Recently, I have been exposed to the concept of "social media" alot.. through work, through random discussions and through my recent registration on Google+. Social media, probably one of the most earth-shattering revolutions inh the 21st century, is taking over the world. Or so we think. I'm not sure yet how much we really need it, but it has definitely become a quintessential part of our life and part of how companies do their business.
I am no expert on the workings of social media, but i am undoubtedly part of it. Unashamedly. I blog. I tweet. I check in on foursquare. I wrote my first tripadvisor review last week (though it wasn't published, i think it was too well written to be credible). And I have a Google+ account.
Often, I wonder what draws people to participating so actively in social media. It seems to be a huge generational thing, and basically, it stems from a desire to be heard. Now, what is the correlation between this generation and the desire to be heard? What happened along the years to emphasize this desire? Or have humans always wanted to be heard, but never had the accessible channel? One article described ancient cave drawings as a form of social media. I can understand that, but it didn't have the speed and far-fetching consequences that social media has today. Social media has taken down governments, I'm sure it could take down a brand.
So anyway, this desire to be heard, to share stories, to read about other people's stories, to connect with strangers - where does this desire come from? Is it because the current generation has been so involved in the economic boom characteristic of the last decades, that humans have forgotten how to socialize in person? Do we feel forgotten and forsaken, to a certain extent, such that we seek to establish connection with whoever is willing to listen/read? And blogging! This scream to be heard, to be "somebody" in the cyber universe... it all makes sense to me, but seems nonsensical at the same time. If it's already challenging being heard in the normal human universe, doesn't it seem even crazier to want to create a cyber universe (thus enlarging our TOTAL universe) and attempt to establish a presence?? Very odd!!
The internet used to be a playground because everyone could be anonymous. Yes, the experts and the sneakies could still sniff out your true identity, but by and large, you could take on a handle (nickname) and take on another identity. Perhaps a "cooler" identity, perhaps more goodlooking, more eloquent, more outgoing. But these days, it's actually incredible being anonymous on the internet. Google+ came along and connected all the dots. My gmail is connected to my Google+ which has also connected by blogspot account. And through blogspot, I am connected to my twitter account and flickr account. And through my twitter account, i am connected to Facebook and Linkedin. It is no longer to be humourous on Facebook, critical on Blogspot and professional on Linkedin.
We are trapped in our own doings. The vast, endless cyber universe has us, pardon the language, "by the balls". We are out there, but no where at the same time.
That being said, I still have this blog. So why do i participate so much in social media? Perhaps, I add value. Sometimes with my travel tips, sometimes with tales of adventure, and at one point, i hope to impart some knowledge through this blog.
And rarely... okay, sometimes... I wonder if someone feels the way i do about certain topics, understand what I mean, agrees with what i look out for in life, or connects with me on some level. Almost sounds like i'm looking for a soulmate. Maybe that's it. The big question mark as to whether, on this earth of 6.8 billion, there are people like me. Maybe if we met, we would be really good friends.. but for some reason or another, not attributed to fate or destiny, it is not possible.
At the end of the day, we all want to feel special, no matter what our beliefs are. Some of us believe in reincarnation and that we will be around for a long time. Some of us believe that our existence is fleeting and that we are here because we are here, and there is no need to think so hard about it.
While we seek these answers to justify why we are here, i guess we will just continue to ride this BIG social media wave to convince ourselves that we are "somebody" and that we can add value/ make a difference/ make someone's life better via a tip or two.
VERY VERY STRANGE.
Where you going, big fella?
Life in the fast lane.
Sorry to disturb! Don't go!!!
A Fish Market. hurr hurr hurr.
This could be a waiting area for... the dentist?
