The Blogosphere is abuzz over David Prager and the fact that he was twittering and Ustreaming while a perfect stranger walked into his house, used his bathroom and passed out in his bed. I am late to the party, but I have been thinking about this, and I kind of understand it.
Don't get me wrong, I am not that far gone. There is no way this Mama Bear would stand by while someone played Goldilocks in my bed, and I'm sure most others would feel the same. If I was sitting at my computer when the person walked in, yeah, I would probably tweet it. But then I would be screaming, calling the police, and locking myself in the nearest room, in that order.
I think however, I get how this kind of thing happened. In this age of social media, with everything so connected, it can feel like living in a fishbowl. I have found the humor in every day situations, In times past, some would have said it was material for their novel. These days, we are standup comedians, and... it's all comedy material. :tap tap:: is this thing on? Some have said those who are involved in social media are self-absorbed. On the contrary, we are usually outgoing, (at least online) and want to share our lives with others. We see the value in people. It isn't that those involved are narcissistic, as we have been accused. We simply want to share in the experiment that is the Internet. If someone spends a great deal of time on the phone, he is not branded a narcissist, he is seen as socially agreeable.
So then, why is someone who spends time networking with friends considered less than that? I have many friends online. Some I have met and some I may never meet. Yes, there are degrees to those friendships. Some are lifelong, some are buddies, some are mere acquaintances. But they all matter to me. I have helped many with autism information, and I remember details about people because I genuinely care about what happens to them. And if they drop me a line and need my help, and it is within my power to do so, I will provide it. That's the beauty of social media.
Years ago,it was all about BBS systems. Later it was forums and email loops.Not to mention chat rooms, where people connected in real time. This is just an offshoot of those, as the Internet evolves. Today, it is possible to connect to more people than ever before. It is not narcissistic to be involved with others. On the contrary, it's what makes you human.
T, who really loves the rise of social media
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3 sent chocolate:
I find it all very social. In fact, I started blogging for the social interaction.
Amen, Sister! I get some weird looks when I tell people I blog, but then admitting that I like Facebook, and Twitter, and FriendFeed, and etc. gets even more strange reactions.
Recent blog post: To-Do Tuesday - Week Six
My real life friends look at me strangely when I mention I have friends online. They think they are all really 50 yr old men living in their mother's basement and pretending to be moms with kids, or social media mavens or who knows what. I don't think so. I mean, YOU are all real, right? Right?!
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