Excuse my rant for just a minute but here goes.
I have seen this “backlash on social media” for a while.
You tube videos and Facebook cartoons, ironically, telling you to “disconnect to reconnect”.
Telling us we are all drones and part of this fake computer engaged life. No doubt, I too have been guilty, at times, checking my phone too many times or double checking Facebook to reply to a comment or check up on a picture.
But truth is this “disconnected” social media has given me more opportunity to be connected with people than ever before.
– It has reconnected me with friends I only thought about. University friends, high school friends, even elementary friends.
– It has given me the ability to stay connected with friends that live half way across the world and when we see each other again it’s like little to no time has passed.
– It has allowed me to stay connected with friends I would have never had the opportunity to stay friends with or meet up with again.
– It has allowed my children to be a daily presence in the lives of my family that live anywhere from 4 to 24 hours driving distance.
– It has allowed me to be a part of events, celebrations, causes and parties I wasn’t able to attend.
– It has allowed me to mourn with friends and also find comfort in times when I’m hurting.
– Best of all it has allowed me to be a part of people’s lives and they are a part of mine that I never thought possible only 10 simple years ago.
– AND YES… Sometimes seeing just the right status, or the right comment or the right cartoon can give me the pep talk that gets me going when no one else is around you to know how I feel!
It has allowed me to get to know new friends faster and what is so wrong with that?
Lastly, please allow me to comment on that evil “selfie”… what’s the matter with them… why are people so quick to say they are the downfall of a self-adoring society? People are willing to do photo snap shots on the spot, that’s GREAT!!! They are less self-conscious about what they look like and more into the moments of how they want to be captured. Sure some selfies are glammed up but some may be capturing precious moments of a time and place in the most pure and simple way.
I need to give a HUGE SHOUT OUT to social media. It has allowed me to be a part of business, buy local products, attend local events and be a part of people’s lives in a personal way.
So before you blame Mark Zuckerberg for everything that is wrong with people, or decide that all the social problems of his world are because everyone is so “disconnected”, check that mirror a few more times, how much of an effort are you making and what is your presence in the lives of people around you.
People are so scared of leaving their E-footprint in the world they remove themselves from being a part of lives they would only benefit having known…. So if you are a “creeper” because being part of the social network is somehow big brother or negative.. Than you are the contributor to the problem… be present, embrace what this world has to offer, and you may find the rewards are more than you had anticipated.
Yes, there is a time and a place, I get that, but why are we so black and white about things… why the automatic backlash to anything? Why do we do that as a society? We have this need to tear down things and people that are the most popular or top of success. It’s like we can’t just look at someone and say “wow I wonder how they attained such success” we have to say “it must be nepotism” or “she/he isn’t that wonderful” or “what an elitist”
As far as I’m concerned I want to say thank you to all these devices for allowing me to be so present and allowing others to be so present in my life!
People have told me I live my life out loud, some didn’t mean it as a compliment, however, I find no greater compliment and I hope that at my funeral those are the words that resonate most about the person that I was.
