Social Media, the Internet and Why a Post-Pandemic Boom Could Mean Our Salvation

Maxime Mouysset

I’m not one to consider finance journalism “light reading”, but a recent article by The Economist centred on some deeply engaging subject matter. From historical evidence of past pandemics, such as the cholera pandemic of the early 1830s and the Spanish Flu pandemic from 1918-1920, it provides a discourse on the transformative social, cultural, and economic change experienced by different societies in the years after a pandemic, such as France’s industrial revolution following the Cholera pandemic of the early 1830s, and the Roaring Twenties of Western society following the Spanish Flu Pandemic from 1918-1920.

History suggests that people tend to spend more, take more risks, and demand more of their government once they can move forward from the tragedy and immense hardship of a pandemic. For all of us beaten down by the Coronavirus pandemic of the 21st century, there’s optimism in that analysis, and plenty for one to ponder.

Even in the years preceding the pandemic, there’s a strong case to argue this country of ours had drifted into a period marred by uncertainty, a generational disparity in our culture, and a severe lack of transparency from our Government. Many of us are striving to be uniformly present, but doing so from a place up in the clouds, unsure of where we fit into all of this.

It’s wise to consider the influence of the internet in all of this. The introduction of the World Wide Web has brought about systemic and generational change, both in terms of culture and our very way of thinking. But I would argue that it’s only in the here and now that we’re fully experiencing its greater impact on us, the people, largely brought on by one of its most influential aspects.

Social media created a cultural bubble, of sorts. A place to live vicariously that offers possibility, excitement, and simple escapism. The downside? There’s a lot to find distasteful - cyberbullying, rife misinformation, and cancel culture - to name but a few, committed in equal part by right and left-wing individuals. Hate crime is left virtually unmonitored; ironically, in a world that shies away from the risk of offending just about anyone, while influencer culture runs amok, perpetuating an unrealistic reality of the world around us.

For all their inherent qualities, the internet and social media hinder us as much as they help. They’re so ingrained into modern culture that they’ve taken on a habitual presence, distracting us from the real world and the day-to-day pleasures of simple, honest living.

That’s a somewhat bleak forecast, but I would argue a post-pandemic boom offers salvation. While money is invariably the driving force of change, the adoption of greater risk-taking by everyday people offers excitement and opportunity, shaking the status quo and enabling us to break free from these shackling trends of modern culture by placing us back in the metaphorical driving seat, and helping achieve a greater grasp of personal identity.

For when someone stands up and says who they are and what they want, the world becomes a finer, more interesting place. In the end, isn’t that what we all want?

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