The Toll of Social Media

This semester has really been fascinating to take a deeper look at the various ways people are using social media, either professionally or personally. It seems there is so much out there; how would one ever cover it all? It would take forever! PFB is Listening recently posted that he’s a little afraid of discovering new technologies because of the amount of time the current ones are already occupying during the day. He said it’s the main reason he hasn’t joined Twitter yet.

I joined Twitter awhile ago, but it wasn’t until a couple weeks ago that I finally hooked my phone up to the system. I’m living proof of how new social medias can affect the way people live. Because of my new found love for Twitter, I went ahead and added a 250 message/month plan to my cell phone plan. I thought, 250, yeah that should be enough. Well, I recently checked my usage and I was up to 270, and the billing cycle wasn’t over yet. But, I think I like Twitter so much that I’ll upgrade even further to unlimited messaging. And then there’s the time I spend reading text messages and responding to them. It seems like there are some afternoons when my phone does nothing but alert me to a new message. How did I ever live without Twitter?

It seems that all this technology that can connect us is really taking up a lot of time – time that we could probably be using to be more productive. Do I really need to look at pictures of my friend’s infant nephew on Facebook? But, I for one will never go without it – it has sucked me in, and I don’t think I can go back. As I’m writing this, I’m watching a South Park episode in which the Internet in the United States goes down. Everyone starts freaking out, the town shuts down. People move to Silicon Valley where there is supposedly some Internet to be found, but there isn’t enough for everyone. Think Great Depression era style.

The episode is extreme, I mean they have an Internet refugee camp. It’s not that far off though – every time our Internet goes down at work, I start to panic just a little. And I remember when my Internet was down at home for about a week – I felt lost. These technologies are such a part of my everyday life. I have some friends who don’t have it at home, and I honestly wonder how they accomplish anything. How do you check movie times at the theater? How do you buy plane tickets? What about reading the news? How do you pay your bills?

Yes, the Internet and all the wonderful social media that comes with it has changed my life. The past two years are dramatically different from the two before them. I guess it’s a matter of choice, and you take advantage of what works for you. And, while I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m addicted to Facebook, I am glad my mom is clueless about that portion of the Internet. She already knows far too much about my life already!