Put Down That Device…
Social media has brought us closer in many ways. We can now share a funny moment as it happens instantly with pics or status updates. We can share our album of vacation photos — not only all at once to all our friends, but also as it's happening step-by-step in real time. We can alert the world immediately about the greatest quotes we think they need to survive, the newest restaurant they should try, and all the breaking news of the day — all with just a few clicks & pics.
We can do all of these things in the moment, so we don't risk losing the moment or chance to tell someone. Perhaps the fear is that if you don't do it all that very second, you may forget to share the next time you actually "see" your friends in real life. It's true that sometimes you just "have" to tell someone as soon as it's happened, otherwise it loses it's appeal or you do simply forget about it. But maybe you've also fallen into the trap of sharing en masse, fooling yourself into thinking it's convenient in a world where there's never enough time for individual connection. Aha! Maybe that's the problem: We've lost the art of true individual connection and story telling….
What will you share or talk about when you do actually see that friend next time? There'll be no need to discuss how your trip was….your friend already saw all the great pics & assumes you had a great time. On to the next topic! But which one? You've already discussed everything online, and your friend silently digested it all on their own time without feeling a further need to comment.
Sharing on social media is not something many of us can avoid entirely. It's true there's an element of fun to it all. But we do need to tell more stories to each other…in the flesh, or even on the phone where we can hear each others' voice, listen to the tone, the real laughter, joy, sadness, fear, excitement, surprise….a chance to hear how the story unfolds first-hand…a chance to be in the moment with someone, sharing a true individual connection that can really only be done the "old-fashioned way."
What do you say? Put that device down & give it a try!
~NY Muse