I’ve been thinking about Facebook and social network sites. Love them or hate them, they can tell us a lot about friends and associates. Having a chat with a friend recently made me think about them and how they ‘fit’ into our ever-increasing busy lifestyles. It also made me think how detached people can be without knowing it.. Yes, I find them necessary and beneficial for work, they’re great for bridging links, particularly with friends abroad and professional groups but am I the only one getting wound up by the desensitising of messaging services and various social apps, accessing records and data they don’t need from our phones, brainwashing us to depend on their products for social engagement?

We’re adapting supposed convenient but lazy ways to ‘keep in contact’ which is a poor substitute for engaging with people direct. If you want to know what’s going on in the world don’t think everyone lives on Facebook 24/7. They don’t. It’s not just about you, how many likes, follows or comments you get for a picture, a YouTube video or an embarrassing funny photo either. If you care enough about friends, particularly those who are relatively local, pick up the phone or Skype once in a while!

We’re moving away from social networking towards an anti social networking culture, cluttered with inward looking people, massaging their egos online, attempting to reinvent themselves in the virtual world instead of creating a fruitful life in the real one. I’m not on the brink of closing down my Facebook page or returning to the stone ages in communication. I’m not anti Facebook either. I just think we should put into perspective how we shape social behaviour, determined by our chosen methods of communicating. Life is for living, experiencing the real world through engagement and not just getting lost in front of a pc, tablet or cell phone, chatting a lot but saying nothing! Sorry, my rant is over lol. Wishing you all a happy, healthy and fruitful week ahead!