This is a post I wrote ages ago, but got lost in the drafts of the S’eclairer Blog I thought I’d share. My trying to bring tech and social media thoughts to the new age medicine and mindfulness practices they provide over at Seclairer.com. Read it, share your thoughts!
Getting to know people isn’t easy. I know. I struggled with being outgoing throughout school days. I was the kid that would have probably have been ok sitting at home, playing video games all day. There are plenty of people like that out there.
These days, the barriers to socializing have been lowered. Some may find going out to the bar or club intimidating. For some, even the thought of socializing at a coffee shop may be too much to bear.
These days you see it all of the time. Our community is in our phone, and we’re not making calls. Parents have a bigger problem than ever prying the phone away from their text frenzied friends.
But it’s not all bad.
Crossing Boundaries
Proof of this can be found in the social media community in the Pittsburgh area. Thanks to a decidedly ridiculous sounding service, Twitter, this circle of friends and acquaintances has grown exponentially. A varied group of technology enthusiasts, bloggers, and media creators even have a weekly softball game during the summer. I sometimes and look at this crew of mommy bloggers, newspaper writers, TV and Radio voices, programmers, and regular joes that would have most likely never have crossed paths.
Distance is ignored.
One of the big phenomenon of Facebook, and for some maybe a curse, is what’s happening with old friends reconnecting from their school days. Previously, most that would leave their home town to further their education or find work would just cut off after that. You would maybe see your old friends after 10 or 20 years at a reunion and catch up. These days, you can find all of those people and keep up day to day. I, myself, had little expectation to catch up with anyone post college outside of a limited circle of friends.
When You Don’t Have the Time….
What these tools seem to do is lower that barrier. Reduce the friction that keeps you from picking up the phone to your parents when you can simply share something cool or message them. For example, I find myself a bit busy, so I directed my father to my Twitter stream, and those of my friends he wanted to keep track on. That way, when I call, my dad doesn’t have as much to catch up on with us and we can have more conversations, or he can expand upon what else is going on.
How you looking to close the gap? Are you using Social Media to branch out? Tell us or ask any questions in the comments!
Michael Sorg is a Social Media expert trying to spread knowledge on how to use free tools to communicate and continue the conversation. Find out more at SorgatronMedia.com.