the disagreements are still there, I actually feel as though I am learning something from a fellow human rather than an enemy.

Even aside from politics, I have heard some amazing stories from random people, which showcase a glimpse into someone else’s complex and unique life. When we are isolated, we become the main character, and everyone we meet is just playing their role in our lives. The more human interaction you get, the more you realize that this life we live is not any one person’s story, but a collective story of humanity we all contribute to, regardless of how important we think what we do is.

In my media ethics class today, we watched The Social Dilemma, a documentary that exposes the algorithms tech companies use to keep us stuck. They know what mood we are in, who we talk to, what accounts we look at, and more. If we are sad, socially anxious, and isolated, they want to keep us there. Hell, I never use Facebook, but at least three times a week, I get a text from Facebook, only telling me my two exes have accounts I can follow. This isn’t an accident.

Because of the way technology has engulfed our lives, it seems impossible to go back to simpler times. While tech companies that prey on our interests to keep us addicted to their platforms are partially to blame, we need to actually take responsibility as individuals. Part of the reason we are becoming more anxious, more depressed, and more isolated is that we simply aren’t even trying to socialize. I know there are different levels of social anxiety, but for me, one of the best ways to fight against it is to simply force yourself to talk to others, don’t let there be an awkward silence, and discover an interesting human story in the process.

None of us are islands. I don’t just mean that we need others for support, but that we need genuine human interaction to learn kindness, patience, and understanding—qualities that cannot grow in isolation.

You don’t have to be a journalist to do this either. Talk to people in your classes, at concerts, or in line for coffee. Get to know coworkers and customers at your job. The more you do, the more you realize how important and how interesting each individual really is, and how coexisting with each other is a lot easier than we might think.