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This is always the response. But I would say ask yourself, do you truly need these things? Or are the fleeting superficial connections that you maintain through

This is always the response. But I would say ask yourself, do you truly need these things? Or are the fleeting superficial connections that you maintain through social media simply distracting you from seeking truly meaningful interactions, and substituting an artificial (although comforting) facade in its' place? If you truly care about someone, you will call and talk to them. Or orient your life in a way that facilitates that relationship. Otherwise what you are doing is tantamount to slacktivism.

travisporter 5y ago
Beautifully put. I have a cousin who always updates me on what his extended family is doing as though he's talking with them weekly. Turns out he's just regurgitating Facebook status updates to me. He may as well have been talking about Lionel Messi or Kylie Jenner
standardUser 5y ago
Did I truly need to gather the sentiments of my dead uncle's friends and coworkers to print out and share with his grieving parents? I'm going to say yes, I did. Of course, none of what I referenced precludes using a different platform for the same experience. I wish I had been able to gather those posts from WT.Social or some other platform I don't think is ravaging our culture. But that's not where the people are. As for this: "Or are the fleeting superficial connections that you maintain through social media simply distracting you from seeking truly meaningful interactions" I have more than enough meaningful interactions in my life, and having less intimate interactions with a broader range of people doesn't distract or detract from those more significant connections. Sometimes, those less personal connections are what have eventually led to some of my most important connections.
suzzer99 5y ago
I drove from Mexico to Panama. The Pan-American highway group and several of the expat groups were indispensable sources of information. I was able to get out of Nicaragua during the big protests in 2018 because someone on the Nicaragua expat group told me they were letting foreign-plated vehicles through the roadblocks. I never would have had the nerve otherwise to walk up and say, "Hey, I'm an American, that makes me special, please let me through." Several hiking groups here in LA have also been invaluable for me. Not everyone has the same lived experience.

travisporter 5y ago

Beautifully put. I have a cousin who always updates me on what his extended family is doing as though he's talking with them weekly. Turns out he's just regurgitating Facebook status updates to me. He may as well have been talking about Lionel Messi or Kylie Jenner

standardUser 5y ago

Did I truly need to gather the sentiments of my dead uncle's friends and coworkers to print out and share with his grieving parents? I'm going to say yes, I did. Of course, none of what I referenced precludes using a different platform for the same experience. I wish I had been able to gather those posts from WT.Social or some other platform I don't think is ravaging our culture. But that's not where the people are. As for this: "Or are the fleeting superficial connections that you maintain through social media simply distracting you from seeking truly meaningful interactions" I have more than enough meaningful interactions in my life, and having less intimate interactions with a broader range of people doesn't distract or detract from those more significant connections. Sometimes, those less personal connections are what have eventually led to some of my most important connections.

suzzer99 5y ago

I drove from Mexico to Panama. The Pan-American highway group and several of the expat groups were indispensable sources of information. I was able to get out of Nicaragua during the big protests in 2018 because someone on the Nicaragua expat group told me they were letting foreign-plated vehicles through the roadblocks. I never would have had the nerve otherwise to walk up and say, "Hey, I'm an American, that makes me special, please let me through." Several hiking groups here in LA have also been invaluable for me. Not everyone has the same lived experience.