Social Media, anti-social ?

Social media, the be-all, end-all, yet many deaf are just as isolated as they were prior to its inception, in that they still have tremendous issues communicating on the ground and face to face. This vblog extols the virtues of social medias in levelling the playing field, assuming of course you do NOT Use sign language as the tool in social medias to do that, at least not without effective captioning, and narrowing your field of response at the same time.

Social media as an tool to make a point, which I would not disagree with, I would disagree it enhances communications to deaf people face to face on the street with anyone hearing. So in that respect I don't find social media of use. In exchanging views putting forward opinions in text certainly no-one can tell if you are deaf or not, but, is that levelling any playing field if you have to 'suggest' you are actually hearing ? Or have you swallowed the myth of the 21stc ? we don't have to say any more ? Well, let us suggest we don't have to tell some social medias we are, we still HAVE to inform mainstream generally, having an Cinderella disablement means they can't mind-read us.. In reality it is still par for the course deaf gravitate in social areas like to like anyway. where there are deaf, there is the ready made clique, few hearing would butt in.

We must not forget although hearing utilise social medias considerably, they have the back up of basic oral and hearing communications and interaction, when they switch these electronic medias off, we don't, we are stuck with the reliance on the technology. While this suits some deaf areas it doesn't suit everyone.

Social media may enable by proxy, but not directly, it is if you believe integration without actual face to face, is really that, or an acceptable alternative. It's a fallacy to assume we are using social media the same way hearing are. E.G. Deaf people could always write letters to medias etc expressing a view, social media is the modern update to that, it provides more avenues to do it. For deaf people, direct communications is pretty essential, and basic a want, we don't want to end up with thousands of 'followers' we will never see, never meet and if we could, would still not be able to communicate to them as a norm.

Whilst twittering away nonsensical asides and not having to mention you are deaf seems very liberating, but is it ? In the UK isolation is even MORE pronounced than it was prior to social media, so what has gone wrong with it ? I'm sure at some point you can marry, have kids and divorce then die via text, but it's not 'life' as I would see it. It makes nasties of some of us too, we can be more aggressive than we usually are face to face, build up a persona that basically is not what we are, or worse show a side that nobody likes to see, as all inhibitions and frustration spill out.

Surely the hype is social media opens up the world to everyone (Assuming they read and write of course and own a computer), mostly these users deaf will be stuck in their homes posting texts to people they may never meet. Billy no-mates ? not exactly, because the modern train of thought is the more unknowns you know (?) the more popular you are, but who is seeking popularity anyway,unless you are an budding celeb ? The modern view is talking to the world whilst remaining on your own, or still outside the scheme of things is now the 'Norm' for everyone. How many can name their own neighbours ?

As regards to ASL or BSL medias socially, there are still HUGE gaps of understanding, Americans cannot follow BSL, British have issues with ASL, and the whole vblog thing hinges on dual access most do not provide. In essence any huge jump in access via social media is via non-signed output. Would deaf people provide signed vblogs for hearing consumption ? suicide unless captioned. Would they dwell on deaf issues ? again an literal 'social' suicide as no-one wants to be bored with 'issues' unless topical.

Top youtube vid is a dog chasing some reindeer in an UK park. One doubts that the pros of social media in those respects have any validity except as a novelty of some kind. Not a single deaf vblog is listed anywhere as 'viral' unless you count the resent CI switched on lady who was left in tears of joy. Deaf are typically non-connected to topical issues despite this vblog suggesting social media has levelled the field, I ask where has it levelled the field.

Deaf-Deaf social media by its nature tends to inwardly focus and not make them with any hearing viewing in mind. The very nature of deaf media is isolatory,and simply because you utilise these medias does not level any field for the deaf since you are not competing in like for like,in fact excluding hearing to an large degree. Hence I use no social media at all, I prefer real people in real time. In reality no-one here really posts blogs for social interactional reasons. They simply make personal statements. I am not bothered if I get x amount of responses or not that's not the point of the blog. Indeed if you wait a week to respond there is no avenue to do so.

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