Being of a certain age, it is almost inevitable that when it comes to social media I am more than a little out of my depth. I understand the concept – I’m not a total goof – but the different options confuse me.
Twitter seems to be an easy and fun way to stalk your favourite celebs and just moan about stuff that no one else really gives a monkey about, as well as providing a platform for mindless nobodies to be rude and vitriolic about everyone else.
Facebook seems far too personal and have far too much detail – again at least 50% seems to be stuff that no one gives a toss about. Also, Facebook seems to still be the front runner for all things voyeuristic. It is really lovely that you had Greek yoghurt and strawberries for breakfast but I’m not sure how that affects me or my day.
Instagram is a total mystery to me – why post something that is only available to view for a nano second? Plus, I remember when posting something involved stamps and envelopes and real excitement when a hand written letter landed on the mat, not arrived on the wall!
I also remember when Friends Reunited was a thing (everyone under 30 you can go and make a cuppa and come back later) Friends Reunited was a way to see if the bully you sat next to in French for all those years had made a success of herself and if the skinny kid who pulled your pig tails in Maths had blossomed into a well-rounded human being. But this obsession with catching up with all our past acquaintances is beyond me. There is a reason they are in the past. House moves, job changes, kids growing up are all elements that take us in different directions socially and allow us to make new friends and say goodbye to old.
How many times do you hear yourself saying ‘we must meet for a catch up/ coffee/ drink’ when you know you a) don’t mean it and b) don’t have time for it? If you had a meaningful heartfelt relationship with everyone you ever met you’d never have time to do anything else.
And whilst to begin with social media offered us a virtual curtain twitch, its addictive nature means we now spend as much time checking on the hundreds of random bods whose lives we believe are so exciting they are worth us putting ours on hold and who have no real bearing on our existence, that we are losing the time and ability to have a real conversation with a real person who may just turn out to be a permanent fixture rather than a fleeting glimpse. Friends should be people you can call on in times of need, people to whom you can go for no particular reason other than you just need company and people for whom you would drop everything if they needed you.
So, whilst we have all the technology at our finger tips to follow, post and comment upon hundreds of lives, might I suggest that a bit of effort nearer to home is a far more rewarding way to spend a daily moment or two.