I have heard, read about, and witnessed so many people, mainly women, being taken advantage of over social media, it just breaks my heart. It’s time to Wake Up people and use the Gifts our good LORD gave you. Use your senses. Literally!
Real Connections are made when we use at least four of our five senses. At bare minimum, three senses. If you have not seen, touched (shaken their hand or hugged), smelled, or heard their voice, then don’t connect. Don’t share your stories or your life. There are rare exceptions to this rule of thumb and that would be an introduction on LinkedIn or if someone you know has used their senses in meeting the person they are introducing you too. But even then be cautious. Ask questions. Why do they want to connect with me? Be careful! Be smart! Use your senses!
Luv, luv,
Julie
Here is an article I wrote in May of 2010 called “The Wonderment of it all”. Something to think about:
Every morning, afternoon and evening I find myself logging on and checking out my Facebook. What is it about these social networking sites that pull us away from our daily routine and captures our attention? What is it that sucks us in like quick sand, swallowing us up until we lose sight of our day? I have a few personal thoughts and observations about the subject that I would like to share, but by no means am I claiming to be an expert in the subject matter.
Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Foursquare, and all the other social networking sites provide the basic need every person wants and or desires to have, connection. Social Networking can be looked as a way of people seeking ‘connection with protection’. What do I mean by this? This means connecting without using all five senses. These social networking sites allow us to connect without physical interaction. Why is that important? Think about it. When a person walks into a room full of people, some they know and some they do not; they see them, hear them, smell them, touch them and on those rare occasions, taste them (thinking more of spouse or fiancé here). Those are all very personal interactions that can make someone insecure and uncomfortable.
Social Networking sites allow people to connect without being intimidated, afraid, embarrassed, ashamed, speechless, awkward, and insecure or any other negative feeling one might experience. A person engages in only two of the five senses, seeing and hearing. In the past it was phone, voicemail, email, or chat that allowed a person to connect from their own space and in their own time. Now Social Networking allows people to connect, get personal, share information and pictures about their daily life without the awkward, insecure, ugly feelings they might experience when they are in someone else space and time. It allows them to tell or show their story, provide a history, a legacy in a sense and they can control what it looks like. Well until they get ‘hacked’.
‘Acceptance with resplendence’ is another observation. Knowing that people approve of them and they are shining brightly. In the world of social networking, most are accepted and that helps the process and why these social networking sites are so popular. If they are, ‘liked’, ‘accepted’, ‘followed’, ‘connected’ they are in. They are someone everyone wants to know. Most, probably have more friends in social networking than they do in real life. And for business this is a great thing to have. The more connections they have, the more possibilities for business. But how many can say they actually know every single person they are ‘friends’ with? I mean really know. Someone you have used more than two senses with. Someone they have touched or smelled? For the most part social networking seems to be all about how many friends, ‘contacts’, ‘invites’, ‘connections’, ‘followers’ they have. Sometimes it appears to be a popularity contest. The more one has, the more one feels accepted. Acceptance is huge in a world of individualism. Seems superficial!
‘Wondering with imposing’ will be my last observation, for now. It is easy to find yourself amused and in complete wonderment of what someone is doing or saying for the day. Who would of thought that someone going to the grocery store or out to dinner would be intriguing to everyone else in the world. But isn’t that the mystery of it all. Surely that is was causes someone to admire from a far. Or impose on another person’s life. Some might call it being nosy. Some call it ‘drama’. I personally find it very interesting to know what others are doing with their life. Not because my life is boring, by far. I have had a very interesting life so far and hope that it continues to be that way. I am also a firm believer we can learn from each other and do on a daily basis weather we think we are or not. Haven’t you ever caught yourself saying “I wonder what she/he is doing now?” Well look them up in the social networking world. Chances are you will find the answer to your question. We are more connected now that we have ever been and we have technology to thank for that. I am not endorsing that we are connecting in the right ways, because I think we are missing out. Intentions, spirituality, love and God are just to name a few of those missing links. But I will leave that conversation for another time. I will how ever leave with this.
My husband John, who knows nothing of technology (sorry my love). He always asks me, why not just have a conversation, face to face? What happen to actually talking to a person? I tease him and schluff it off, but he has got a point. Real connections are made when you use all 5 senses. That is why the connection between my husband and I remains strong. Real connections are made when we reach out and shake the hand of another. Or when we take the time to meet a stranger and listen to their story. Real connections are made when we love each other.
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