Sunday, November 27, 2011

Social Media Working Against Me

As I'm sure every one knows, I love Social Media. I am constantly connected to Facebook or Foursquare or Twitter. I share quite a bit. I don't consider myself an oversharer, but I do update my "friends" and followers often. I see this as one of the points of Social Media.


I never ask myself, "Who cares about that, chaz??"


But some times my status updates and tweets and check-ins work against me. Every one knows everything about me. If I go to a get-together or a family function, inevitably the conversation turns to "so... what have you been up to?" And people talk about their children or work or school or the relationship they just got out of. Until they get to me.


"Oh, I know what YOU've been up to... I'm always reading your facebook status changes!"


And then everyone has a little laugh about how much I share my life with "the world." Which isn't really true, but I put up with it and smile along.


We won't get into the fact that most of my Facebook "friends" or Twitter followers don't comment on my updates, they just stalk my feed to see what I've been up to or what witty thing I have to say.


(I once heard second hand that a friend of mine wakes up every Monday just to see how many/which adjectives I will use to describe how much I dislike Mondays.)


Because I share so much on Social Media, I am cut off when it comes to explaining what I've been up to lately. I don't get to take place in that conversation.


So what is the solution? Should I stop sharing so much? Should I block my family and friends from seeing my updates? Should I stop going to get-togethers?


I don't see any of those as a possibility. At the moment.


I am a guy who enjoys talking and conversating, and Social Media is working against me. Or maybe I am working against me. After all, no one is forcing me to tweet or update my status. When I post something, I'm not thinking about talking about it later at a party. I'm just thinking about what is happening right now. And that, I think, is one of the points of Social Media: share what you're thinking at the moment.


But I always have more to say. If given the chance, I can always expand on my tweets and status updates.


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