Social Media-Benefits Even for the Reluctant

Why are you Online? Is it to kill time? To connect with people of similar interests? To vent your frustrations to an unknown audience? For Business reasons? Research and study? 

Surfing the Net has become a ubiquitous activity. When did you last look up the Yellow Pages? Or use a Dictionary? Our lives are changing rapidly and our means of sourcing knowledge is impacting and permeating every aspect of the economy.


There are dangers of ignoring 'the elephant in the room' however. There was a time a decade or so ago when it was kind of cute to rebel against the mobile phone. A generation is beginning to realize that adapting to texting, email and social networking is virtually imperative if they wish to maintain contact with kids grand kids and extended family. How many Christmas cards are you expecting this year? Less I'm guessing than 5 years ago.


At some point we all make decisions whether to embrace or rebel against a technology. We can try ignoring it for awhile but eventually we are forced to confront it. We make decisions NOT to smoke or NOT to email or NOT to Facebook. 


This is not a choice of right versus wrong, but our choices determine how connected we are to our community. I'd love to have the time to randomly call up friends, relatives, former sporting acquaintances, previous work colleagues and interesting people I've recently been introduced to, but alas I don't have 10 hours a day to chew the fat and nurture these relationships. And neither I guess do they.


What happens therefore is that these relationships wither on the vine and are sporadically rekindled at weddings and funerals. In times long gone you could go down to the 'Local' Church or Market and maintain dozens of relationships-for most these times are gone.


The value of Social networking is not that it affords the opportunity to broadcast drivel to the world, rather that relationships can be renewed, cultivated and new ones engaged in relatively easily. I still don't have time to engage directly with thousands of Online Connections, but I can keep in touch with those that allow me albeit fleetingly pop up on their Twitter or Facebook forums. 


The challenge today is that it is becoming increasingly difficult to keep in touch with those who are not in our immediate circle so I encourage all those who though reluctant to embrace social media technology to consider giving it a go-you might be surprised at who connects with you-and if Online interaction is not textured enough for your tastes, it can certainly facilitate face to face 'catch ups' offline.


Hope your day is progressing well-always welcoming of comments-Cheers Kiaran