I can't help but to chuckle at the name of my blog this evening: 'Communicating in the City'. Hell, no one communicates in New York anymore. Unless you want to call an occasional text communication. Or maybe a quick email. Or a fast Skype call. Or a Twitter message. Or a Facebook wall post.
Everything is lightning fast these days; we want to be able to log onto a website quickly and get the info we need to know; we want to hear instant responses from those we (actually) attempt to contact. Sure, social media can do that...but there's no emotional connection.
People use Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, etc to brag about their cute kids, the posh restaurant where they ate dinner, the cool city they're traveling to next, etc, etc, etc. It's merely a status thing. Look at me, I'm cool. But hey, are you really calling any of these 'friends', sending them a decent-sized email? Probably not.
Social media has made people more and more vain. No one really wants to be social. If they did, they'd pick up a phone and say 'happy birthday'; not write it on someone's wall.
It's actually kind of refreshing when I come across people who refuse to conform to the times. The guy I've been dating for the past several months doesn't even own a computer; and his cell phone is from the dark ages. He's pretty much intimidated by the whole technology and social media scene...which might not be a bad thing if I ever want to mouth off about him on Facebook.
The social media tool that I think is the most valuable? Blogging. Hence, what I'm doing right now. People have the chance to write multiple paragraphs and spread knowledge, viewpoints and information. Blogging can be social if people decide to leave comments and interact with you. But if they don't, blogging can be an extremely personal, therapeutic way to express your thoughts. Who the hell needs an overpriced therapist when you can have an inexpensive platform to rave, vent...and dare I say it, communicate?
Thanks to sites like Twitter and Facebook, I'm seeing more and more communicators fall off when it comes to keeping up with their blogs. Hell, if people are so busy typing out their 140 characters and linking to articles and videos, and if they're spending tons of time 'checking in' to venues and posting Facebook photos, when does that leave them time to blog a good 5-8 paragraphs?
That said, I'm happy to say I'm gradually getting back into the blogging groove. It's a precious tool - one that people need to remember and embrace once again.
