"Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing. " -Helen Keller

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Confessions of a Social Media Junkie

If you had talked to me 10+ years ago, I never ever would have imagined the world of social media as it is. I never would have imagined being as immersed in it the way I am. I blog. I tweet. I'm on Facebook. I probably spend far more time online than I should really admit. I have to admit I'm more than a bit addicted to it all. I get antsy if I don't have access to blogging and I feel the compulsive need to read everything and catch up if I separated from my precious online connection. Hell, 10 years ago I wouldn't have called myself a writer and now I find myself so addicted to writing that I can't imagine going more than a couple of days without writing.

The question posed on Day 16 of Calliope's blogging summer camp is...

"How many friends of yours blog/tweet/actively facebook? Has social media helped or hurt your friendships?"

Honestly, since I don't differentiate between friends I've made online and friends I've met in my everyday life, I would have to to say that a majority of my friends are involved in social media. Now, if you talk about the people I physically interact with on a daily basis, I would guess it's a much smaller percentage.  But, I feel that social media has overall helped my friendships. I have friends who don't blog who read my blog regularly and it has allowed them to get to know me a lot better.  And, my involvement with social media and all forms of online interaction has brought a bunch of people to my life, people I probably wouldn't have met otherwise, and these are people whose friendship I treasure. I've also reconnected with friends from my past, people I lost touch with when we moved on to college or moved on due to our significant others. Some of these people from my past will probably pass in and out again but I've become closer to a large number of them and feel we'll stay good friends.

Sure, I waste some time with the apps and games available on facebook. I've spent more time than I care to admit playing Farmville...placing little fake animals on little fake farms...but I never let those games or apps keep me away from the things that really matter,

If you're reading this, you are already involved at least a little with social media. My only question is just how involved are you? Do you tweet, blog, or facebook? Do you do all three?
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4 comments:

AnotherDreamer said...

I was way more involved before, but sometimes I just waver and lurk. I blog, I FB (as you know lol), and I even tweet too (although I'm still confused by Twitter). I think it allows me a bigger grasp of the world and lets me see/hear/get involved with things I might not have otherwise. I know that with infertility and my losses, I would have been lost without the help of my online support network. That's why no matter how bad social networking can get (you know what I mean, sometimes it has an ugly side) I still wouldn't trade it.

Brooke from The Bluestocking Guide said...

I do all three!

Trish said...

I'm on all three, but I'm terrible about posting. I am more of a reader than a writer.

And,I like some of my online friends much better than many of the people I see on a daily basis!

Meari said...

I don't tweet and I don't FB. I just blog.