Is Social Media taking over your life? OK, let's be more precise:
Do you use Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, or some Smart Phone Apps more than you suspect is good for you?
Are you starting to hear people who think they are talking to you become ominously silent when they notice you keep glancing at the screen of your phone?
Have you ever been with a group of people in which no one is making eye contact much less conversation because they are each fondling their own electronic device?
Ever turned down a social occasion so you could get home and 'harvest your crops'? (or play some other electronic game solo)
When you sit down on the commode, do you entertain yourself with your smart phone or your tablet?
Have you spent more than an hour cruising YouTube looking for cats, dogs or babies?
Do you 'follow' a celebrity on Twitter?
Have you ever posted what you ate at some ordinary meal on Facebook?
Have you ever sent 'the cutest thing EVER' as a mass email to your entire address book?
And, I suppose, do you send out a massive email whenever you write a post on your blog?
I read Real Simple (in paper, not electrons), and each month the magazine has a theme. They do have "Christmas" issues, but they also have interesting themes such as this January when the theme is "A Balanced Life". One discussion in the issue is how easy it's become to have your life consumed and dominated by electronic gadgets.
I've been thinking about the electrons weaving themselves around us for some time now. Some incidents stand out over the past ten years. Sarah (daughter) got one of the first iphones. I played with it for only 15 minutes that December when I realized what a game changer this piece of electronics was going to be. I can still remember the chill that went down my spine when it dawned on me I was holding an entire computer in my hand as well as a camera and a phone. My next thought was: I want one.
As a teacher I despaired of the legions of fellow teachers who were wholeheartedly rejecting using computers in their classrooms. As teaching tools, computers have no equals. They should be employed to revolutionize our decaying public education system. Is it going to happen? Well, it has to if you are interested in the USA being competitive in the world in the 21st century. Is it going to be painful? Probably. Why? See the first sentence in this paragraph.
As a parent I felt I was constantly fighting what now seems to be the laughably primitive media bombarding my household. When Sarah was a child, television seemed to be getting so violent and so sexually explicit. Movies were even worse. I pity parents today. How can you control those electrons seducing your children? Where are the lines? How much is too much exposure? What if it's educational? Doesn't every kid these days need to be computer savvy as early as possible? Of course, there's the entire issue of American childhood obesity which any fool can see is linked to those pesky electrons.
Another incident that stands out in my mind is a social occasion about five years ago in which a group of closely acquainted people were together. We flew on airplanes to spend time with one another to celebrate an important occasion. Our first evening together, we are sitting in a circle, and gradually I realized that one after another every person was no longer participating socially - they were all interacting with their phones! No one was making a telephone call. It was the first time I'd seen the social disconnect caused by hand held electronic equipment. In 2014, teenagers really don't like to have real time conversations face to face. According to one of the Real Simple articles, teens cite there's too much pressure in real time situations to think about what to say or how to respond.
Do I think we should reject technology and our smart tools? Absolutely not. Here in Sun City there are still dinosaurs who are participating in their own cultural extinction. They don't "DO" computers. However, even the seniors use of technology is on the dramatic rise - up from 13% ten years ago to over 50% this year. In New Hampshire, I taught two lovely ladies in their 80's how to use the laptops their helpful families had given them.
Drake and my vagabond lifestyle would not be possible without our smart tools connected to the internet. My mother-in-law has moved 38 times in her lifetime. By moving so many times, her entire family didn't make many lasting friendships as most of the people they left behind faded from their lives. One of the joys of this new technology is you don't have to lose touch with fun and interesting people who pass through your life. It still takes effort to make friends, but the electrons can make it seem as if you still live just down the block.
Electrons, electrons. Seems like I struggle to live with them and without them. I do know they are causing a world wide upheaval and reshaping entire cultures including ours. I guess it's up to each of us to decide if this revolution is going to be positive or negative. I do know that it's unstoppable. So, these are my thoughts winging their way to you via those marvelous electrons.
