People Fascinate Me

I am fascinated with people. I love people. It’s a good thing really. GOD has called us to love others as ourselves, and I think a healthy interest in other people is part of just that. I love connecting with people, and the social media blitz of today is all about making those connections. Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Friendster and others allow us instant access to people near and far, celebrities and close friends, relatives and co-workers, etc. So it’s all good, right?

Hmmmm…I’m not sure. Like anything, I think moderation is key. Too much of a good thing can be bad for us just like large quantities of chocolate, donuts and ice cream, and I think I’ve reached that point. Over the last few months, I’ve been noting an alarming personal trend. I’ve experienced more loneliness, more utter dissatisfaction and unrest in my life. And all of this angst while I’ve been more “plugged” into the lives of others via social media than ever before.

I think my life has somewhat become a “keeping up with the Joneses” scenario. I’m struggling to keep up on the lives of 400+ of my “closest friends.” HA! I’m following several authors on Twitter and learning about their lives and projects. I’m laughing at the antics of my friends on Facebook. It’s fun. It’s enjoyable, but it’s not always healthy or at least, I’m finding it less so. I’m too preoccupied and pulled into too many different directions, and I feel like my “live” relationships are suffering.

Social media should NOT replace actual face-time with friends or catch-up phone calls with relatives across the country. It shouldn’t be a substitute for actually giving of my time to get to know someone better in person. Just knowing a factoid about them or where they had breakfast doesn’t usurp my friendship responsibility to take a more active interest in their lives and have a real one-on-one conversation.

Social media in a way allows us to disengage from people’s lives. We might know more about a person’s daily activities and in some cases, how they are feeling, but somehow, we’re reaching out even less to our “neighbor.” At least, I feel like I am. That’s sad. I don’t need to call my friend to check on them because they seemed just fine on Facebook, and no one would lie on Facebook or tell less than the complete truth, right? I don’t need to schedule dinner with my friend because I got caught up on his life via Twitter, and so we're good for a while, right? Not really!

So while in theory, it seems like I should feel more connected than before, the opposite is true. My relationships feel more fractured, more disjointed. Almost as if I’m experiencing information overload, but it’s not quality stuff. I know more details about someone else’s life, but I know less of the real them. I’m giving less of myself really.

So what does it all mean? I don’t know. Am I bailing out from Facebook? Not yet. Am I done with Twitter? I don’t think so. I did recently opt to close MySpace account though for good reason. It was my least favorite outlet, and I grew tried of the trash-talking and cheesy come-ons. No thank you!! And honestly, I’m just trying to re-think how I use these social media outlets. I like them. I really do, but I think I need to more thoughtfully weigh and pursue my time options…