Earlier quoted context omitted.
OK, given you're correct then how do people's lives compare now with those in the past in the pre-social media days? We shouldn't forget that for all of history until the recent advent of social media individuals had to 'connect' in different ways and that they were somehow successful in doing so—or civilization/society wouldn't exist. In the past, novelty wasn't much of an option as people had very limited choices w…
Even before social media, people have been constantly adopting novel communication channels since the advent of electricity: telegraph, telephone, facsimile, email, Usenet, web forums, instant messaging, etc. There will eventually be some new disruptive innovation in communication that partially supplants what we now consider to be "social media" but no one knows for sure what that will be. It might have to be built…
First, my apology for the mis-post which was meant for discussDev.
I don't doubt that social media as we know it will be replaced. Whether it evolves or is replaced quickly by disruptive innovation remains to be seen. I don't think the media has been around long enough to make that call yet.
Alternatively, technology hasn't evolved sufficiently from its beginnings to provide a truly different type of service (as say the distinction between the telegraph and the telephone or radio and TV). Each of these was a disruptive innovation to its predecessor.
That said, social media will be faced with major technological changes at some point. The real question is whether it will be forced to change before then by social/political pressure because of its current perceived negative impact on society.
One thing's for certain, the periodicity between each disruptive innovation is continuing to shorten as it's always done since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution.