Yesterday I wrote, the problem with social media is people aren't being very sociable. I posted that, tongue in cheek, as it was just a fleeting thought. But the thought returned and I begin to think about what it is I was saying. I don't always know what I'm saying, sometimes I have to write it down to understand that. Well if you want to know what you believe, write. When I'm writing the words just flow out and at times I'm surprised. Each time I am surprised, I learn something new about myself.
Now as far as this social media goes I'm thinking it is the delay in reaction that causes some to become unsociable. We all look for those " likes " and " comments " on our postings. If we weren't, we wouldn't bother posting them in the first place. It is certainly easier to elicit a response with a negative post. Something I've said in the past is, emotions are great motivators but seldom good guides. That sentiment has been expressed in different ways, it isn't a new discovery on my part. I was never concerned with such but have known those that made it a competition to grow their " friends " list. Ironically the greatest number of people of that list weren't friends at all.
I do enjoy sharing photo's and stories with others. I enjoy looking at theirs as well. Many times however there is no explanation of just what we are looking at. Images without stories don't usually move us to speak, at least not much beyond, it's pretty or that's interesting. That's understandable when there is no personal interaction between the people. It is the same when these social media " friends " have never met in person. Our online presence is certainly different than our in person presence. It is the lack of facial expression, tone of voice and other non-verbal nuances that cause that. I don't believe many consciously alter themselves when online, although I'm quite certain a few do. I also believe the " delay " plays an important role in all of this. When online we do operate on a delay. We pause before responding, sometimes we erase that thought altogether and replace it with another, something you can't do in person. The " I take it back " response isn't usually accepted. Or when it is, it is viewed as a victory by the one it was said to. You are now indebted to me for that injustice. That's human nature.
But I think the biggest challenge to social media is being sociable. The reason is a basic one. We are all living in a slightly different society. It's what we call the neighborhood. Each neighborhood is a little different from the next. As a result the way we react to everything is a little different. All of us do tend to adopt the crowd mentality. It is only the size of the crowd that differs and defines us. America is known for its' independent thinking. Isn't that why we resisted the rule of the King? The people that traveled to this land did so for gain. We can romanticize that all we want, but the bottom line was to improve our condition. The society we came from was restrictive and we broke free. In the beginning the crowd wasn't very large or very diverse in their thinking. That's why we say we all shared the dream that is America. Now the crowd has grown, not just in America, but in the world. On social media we are dealing with the neighborhood of the world.
How do you react in a social situation? Are you one to share your thoughts or are you one that tends to listen? Anyone that knows me knows I will voice my opinion. I'm not one to just go along with the crowd. I will share my honest thoughts and beliefs with you. Am I amicable? That's not for me to say, I'm not the judge of that. The path to popularity has always been a difficult one for me. I guess that is simply because I don't really care if I get there or not. What I mean is, I have to be who I am first, and hope that you like that. Yes it's a disappointment when you don't, but not a tragedy. Is it my fault? Only when I know I wasn't being me, that's when I fail. I have learned one thing, if nothing else. You are responsible for your own happiness, no one can give that to you, you have to create that for yourself.
Now as far as this social media goes I'm thinking it is the delay in reaction that causes some to become unsociable. We all look for those " likes " and " comments " on our postings. If we weren't, we wouldn't bother posting them in the first place. It is certainly easier to elicit a response with a negative post. Something I've said in the past is, emotions are great motivators but seldom good guides. That sentiment has been expressed in different ways, it isn't a new discovery on my part. I was never concerned with such but have known those that made it a competition to grow their " friends " list. Ironically the greatest number of people of that list weren't friends at all.
I do enjoy sharing photo's and stories with others. I enjoy looking at theirs as well. Many times however there is no explanation of just what we are looking at. Images without stories don't usually move us to speak, at least not much beyond, it's pretty or that's interesting. That's understandable when there is no personal interaction between the people. It is the same when these social media " friends " have never met in person. Our online presence is certainly different than our in person presence. It is the lack of facial expression, tone of voice and other non-verbal nuances that cause that. I don't believe many consciously alter themselves when online, although I'm quite certain a few do. I also believe the " delay " plays an important role in all of this. When online we do operate on a delay. We pause before responding, sometimes we erase that thought altogether and replace it with another, something you can't do in person. The " I take it back " response isn't usually accepted. Or when it is, it is viewed as a victory by the one it was said to. You are now indebted to me for that injustice. That's human nature.
But I think the biggest challenge to social media is being sociable. The reason is a basic one. We are all living in a slightly different society. It's what we call the neighborhood. Each neighborhood is a little different from the next. As a result the way we react to everything is a little different. All of us do tend to adopt the crowd mentality. It is only the size of the crowd that differs and defines us. America is known for its' independent thinking. Isn't that why we resisted the rule of the King? The people that traveled to this land did so for gain. We can romanticize that all we want, but the bottom line was to improve our condition. The society we came from was restrictive and we broke free. In the beginning the crowd wasn't very large or very diverse in their thinking. That's why we say we all shared the dream that is America. Now the crowd has grown, not just in America, but in the world. On social media we are dealing with the neighborhood of the world.
How do you react in a social situation? Are you one to share your thoughts or are you one that tends to listen? Anyone that knows me knows I will voice my opinion. I'm not one to just go along with the crowd. I will share my honest thoughts and beliefs with you. Am I amicable? That's not for me to say, I'm not the judge of that. The path to popularity has always been a difficult one for me. I guess that is simply because I don't really care if I get there or not. What I mean is, I have to be who I am first, and hope that you like that. Yes it's a disappointment when you don't, but not a tragedy. Is it my fault? Only when I know I wasn't being me, that's when I fail. I have learned one thing, if nothing else. You are responsible for your own happiness, no one can give that to you, you have to create that for yourself.
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