Social Networking In Real Life Looks Absolutely Ridiculous (Video)

Social networking is everywhere these days. It’s next to impossible to find someone who doesn’t have a Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, and most of the communication we have with one another -- both friends and strangers -- is mediated through these platforms.

Social networking, of course, is meant to facilitate communication -- but do the methods and terminology of the social networking sphere really make sense in real life?

That’s what Jena Kingsley set out to determine.

As part of a social experiment, the YouTube prankster took to the streets of New York to test social media activity on strangers and gauge their reactions.

In one case, she tells a woman,

I’m following you. Just giving you an alert -- you don’t have to do anything, just know it and enjoy it!

In another case, she pokes a stranger and asks if he wants to poke her back. And in a third instance, she approaches a pair of men and asks them if they will “accept” her friendship.

Unsurprisingly, all of her subjects seem taken aback and confused by her behavior; some are even a little freaked out. Her findings beg the question: Why is this behavior okay online and so not okay in real life?

It may just be a goofy prank video, but Kingsley’s social experiment will really make you think and reconsider your social media dependence. We have to applaud her for this incredibly clever and thought-provoking video -- it’s something that everyone will be able to relate to.

Check it out up top, and head to Kingsley’s YouTube channel to see more of her pranks and comedy videos.