Public Service Announcement

Hello my blogalicious friends in bloggyville!  Today I would like to tackle an issue that just drives me bonkers.  I will warn you that I have my sassy pants on and am feeling a bit punchy and this will likely be evident in the following discussion (which you may later deem a 'rant')


I am an extrovert, and I thoroughly enjoy connecting with people and building relationships.  I do not discriminate in my selection of communication medium, whether it be Facebook, a blog, email, text, letters, journals, in person, or on the phone, I love connecting with people.  I get satisfaction out of having scintillating conversations with people who have a view point.  I have many passions and I am also a sponge - soaking up as much information as is humanly possible.  So, when you marry my love of communication, the busy world we live in, and my love for writing, you get a sizable amount of texting, blogging, and 'Facebooking'.  


Now, what really grinds my gears...is when I get involved in conversations about the 'appropriate use of Facebook' and the perceptions of 'bloggers'.  Boy oh boy do I have an opinion on this one.  Here goes...



Facebook:  This social networking website is insanely successful and addicting.  It is a place for all personalities and walks of life to connect and share information (a lot like a mini world wide web).  It's a place where social butterflies like myself can flourish without going out every night and spending hundreds of dollars while eating up precious time.  It is also a place that people who dislike being in the spotlight can freely express themselves and observe others.  There are many MANY other reasons that this website is so viable, but that is their marketing department's job to explain, not mine.  


Okay, so we have a social networking site, and a bunch of people who have opinions and nothing better to do with their time than complain that the site is working exactly how it was designed to...do you see a disconnect?  If not, I will be sure to point it out for you.  I have heard sentiments (by avid facebookers) that people need to either censor their facebook posts, not post all of the time, not air concerns, or just stop posting because "who cares if you are brushing your teeth, we don't!"  Alrighty, I have an easy remedy...are you ready??


You have THREE options:
1.  Learn how to use the site so that you can filter out the people you do not want to receive updates about.
2.  DON'T participate in a website that you so passionately disapprove of.
3.  Get over yourself and realize that what is really bugging you is the fact that these people are doing something that puts them "on a level" that you (in all of your glory) would never stoop to.  Has it ever occurred to you that your rants about Facebook are EXACTLY what you are pissing and moaning about?  The people that enjoy Facebook...DON'T CARE if you don't like it because you have a choice to NOT READ IT!


WHEW....Okay, on to bloggers.  Have you noticed that there is a stigma in some circles of a "blogger"?  A couple of descriptors I have heard in my personal life, and in movies are: "Self Centered", "Conceited", "Overly Vocal", and "Narcissistic" to name a few.  I would like to disagree with this stigma.  If you surf the many websites that host blogs, you will notice that the vast majority of them are people who have massive networks of people who have asked for updates, families who come together to share information in one central website, people with hilarious viewpoints on things and want a place to share said viewpoints, or people who are passionate about a cause and want to help in some way shape or form.  I have a blog, and the people closest to me would say I am outgoing but not selfish.  I am personally passionate about recovery from eating disorders, connecting with people through the written word, and journaling...could there be a more appropriate venue for these passions?...I think NOT.  Once again, if you are one of these people with a negative view of bloggers, (you probably aren't reading this), and if you are, I would encourage you to check the attitude at the door and realize that you have your passions and would be hurt if said passions were judged negatively by others without the chance to stand up for yourself.  


So really, what I am saying is:  We are in an age of digital communication, and every time society changes, there is a bit of friction.  When the telephone came out, people who had always written letters and met personally were scared that the intimacy would be taken out of community, and at that time the world got a little bit smaller, then came the TV where we suddenly were able to hear news from places we may have never heard of, and the world was smaller yet and so on and so forth.  Throughout the advancement of technology, the personalization of communication has been inversely proportional to the amount of people we network with.  I know for a fact that when my parents were limited to telephones and letters, they did not have nearly the same amount of friends and acquaintances as this generation does with text, facebook, email, twitter, blogs, letters, cell phones, Skype, and the many other modes of communication.   


The ultimate issue is that people need connection and communication


Glad to communicate with you!
Haley