I hear lots of complaints about social
media. We are too connected. We are all dependent upon our gadgets
and over-share our lives. We are missing the world around us. We are
disengaging from reality. And this might be true for some people. I
too feel there are times when it’s just a little much and want to disconnect.
But let me take a moment to explain what social media has given me.
Recently a friend from back home left
Facebook unexpectedly. I discovered it when I tried to send her a message
lamenting my sudden feeling of homesickness. I had a dream the night before
about being on the East Coast with all of my favorite people, eating crab cakes
and hush puppies. I woke up to my typical weekday routine of rushing
around getting kids ready for school while my husband disappeared to work.
I pulled up my Facebook only to discover she was not there, causing a
moment of distress so intense I started to cry. It was the same despair I
felt when I lost my photo album full of my childhood pictures. Now, just
so you know, I have her email and phone number so it’s not like she was lost to
me forever and I am a cry baby. I contacted her almost immediately to
find out if she was ok and continued our conversation like nothing had changed
(I can’t quit you!). But in that exact moment I was overcome with
sadness. I was heartbroken. It wasn’t until later in the day when I
finally figured out why I was so upset.
I am the product of many moves around
the country and now the world. I have lived in New York, Alaska,
California, Hawaii, Maryland, South Carolina and Japan. I have loved ones
in all of those places plus many, many more. I love the life I have been
fortunate enough to live. But creating and fostering relationships only
to have to leave them every three to four years is hard. It’s only now
that I have social media I can still feel connected to all of the wonderful
people I have known in my life. Losing one of them, even if I didn’t
really lose her, reminded me of what it feels like to have to sever ties with
my support network just to have to create a new one. I discovered how
truly dependent I am on social media to connect me to my family and friends.
I’m not on Facebook 24/7. I don’t feel like it takes the place of
real relationships and I make sure to enjoy my kids (well, most of the time; a
mamma needs to disconnect from them too sometimes). Social media has given
me a connection to my past. I have found people who I loved and lost due
to distance and time. What’s better is I even still like most of them.
So, here’s my love letter to social
media. Thank you, Facebook, for letting me watch my single friends celebrate
their lives in fun crazy ways. Thank you for allowing me the chance to experience
my nieces and nephews growing up even
though I’m far away. Thank you for showing me what’s happening in
everyone’s daily lives. Thank you for helping me plan parties and trash
talk trashy T.V. and take silly quizzes about what sort of cookie I am
(snickerdoodle) and share the moments of my life too. Thank you for
making me feel a little less far away.
