Resurrect Personal Connections

Social media and the myriad of choices available.  I use Facebook mostly for my social media.  But I also have a twitter account and I use Instagram.  Then there is Snapchat.  I mostly just use that with my daughter in college.  And then there is LinkedIn (does anyone really use this for networking?)

I find it all a little crazy.  When it the right time to use Twitter vs. Facebook.  And since you can post from Twitter to Facebook is it overload?  What about Instagram? I used to just post pictures directly to Facebook.  Now, we use Instagram and use filters to make the pictures look like they were taken in the 1970's and they have faded.  Glad we have upgraded our technology...

I was with a bunch of high school kids at a church event and we were doing an Instagram Scavenger Hunt.  I told the kids that since they had to be in the pictures I would take them and post them with the Hashtag.  One of the kids said "YOU have an Instagram?"  "Yes" I replied "I have kids that keep me up to date"  That brought a laugh from everyone but it was a reality check.

Why do we have to have so many different ways to connect?  And does it make our connections any better?  Do we connect differently now because we have these social media hubs.  I'm sure there are even more that I have no idea about.  I'm pretty sure that my college age daughter uses some other apps that connect her to different groups at school.  But is it all too much?  What happened to have a face to face conversation (and I don't mean FaceTime).

How many times have you been out to dinner and noticed that at the table next to you there are 4 people and none of them are talking to each other.  Instead they are looking at their phones and either posting pictures of the food they are eating or reading updates from others.  Or, they are just texting the next person that they are going to see.  How sad that a phone with the world in your hands makes you  not see the world right in front of you.

I admit I have been that person with the phone on the table waiting to see who would text/call or Facebook me while I was out.  I have tried to make an effort to put the phone away while with people.  Let's get back to making connections with people in person.  It is a skill that is dying, let's resurrect it.