Social angst....

What does social mean to you?

I sought out what social means and here is my take on it....  Being social is relating and interacting with people.  While the concept does not state how a person is to relate or interact, but there are some ideas on how a person can relate or interact that do not include electronics.  Oh, you probably just realized that this is my take on social angst when social sites are involved.  Yep, chances are I am either going to piss you off or enlighten you, but the time has come to share my feelings on the subject....

Social sites like Facebook and Twitter are to connect people all over the world in one place.  While the concept is something we all like, it can bring on feelings that we did not ask for.  As I cannot judge what others feel about these social sites, nor can I actually complain about their existence because I can openly admit that I am a Facebook junkie.  I like the concept...  talking to people I do not see on a regular basis, reconnecting with lost friends, making new ones, and all the other pros that social sites can offer.  It is far faster to communicate with someone compared to hand-writing a letter and putting it in the mailbox, and it is far more convenient to share thoughts and ideas to a larger base of people compared to physically driving to parts unknown and seek out people to talk to.  While most of my friends on Facebook are local, I do have a large number of friends that are not.  Okay, enough on my disclosure that I am not trying to bash social sites...

What I have noticed is that these social sites are portraying one large pissing contest.  It seems to boil down to who you know and how many choose to know you.  One thing never considered is that there is a major popularity contest going on and people are getting a little depressed about it.  What has not been taken into consideration is how people try to be social and feel left out.  It could be because of opinion, attitude, or the inability to capture an audience.  What seems to bother me about social sites like these is that it appears to be some anti-socialism brewing under the surface.  This is where my played-out phrase becomes center stage....

"BACK IN MY DAY"... people paid attention to those around them.  There was not internet, no cell phones, and no Facebook.  People actually paid attention to who they were with and were not glued to their cell phone with internet access.  While it is nice to share what you are up to and who you are with, it becomes a huge distraction to actually enjoying a social interaction with actual people.  As stated above, I have no qualms with these social sites...  I just have an issue with how consuming it is to actual life.

While I cannot place blame on people because of this, because I have tendencies to have Facebook up and running throughout my day, I feel that there is a deeper addiction that people are in denial about.  As I cannot confirm, nor deny, there has been times I see people constantly checking their Facebook account while out with friends.  The only way I have managed to avoid joining the increasing numbers of people that cannot step away from sharing everything on Facebook is to not have internet access on my cell phone and I do not carry a laptop everywhere I go.  When I am out with friends, I am focused on them.  While I have caught a few being locked in on their phones, I can only wonder if Facebook is less social in the actual concept of being social.  As I have joked by saying talking is far more effective compared to bantering on the same status update while sitting next to each other....  There is a small ring of truth there.

I guess that is why I rarely try to update my status with anything newsworthy.  I like to be an original, but being original does not get a huge following of comments from my friends.  Chances are, that is where people tend to feel left out, unworthy or even unappreciated.  It has been stated that social sites like Facebook and Twitter have managed to cause depression in people that never experienced it before.  Sadness, frustration and cries for attention seem to be taking center stage.  Kind of like when we were kids trying to "one-up" someone for the coveted spot in the center of the attention.  It makes me wonder how social sites can help a person feel better when algorithmic patterns can make you seem invisible.  That is where I see the anti-socialism brewing under the surface.  Basically, the popular ones taking over what is supposed to be social to the masses.  Is that healthy to one's psyche?  I don't see it, but in real life... being the quiet one in the corner does not make you all that memorable either.

Has these sites made it harder to actually be social in the real world?  You tell me....

Thanks for reading :)