They're Really Saying, I Love You
I have many favorite songs but there is one song I have loved since I was a child. The song sung by the one and only Louis Armstrong titled, "What A Wonderful World". It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. The tune makes me want to paint something or go outside and climb a tree, well, when I was kid anyway. One of my favorite lines in the song is, "I see friends shaking hands saying how do you do, they're really saying, I love you".
Social Media, the new way to communicate has robbed us of real personal relationships. It has. I wish there was a way to rewind it, delete it or have a rematch. At first it was convenient, then it was optional and now it seems we cannot function without it.
If we have something to sell, social media is free advertisement.
A prayer request, social media.
We cut our finger, social media along with graphic pictures is the way to share. I always love seeing a severed finger before drinking my coffee in the morning. Don't you?
Our child has excelled, we must share on social media.
Our child is struggling, we share on social media. Maybe delete that post before he applies for college.
A butterfly in my garden, you know I just have to share every single picture.
An event. Forget paying for invitation cards and a stamp, let's just create a Facebook event and invite our friends. What about the smart person who is not on social media, will you remember to invite her? I probably wouldn't remember, because I am too busy doing something that I am about to post on social media.
Sharing on social media is short, painless and we can leave out all of the boring details. The readers appreciate this and we then "like" it because it only took us two minutes to catch up with their lives. How convenient. But did we really catch up with you? No, we did not. We just saw a tiny glimpse of your life. We didn't see your face and make eye contact to decide if you needed a hug or and handshake. Social media is like fast food but it's in the form of friendship giving us fast friendships that are not real. And I don't know about you but fast food never makes me feel very good. I want the sit down at the dinner table fancy meal friendships. The ones I use to have before Facebook.
Remember the song, "Video Killed the Radio Star". Facebook killed the Moms Group ministry. It did. There are many other organizations we no longer need because get our quick fix "meet ups" on Facebook.
I recently realized how little I interact with people other than my homeschool group and my few friends at church. I led a ladies bible study in my home last summer and it reminded me of how much I needed real face to face interaction with other women. I am now in a ladies small group at church and I am reminded daily of what I have been missing out on these last few years. So much of what we are involved it represents our priorities. It leads me to the same question that I have placed in front of myself these past few months. Is what I am doing each day eternal?
Suicide is at an all time high because we need more than a like on Facebook. We need personal connections, a hug, a real embrace and understanding words of encouragement that are actually heard. Do you know why the older generation does not understand all the ways to use Facebook? I believe it's because Facebook is unnatural to them, but something that is unnatural has become natural to us.
Think about it. When was the last time you shook someone's hand, other than when your pastor told you to, or hugged that friend who has been there for you. Can you imagine what it would be like if we were sitting in a circle sharing our lives and we had thumbs up signs to hold up when someone shared something. It would be weird wouldn't it. Let that sink it. We are weird. Social Media has made us weird. The older generation are not the ones who are weird and behind in the times. We are weird.
I recently broke up with Facebook and now I am singing a new song, "We are never, ever getting back together".
Have a beautiful day!
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