Social media is for social connections

I am quite sick of people vilifying social media.

It is a platform for you to use as you deem fit. Maybe it shows you what you don't want to accept in yourself. Jealousy? Over-competitiveness? It is not Facebook's fault. It is yours. 

Love seeing baby elephants frolicking in a tub of water? You would feel the same way whether it was online or right in front of you.

The connection and accessibility social media provides is a blessing. Period. I find it amazing that I can share good moments (and tips) with people I care about. Good food, roses, new plans. And, also reach out for help with lizards in the house!

Obviously, everybody's life is so much more than what their timeline shows. What a person puts up on their social platform is a minuscule vignette of their journey that they want to share with friends. Being a friend on Facebook is as much a privilege as being one in real life.

I delight in the joy of seeing my neighbor from across the lake wave at me when we are both reveling in the miracle of a full rainbow, but the same joy fills my heart when I share photos of the same rainbow with friends I connect with only online. If there are those in my 'Friends' list who are not happy seeing me enjoy whatever it is I am sharing, or not commiserating with what I am complaining about, then those are names I need to delete not only from my list, but also from my life. 

The internet is a priceless tool for.... well, just about everything. I can tweet to get the attention of the courier service that's not responding to calls, or I can tweet to eviscerate someone unnecessarily. The internet and social media have made finding things much easier - the good and the bad.  Find the story behind a Bernini sculpture, or find pornography. 

You can connect with wonderful people, but you can also come across the criminal and the insane. I do feel though, that it is so much safer when it is just online. The real danger is not the internet, it is actual contact with someone with malicious intent. 

The internet has not made the world dangerous. it has just brought its dangers into the light and the imperative need to address them. Social media does not make people unhappy, it drives the need to define our own happiness. It does not alienate. It can be invaluable means to fight the loneliness modern lifestyle brings about. The onus is on us to recognize and utilize our unique place in it. 

Humanity and society can grow and progress in wonderful new ways if we can all use social media for what it was made for - being social.