Are we really benefiting?

It’s the grand irony of our time: we are simultaneously more connected and more isolated than ever before. Our smartphones distract us from living in the moment and “protect” us from normal, everyday human interaction. Instead of chatting about the Super Bowl with the person next to us the checkout line at the grocery store, we silently scroll on our phone looking for photos of the big game until it’s our turn to mumble “Hello” to the cashier.  Rather than form stronger, real relationships with our friends on social media, we use those platforms for instant gratification and nervously hope that anyone – whether we really know them or not – “likes” our latest photos. This hyper-connectedness has its advantages when it comes to convenience. But, when it comes to human relationships, are we really benefiting?

For social media platforms, that’s not the point. The point is profit.

For all of the work social media companies put into crafting the message that they bring people together, their actions suggest otherwise. Platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat are designed to keep users using as much as possible. The more these companies keep their users scrolling and clicking along, the more money they make. And, they way to keep people scrolling and clicking is by selling to them. The social media giants make their profits not from fostering meaningful chats among friends or making it simple and secure to share photos of a newborn. Rather, they make their profits by convincing users that if they just keep scrolling a little more, they will find that little rush they’ve been seeking.

Less talk, More play – Really!

A new report has come out that Snapchat, a communication app where photos and messages disappear twenty-four hours after they are sent, will launch a gaming platform next month. The goal is to have users play games in between sending messages so that, ultimately, they spend more time in the app. The slogan for the new feature is “Less talk. More play.”

Is this really how we should be living, though? Talking less? Engaging in yet more mindless entertainment? Snapchat isn’t interested in building a better world so much as they are in building a better profit and loss statement.

Go2s – Start something meaningful

However, here in the Go2s offices, we believe in restoring meaningful connection. Go2s is a private social network designed not to entertain and distract, but rather to bring people together in a genuine, useful way. Every feature in the app is specifically designed to help any user – no matter their lifestyle – live a more functional, simple life. Go2s helps you take care of your many responsibilities so you have more time to do what you love with the people you love. Try it today at www.go2s.com