<p>Some social media networks had a temporary outage once. It was resolved. The conclusion. It seems like a somewhat dull narrative at first glance.</p>
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<p>However, the extensive coverage surrounding Meta’s Tuesday blanking of its Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and Messenger platforms points to another, possibly less evident story: the one that demonstrates that social media platforms—much like books, newspapers, or insert-medium-here of other historical periods—mean more than just enjoyable diversion.</p>
<p>Are you referring to the updates about her kids’ life that you never see on those postings from your cousin? That video that the influencer showed you, exposing you to a new culture or piece of information? That collage of pictures you put up to honor a loved one you’re mourning? The back-and-forth arguments on your feed between users attempting to outdo each other on subjects you find interesting?</p>
<p>Indeed. It’s possible that the technologies are new. However, what do we utilize them for? That appeals to a timeless human need: the need for love tales. letting them know. heeding their words. connecting with one another and our communities via them. And, of late, showcasing them to the world piece by piece via our gadgets — to the extent that Instagram’s main function is named “Stories.”</p>
<p>“One of the best ways we can connect with each other is through our narrative capacity,” states Evynn McFalls, vice president of marketing and brand at the NeuroLeadership Institute, a consulting firm that uses neuroscience in its business work. “Our brains enjoy stories because they help us better understand other people and situations.”</p>
<p>Scholar Jonathan Gottschall states this in his book “The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make Us Human”: “The human imperative to create and consume stories runs even deeper than literature, dreams, and fantasy.” We are completely submerged in narrative.</p>
<p>And these days, social media is the primary place where stories are shared – whether it via images, videos, memes, text threads, or combinations of all four. There, people may learn about and perhaps develop empathy for the plights of others, as well as observe things in ways that aid in making sense of the world. We create relationships with people there and share our own tales that we may not have in any other setting.</p>
<p>These social settings are mostly where we engage in “human” behavior.</p>
<p>Samuel Woolley, an associate professor at the University of Texas at Austin’s School of Journalism and Media, claims that it is almost hard for many people—especially in the United States—to think about their lives and communication without considering social media.</p>
<p>When it happens, then? Oh no. Connection threads may break. Endorphin-releasing activities are discontinued. For better or worse, routines are broken, and anticipated information and narrative flows fail and hiccup.</p>
<p>“These platforms have truly evolved over the last 15 years into an advocacy space, aside from their trivial nature,” says Imani Cheers, an associate professor of digital storytelling at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. “Information passing and service can truly be disrupted by those kinds of outages.”</p>
<p>Additionally, if the disruption occurs when people believe that information and communication are most required, it might have a greater effect. According to Woolley, the interruption in the US coincided with the time when a lot of people were leaving for Super Tuesday votes.</p>
<p>According to Woolley, “the recent outage resulted in a lack of access to the news even though it only lasted a handful of hours for most people.” “And that is an issue.”</p>
<p>The director of Meta’s communications, Andy Stone, announced the outages on X, the original name for Twitter, on Tuesday after they occurred. He wrote, “We are sorry for any inconvenience.” However, for a few, it went beyond being a minor annoyance. Their online selves and narratives were in jeopardy.</p>
<p>Taylor Cole Miller, an associate professor of communication studies at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, was first concerned about security and thought he could have been hacked when he saw he couldn’t access his Facebook account on Tuesday.</p>
<p>Soon after, a nagging fear set in: What if he had lost almost twenty years of his life on Facebook, along with certain relationships he had made solely there?</p>
<p>He recalls, “It would be overly dramatic to say that my life flashed before my eyes.” “But the truth is, having spent 20 years on Facebook, a large portion of my life is preserved there,” the user said.</p>
<p>“Facebook is the primary platform by which I interact with individuals in many situations. What happens if the poof suddenly disappears? What does it entail for my own identity and social interactions?</p>
<p>The way people respond to losing something that is so ingrained in their daily lives, according to Melanie Green, a professor at the University of Buffalo’s communication department, illustrates the ability of stories to unite people. Not coincidentally, to the media outlets that publicize such tales.</p>
<p>People have a yearning to fit in. Being a member of a group is frequently necessary for our survival as social animals, the speaker claims. “Stories can give us a sense of community and belonging.”</p>
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