So I gave in this week and got a twitter. I have no idea how it's supposed to work, but I'm following nearly anything and everything that looks somewhat interesting. I was thinking that maybe I want a clever tag - you know, that name that other people reference you with. I asked my sister and she suggested an inside joke that we have. It was a clever name, but I wasn't sure people would get why it was attached to me. Another friend suggested that I use "theincrediblesteph", which would be alright, except for it just doesn't feel like me. In the end I just used my school-assigned e-mail username. It's not very clever, but I can always change it later if I want.
But it got me thinking; there are so many different social media sites that we use to talk to each other and they've become a hassle. One of my friends got a position managing the social media for a non-profit and when she and I were talking about what all goes into it, I didn't realize how many different medias we use. Within the same conversation, another friend commented on how many applications he has on his phone dealing with things like Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and other social media. Why do we need so many? And why are the different platforms' interfaces so different? I would almost rather use something to keep track of them all for me.
We all act like we're so connected with each other because we know when Joe-Schmo finished his book (because of GoodReads) or when Suzy-Sunshine got a promotion (LinkedIn) or even when Molly and Mike got engaged (Facebook) but we don't know what's going on in their everyday lives. What does it matter if Suzy got a promotion? The observer doesn't know how she feels about it: maybe she was going to quit, but now she feels an obligation to the company and can't follow her dream of backpacking through Timbuktu.
It feels like we've traded the deep and meaningful relationships with other people for the superficial knowledge of the overarching themes of their lives. I talk to my grandmother sometimes about why she's always writing letters. She receives at least one each day and they're all filled with day-to-day reactions and thoughts on what has happened. There's no question that Aunt Jean is frustrated at the neighbor kids because she writes out that they ran into her fence, learning to drive, rather than just posting a Facebook status that her back gate is broken. When did this shift from wanting to truly know another person to wanting to know about another person happen?
I've tried the whole writing letters to friends, but my generation just doesn't have time, or the energy, to write out a letter. It seems like we don't know how to make the connections anymore, simply because we share such little bits and pieces through our various social media. The bits and pieces are like a piece of a puzzle with letters and in-person conversations making up the picture from the box to put them into place. Social media will never make up for what it has taken away from us, but it is making strides to put the pieces in a recognizable pattern we can then read from. I still miss getting the whole picture.
Just a thought....
Stephie
So far, it's helping. I've been on the computer for a couple hours and before that I read my book and I still haven't gotten a headache, whereas without the glasses I'd have a full-fledged, nap-requiring headache. I'm just a little wary about having to carry them around with me and worry about scratching the lenses. Oh, well... I'll figure it out eventually.