Social Media - The Cause of Many Problems, and the Bane of Society

[Anonymous]

Technology.

How far it has brought us and what we've become. When I was a kid long many moons ago, we didn't have all this stuff. We had the Atari, the Commodore 64/128, the 1st Apple Computer. Nintendo, Sega Genesis. etc. We didn't even have internet (when I was in high school the internet came out, but a certain person in my family didn't believe in it, but when it was had, he had a poison pen for his other family members.) - Sorry this was a rant... I digress.

MySpace

1st forefront of networking and social media started in 2003..

Everyone was on this bandwagon. This was the hip thing to do before the Yahoo, Aol, chatrooms. This is how we found old friends from high school and college.

Following year. This came out as the new kid in town, and trounced MySpace and is now the #1 social media site in the world. People even create pages for their pets!

Now you will wonder what MyTake is on this. Simple. Social media is there to reconnect with your old friends from high school. This serves as the intermediary between a cell phone call, a text message, or even, dare I say it.. a hand written letter. To see how someone is doing and to catch up and to go out with someone who wants a few drinks or whatever.

But in some instances, Facebook as become what high school life was like. That old clique. Oh I don't want you on my page because you were like xyz. For some, high school was 20 plus years ago. Some who maybe reading this are still in high school, or even in college dealing with that same clique mentality.

Granted, we are private people, but if we were so private would we have a facebook page? Granted, we limit those who aren't in our cliques, or who we didn't think were like you or as cool as you, or the same old argument or excuse "your not my type". What's your type? Pink polka-dot with Dalmatians? This goes the same for Google+.

Now, with the way the world has become. Everyone and their aunt has a facebook page, even people from overseas countries who are either looking to emulate someone, or something, or a cause of something. Or to the other extent, those who are living overseas, to create some form of a page with people who are not them, failing to have a picture to represent them, or an attempt to emulate some actor or actress and go to as far as saying they are them, and putting a fake location and name. When they are just someone who is a basic outcast living in an outcast world.

But again, I digress. Example...

You went to school with John Doe. You grew up with him. When to the same public, intermediate and high school with them. That's a total of 12 years knowing someone. Going to class with them, sitting next to them. Having lunch at a table with them. Attended award ceremonies with them. Hell, you may even seen them in prom if you actually went. You might have even seen them on the local community college before you transferred out to another college.

Flash forward to a few years later. You see John Doe walking on the street, or in a store getting groceries, or even the corner pizzeria getting dinner. You are with your sig. other or a group of friends who you all went to school with and you snicker at him. John Doe sees your looking but pays no mind.

He goes on his Facebook page and "mutual friends" pop up. you two have the same mutual friends but you know other friends as well. He views your page and complements you, you say nothing....

A few years go by and a mutual friend of yours is struggling with a issue. Whether it be due to a weather issue, or a health issue, you reach out and say hello to them again, This is a common cause where a mutual friend needs help, and you still ignore them.

Social media also has become a sounding board where friendships are broken over political ideologies. If you know this person so well and been friends with them so long. You are going to let a politician, who has NO BEARING ON YOUR FRIENDSHIP OR HOW AND WHAT YOU DO IN YOUR OWN PERSONAL LIFE will destroy a years relationship ??

People do change as they get older, but when you live in a medium size pond, you still stick with your group, you may swim off and become a bigger person, but when you stick with your same element and associate with your same element you did not change, you did not grow, you are the same person as you once were.