Social Media - good vs. evil

With the onslaught of social media networks, you'd be hard pressed to find any reasonably technology-savvy person who does not belong to some online group.  The term "social media" is broad enough so as to include any social activity that utilizes technology, either through words, images or audio.  Since almost everything is now interactive, we are engaging in social media even if we don't know it. 

The impact of social media is so wide-spread, it would be impossible to attach a value to it.  It ranges from applications like online dating, which have been known to bring people together, and sometimes even to marriage.  Facebook is the driving force behind old friends re-connecting, I can personally vouch for this.  Internet forums like WebMD and ivillage can be an indispensable resource for people looking for health-related information or personal support via message boards and chat.  Instant Messenger has a distinct place in almost all of our day-to-day lives.  Point is, social media is not some passing trend.  It is ubiquitous and relevant.  But it is not without its flaws.  MySpace has tons of uses, but was unfortunately implicated recently as a factor in the suicide of a young girl.

Not pretending to be an expert on the subject, I am a decent consumer of such technology.  But every day as I log on to Web 2.0, I wonder about exactly who I'm exchanging ideas, information, and opinions with.  With not much more than a handle to reveal ourselves, isn't it possible not everyone is who they seem to be?

My sentiments on this vary from site to site.  An application like Twitter, for example, leaves little to hide behind.  Virtually everybody has a URL that leads somewhere.  Most of the time, it's easy to get a feel for who you are dealing with pretty quickly.  Facebook is similar in the sense that you're not really meeting new people, just connecting with those you already know.  I actually am not a fan of receiving friend requests from strangers on Facebook.  Does this make me a Facebook snob?  Maybe.  But it's how I choose to use this social media application.  And I think I'm not alone.

This post is the direct result of an incident that took place on a message board I was visiting today.  As a longtime member of this community, I can say I've seen enough to have a good knowledge of who the regular posters are.  I sometimes wonder though, if not everyone is who they say they are.  Take for example, "John".  The absolute only male on this message board, "John" has an answer for everything, to everyone, all the time.  He portrays himself as super-man and super-dad, a Julia Child in the kitchen and Casanova in the bedroom.  A single dad, "John" has the house immaculate, the windows washed, fresh bread baking in the oven, and a social calendar that rivals that of Paris Hilton.  Add the fact that he is a stay-at-home-dad with a toddler and no significant other and presto!  We have what's called NON-EXISTENT in the real world.  "John" is the reason I chose to abandon posting on this particular site, since I didn't feel like revealing anything to people I felt were imposters.  Imposters headlining in amateur hour.

Therein lies the problem with social media.  While I continue to take advantage of the platforms I believe are enriching, I'm happy to report that I still keep a few warm-bodied friends that I dust off every so often for a check into reality.  And the fact that they can enjoy a good sushi meal and a glass of wine with me doesn't hurt either.

:)   

       

Comments

[Aruni]

Great post! I love twitter and often it's hardest to really know who the people who are following you are...especially when you break the few hundred threshold. I feel good about the people I @ with and feel I have some sense of who they are.

I don't accept friend invites on facebook from people I don't know but I do let people I don't know follow me on twitter. I'm also careful of who I connect with on LinkedIn. It's interesting how we choose to use different social networks.