Social Networking has become the primary form of communication and in many cases socializing for most people. I won't deny that it has it's benefits. It is a good way to keep in touch with family and friends who are far away, you can meet people you otherwise wouldn't have the opportunity to meet, and it has become a great way to disseminate information. The downside, however, is that it has managed to distance us from one another. Although social networking has put us all in contact with one another, I find that real connections are not made or are weakened.
People can be whomever they choose on these sites and so one doesn't always get to know the real person behind the profile. Rarely does one get significant insight into a person in 140 characters or status updates. Now, there are even sayings, cartoons, and pictures one can post so they don't even have to use their own words. Some broadcast more information than is needed, but even then, that is only part of who that person is. In all actuality, what we get from each other is the "persona" we create for social networking, not the person we really are.
Face to face communication provides more cues for better understanding and connection than does social networking, texting, tweeting, emailing, or even phone conversations. When communicating face to face, you don't just have words, but you have the voice which conveys tone, inflection, and volume. There's also facial expressions like a smile, frown, raised eyebrows, etc. that aid in delivering a message. Let's not forget body language which is particularly telling. One's words may say one thing, but their body language can tell an entirely different story. We also have to consider the environment you're in. Noises, smells, likes and dislikes can give clues about a person and can effect how they communicate. All of the emoticons in the world can't replace these cues.
It's nice to see people send prayers and words of encouragement to their "friends" when they are going through trials. But what if what the person needs is a shoulder to cry on, a hug, or an ear to listen to things they'd rather not tell to the world? Even joyful news is best celebrated in person among family and friends. There are people whose physical presence resonate so profoundly within me that I feel immediately connected to them without them having spoken a word. It's a feeling that I rarely get online.
I'm not condemning social networking, texting, or emailing. I am advocating a return to real personal connections. See the person not the persona, be the person, not the persona. There are enough obstacles to intimacy (intimacy being defined as : a close, familiar, and usually affectionate or loving personal relationship with another person or group) and togetherness. Social networking is great for making contact, face to face is best for making connections. Love and light.
People can be whomever they choose on these sites and so one doesn't always get to know the real person behind the profile. Rarely does one get significant insight into a person in 140 characters or status updates. Now, there are even sayings, cartoons, and pictures one can post so they don't even have to use their own words. Some broadcast more information than is needed, but even then, that is only part of who that person is. In all actuality, what we get from each other is the "persona" we create for social networking, not the person we really are.
Face to face communication provides more cues for better understanding and connection than does social networking, texting, tweeting, emailing, or even phone conversations. When communicating face to face, you don't just have words, but you have the voice which conveys tone, inflection, and volume. There's also facial expressions like a smile, frown, raised eyebrows, etc. that aid in delivering a message. Let's not forget body language which is particularly telling. One's words may say one thing, but their body language can tell an entirely different story. We also have to consider the environment you're in. Noises, smells, likes and dislikes can give clues about a person and can effect how they communicate. All of the emoticons in the world can't replace these cues.
It's nice to see people send prayers and words of encouragement to their "friends" when they are going through trials. But what if what the person needs is a shoulder to cry on, a hug, or an ear to listen to things they'd rather not tell to the world? Even joyful news is best celebrated in person among family and friends. There are people whose physical presence resonate so profoundly within me that I feel immediately connected to them without them having spoken a word. It's a feeling that I rarely get online.
I'm not condemning social networking, texting, or emailing. I am advocating a return to real personal connections. See the person not the persona, be the person, not the persona. There are enough obstacles to intimacy (intimacy being defined as : a close, familiar, and usually affectionate or loving personal relationship with another person or group) and togetherness. Social networking is great for making contact, face to face is best for making connections. Love and light.
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