Social Networking is for Losers
Okay, not really. I just needed a catchy name for this post.
Actually, I am really starting to get into the whole new media/social networking thing right now. No, really I am.
Granted, the process to get here has taken a bit longer than I thought it would (which is crazy because if you know me, you know I like expressing my opinions on stuff even when I have to start talking out of my rear end because I have no idea what I am friggin’ talking about), but that is only because at times it does seem a bit too much like high school to me.
What I mean by this is that the point of social networking, to a certain extent, is to build your networks or your friends or your tweeps or whatever. Theoretically, the more of these folks you have, the more influence and popularity you have.
Sort of like high school.
At the same time, if you are on Twitter but no one ever “re-tweets” you or responds to what you say or engages you in any type of conversation at all, isn’t that sort of like my entire high school experience?
And what if nobody comments on your Facebook status? Or inquires about why you might be downcast or distant if you haven’t updated in several days? Or what if nobody reads your blog?
What does that mean for you as a social networker?
And crap, sometimes you may even feel a little peer pressure to link to the coolest stories or have the funniest status update or tweet about the most popular subject or find the next big story.
Do you see the point? This whole thing is just like high school!
Thankfully, however, I have learned that as a 31-year-old husband and father that I can seemingly talk to myself and be okay with that.
I can carve out my little niche of the internet (I am talking to my 7 readers out there now) and be fine with that. No big deal at all.
I am hopefully well past that point in my life when I am trying to be the most popular kid in school or the best athlete or whatever.
But still.
We should all admit that, yes, it feels good to know that you are loved or popular or the talk of your corner of the internet. And, yep, it does suck when no one seems to be paying attention. I am sure lots of folks probably deal with these issues.
And not to go off on a tangent, but maybe that is just one of the dangers of social networking. Another could be that we could get so busy attempting to connect with so many new folks that we fail to grab a movie with our spouses or write physical notes of encouragment when our real friends are going through crap.
Not saying this is the case for me, I am just saying…
Anyway, the point of all this is that like any other type of human interaction, social networking does involve some sort of emotional involvement. People can be made to feel good about themselves as a part of a community, but then they can also be made to feel like losers or outcasts if they don’t feel included in those communities.
I just think that maybe instead of letting social networking consume all aspects of our daily lives (and you know this is the case with A LOT of folks), maybe we should make a point to disconnect throughout the day.
We need to be reminded every once in a while that we are more than Twitter users or Facebook friends. We are more than just bloggers or anonymous posters on messages boards.
In reality, we need to connect with those who we know love us. And if you think about it, it would probably do us each some good to spend that extra time with our friends and families. Couldn’t hurt, right?
And to me, all of that sounds a crap of a lot better than re-living the same feelings I had while I was in high school.
What do you think?
S