Fake Communication Through Social Media

Communication these days is lacking when it comes to humans interacting with one another.  Yes, if you can LIKE something or RETWEET something and call that communication, then I guess one could claim there is communication.  However, a like or a retweet really doesn't say much.  Life could go on without these things and it would not miss a step.

We have convinced ourselves in this world that social media is the best thing created since we learned how to take a breath.  Yet if we really thought about it, we would see that were faking the human experience out with pseudo communication.  In other words, we have convinced our minds that we communicate with one another when in reality, there is no personal connection.

Day after day everyone engages in this new form of communication.  Of course let me state that it does have some value when used in moderation.  When we substitute human interaction for this, we're missing something vital that we need for our self and the world at large.


How many times do you read through your new tweets or your facebook page only to realize (if you thought about it for a moment) that most of the stuff you just read is fluff and stuff.  If you think I'm crazy in my statement, ask yourself what your life would be like if you had not read that sally checked herself in at the bathroom or Joe likes a statement that you forwarded on your Facebook wall.  Could you exist if you had not read or seen these things?  Did these things completely change your day and draw you closer to the human experience?  Did these things challenge your mind and brain to create a new neural pathway of existence that gave you insight into the inner workings of your mind body interface?

You see, we convince ourselves that social media is a must have and that we must text each other, retweet and tweet or like facebook posts.  We are quickly forgetting what it means to be human and have the interaction of the human experience.  This is biological and physical, not just a fake form of communication.

By all means, enjoy your social media experience, but do so in moderation.  If you find you are spending 7 hours a day or more (as recent research suggests) in front of a computer or smartphone, then you might want to rethink what balance means in your life.  When is the last time you spent some one on one quality time with some person you enjoy being with?  Have you phoned them or just sat there without the TV on, and without the phone clicking away in your hands with your undivided attention?

The explosion of people staring at a smart phone or a computer screen is frightening.  Just think about the time that is spent doing this.  If you aren't sure if it is something to be concerned about, just look around you and observe others when you are out in public.  You will see quickly just what I am talking about.

Instead, spend more balanced and quality time with people.  Put down the electronic devices, the computer and the TV in exchange with being in the moment with yourself or others.  Give someone a call and just chat with them, or send them a letter.  Do something where you can interact heart to heart, not just finger to finger.

We all think that the internet allows us to connect with the world and it does to a point, but we are fooling ourselves in thinking that it is real communication.  Typing to the screen instead of biologically communicating with one another is not true communication.  You can fool yourself all day long that it is, but then your body will truly know the difference.

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 Blog Post And Images (c) 5/31/12 Don Shetterly - use and reprint by permission only http://www.donshetterly.com You are welcomed to share the link to this blog post, but ask for for permission before reprinting this article. Thanks!
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