Tuesday, January 18, 2011

tits up, hammer out.

One of Mama Kat's (not me) writing prompts this week is "how has social media changed your life?".  That's a loaded question. It would be easier to answer the question "how hasn't social media changed your life?".  The most obvious way is that a whole lot of people know a whole lot about me, including potential employers.  I have blogged about all sorts of personal stuff, including battling depression, the struggles and triumphs of raising a child with special needs, and acting very inappropriately at my bachelorette party (though I'm fairly certain I made those police officer's day).  Yes, I am card carrying over sharer, but that's true in my day-to-day life as well (just ask anyone who knows me "IRL").  And, if you don't want to give me a job after you read about my efforts to make the most of my life, then I probably don't want to work for you anyway. 

Social media has also made me less patient (I know, who knew that was even possible?).  If I want information, I want it NOW.  Like, how old is Hugh Laurie (51), and do I make the half-your-age-plus-seven cut-off?  (Yes.)  If I want to talk with you I can find you with a text or bbm or tweet in a matter of seconds.  If you don't answer right away I will wonder if you are dead and ask you if you are, in fact, six feet under.  I can rsvp for an event and see who else is attending to decide if I want to go without picking up the phone, and I can share photos in real time of the evil Canada Geese that thwart my efforts to get to work on time.

On the flip side, I can get daily inspiration from world class thinkers I have never met, listen to an artist's latest track before I decide to pay for it on itunes, and banter back and forth with friends while watching my favourite show on tv (even if they are in a different city).  Good and bad, social media has brought the world to me.  Almost everything I want is only a click of a button away. 

Almost.  I have this theory about social media.  We use it as a way to stay in touch, make contact, and interact with people.  We love it because we think it actually helps us achieve these goals, even though all we are really doing is keeping the world at arm's length.   I love me some social media, but it does nothing to help me truly connect with the people in my immediate circle.  It does the exact opposite.  After telling the world how I'm feeling about something on my blog I assume my family and friends have read it and know I having a tough time that day.  My facebook status message informed the world that Cameron peed in the toilet for me, so I don't need to relive the joy with my mom.  My oldest friend got married by Elvis in Vegas and it was webcast real time online but I wasn't there to celebrate with her.  My friend from college's cat died and I found out on twitter how sad he was about it.  So near yet so very, very far.

Something to think about for sure.

4 comments:

  1. This is so true and is an issue I've been battling for awhile. Social media has shut down some of the real time contact I used to enjoy. Well said!

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  2. Thanks for checking me out Mama Kat! I'm enjoying your prompts :-)

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  3. I agree on most counts, except for the thing about my wedding! We would have eloped regardless of the possibilities for the wedding to be broadcast, which means that without social networking no one would have been able to see our wedding other than us! (and Elvis). In that case, FB, Twitter, and the internet itself made our wedding so much more accessible to our friends and family than it would have been otherwise.

    The thing that used to drive me nuts, when I did a personal blog, was when I would render myself conversationally obsolete. I'd start to tell a story to a friend and he or she would say, "Oh yeah, I know. I read that on your blog". It was kind of flattering but mostly a bummer!

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  4. I loved watching you get married and totally respect your choice to elope. It was just a good example of how social media has changed things. :-)

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