Social Media!

Today for my blog entry, I want to talk about social media. The subject, remains controversial; just like 'Marmite', you either love it or hate it. To be honest, at the beginning when I first brought a computer in 1998, I thought I would never buy one again.  My first PC, brought from Argos, was a nightmare; slow and cumbersome.  I was so annoyed and frustrated, that within a week of purchasing this monstrosity, I wrapped it back up, in its box and frog marched the offending item back to the outlet, from where I purchased it, refusing to leave the premises, without a full refund. It worked, my money was refunded and I vowed never to get another PC again; that was the end of modernity for me!

Of course times change, computers got faster and my job demanded I use one of these dreadful machines on a daily basis; within a short while, I was hooked, like everything else in my compulsive, obsessive life.  It wasn't until 2004, that I really became interested in technology.  I had time on my hands, a lot of time, to utilise however I wished.  I spent a long period, reading and researching, different subjects; one of which was computers.  I studied everything about them and within a short space of time, had bought the biggest, tallest case I could find and built my own desk top, neon flashing lights, water cooling system, everything you could possibly imagine. It was only natural, thereafter to get involved in the internet, something I hadn't really done up to this point.

​I set up my first social media account, with 'myspace', in 2005, reluctantly.  At the time it was the most popular platform and within a few months, had embraced it fully. 'facebook' entered my life a few years later;  originally, in my internet infancy, I hated it, but once again became comfortable  very quickly, having been a member  for about ten years now. 

Initially, I found facebook pretty banal and still do to an extent. You see, nobody really says how they feel in their status updates; everyone is trying to outdo someone else, post pictures of their dinner, nails or new hair cut; most people, really have very little to say, just like they don't, in real life; this goes for any social network. Others like instagram, I find even worse. Filtered, airbrushed photographs, of everyone looking beautiful.  For those people, who's lives are not so seemingly perfect, this can lead to a lot of insecurities, problems with low self esteem and jealousy.  The one thing all of us should remember, is other people only allow us to see what they want us to see. Lives are not perfect, all of the time, if ever!

When I joined facebook, I made a constant effort to be as true and honest as I could; I wanted to do things differently.  My status updates were honest, blunt and to the point; my photographs were not edited and my views on everything were unmistakable. In a nutshell, people knew exactly who I was and what I was about; this is when my problems started. People do not like honesty; within a short space of time, I had lost friends, had complaints and been blocked, from people who I regarded as close. They had got fed up with my ranting, which it has to be said, was at times inappropriate and out of hand.

Two years ago, I started blogging.  This was a conscious decision, one I made in order to continue speaking my mind.  I was prepared to keep facebook ordinary, prosaic, predictable and facile; using my own blog as a stage for free speech and opinions.  I do still of course use social media, but always in conjunction, with my blog, they all work well together. Cross promotion, sharing and likes from friends and others is a great way to get my message across, without the constant complaints, that I was being 'too real', or 'insensitive', if you can do such a thing.  I am today a big fan of everything that facebook and other sites have to offer.  I myself have learned much about my friends and the world. The reality is, I would have never kept in contact with people, without the internet; is that a good or bad thing? I really don't know!  I have reconnected with people from school and University, as well as people I knew twenty, thirty years ago, people I met on holiday, ex partners and long lost family.  In the past, when friendships broke down, as people we just moved on; today, I even have the class bully, trying to add me on facebook.  Should we just forget certain periods of our life or allow facebook to remind us, of a history, probably best forgotten?

Since moving to Spain, I have found facebook invaluable; keeping in contact has never been easier and cheaper.  Gone are the expensive costs of landline telephone calls. A simple app on a phone, will deliver the freedom to speak to whoever we like, whenever we desire for nothing. I do have a mobile phone in Spain, but I haven't once used it to phone anyone, preferring to use facebook or whattsapp.  In fact that is the way businesses in Spain function; the costs are negligible!  Connecting people, who otherwise wouldn't be in contact, is a good thing and something we should embrace. Think how difficult, it was, to speak to loved ones, living abroad, only ten years ago. Times are changing fast and I applaud those changes.

​Of course there are many downsides to social media; just as in life, so bullies and internet trolls will attack those more vulnerable, I should know, I have been there myself.  There have been far too many incidents of people taking their own lives, because of the reckless actions of a few, twisted individuals; most of the time faceless and anonymous!  As long as we stay within our own personal boundaries, avoid the worst elements, who use the internet, as their personal playground and don't believe everything said, stated or reported as true, we should be able to enjoy a safe and rewarding experience.

I look forward to the future with anticipation.  Sadly I am getting on in years now and wont be around to see the evolution of social media, but I have a good idea, where it is heading, which is another blog, for another time.  The internet is most definitely our past, but equally, it is firmly rooted, in our future; its inception has opened many doors for me, not least with my writing; use, envelop and nurture it, because it is our destiny. Look forward to a future, far more connected than presently, a future full of possibilities, one I will not see myself, but one I am happy to leave for others to enjoy, knowing I played a small part, in creating a world that is here to stay; where friends remain friends and where one has the freedom to speak ones mind, at least most of the time!

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