As the social media and social networking landscape is increasing the number of ways that we can “connect” with people, is it taking away from people actually connecting?
Having lived in the days before pagers, cell phones, the Internet, social networks, social media, etc, we remember the days when to meet people, one had to actually meet them. Aside from pen pals and phone calls, there wasn’t too much interaction with people you hadn’t actually met in person.
We see people with 10,000 friends on Facebook or 10,000 followers on Twitter, but do they know all of these people? Unlikely. At some point, the relationships are no longer genuine and the person with all those connections starts to view people as fans rather than friends.
Friends or fans?
We may know what they do, but would we actually want to hang out with the person in person or are they only marginally as interesting in “real life” as the persona they have created online? Social networks, blogs and online communities allow a person to create an image for themselves that is worlds apart from the actual person, but being able to control the message, comments, people make, who can view certain pictures, information on a profile make it so anybody can become a rock star. At least online. People often times connect with as many people as they can because they feel like it raises their actual social status or worth. Have we gotten to the point where we are valued based on the number of connections we have on social networks?
We sure hope not. We do we believe that all people are connected and that we should use social media as a means to spread messages of positivity and positive change. Arin Vahanian wrote on Super State, ”Believing in the theory of connectedness brings us: fruitful discussions with others, an avoidance of violence and wars, believing in the goodness of oneself and others, creating and keeping good friendships and relationships, and ultimately creating a better world for oneself and for others….You can be your own person, have your own interests, desires, and goals, but also realize that you are in some way connected to everyone else on this planet. This way, you can have your own life, and also ensure that others have their own lives, but also contribute to a safer, more peaceful, more accepting, and more positive world.”
We couldn’t agree more. So keep connecting and keep sharing.
