Love, Connection, and Social Networks
Humans are social animals. We seek connection, understanding, and, most of all, love. We feel lost without it. In the age of social media, our need for connection has become even more apparent and our souls, despite claims to the contrary, are on display 24/7. Online etiquette aside, those who expect privacy are wise not to engage in the new social order as the most observant people can see the transparencies and vulnerabilities in everyone. You are essentially there for the reading by anyone with enough interest to pay attention to the details. I have deciphered much from the posting patterns of others. No wonder social networks are a marketing Holy Grail.
Most of us think that using social platforms passively is to observe behind the scenes without scrutiny, but our intentions to connect with larger social networks are active and deliberate. We log in, we observe, and we judge, comment, or gather information that changes our perspective. We post snippets from our lives and open our homes up to our audience through video content. We often show strangers far more than we show our families.
Yet, there can be a dark side to our need for connection. We are wise to be mindful of why we seek connection online. We must look at the kind of attention we are attracting and who we are attracting. Are these people good for us? Do they inspire us? Do we inspire them? Do these relationships feed our souls? Do our connections with others involve respect, genuine interest, and mutual reciprocity?
There is nothing wrong with seeking attention if we benefit through connecting with love and learning from each other. When we seek to stroke our egos, fill a void, or direct our need for connection toward the wrong people, it hinders our growth and deeply affects our sense of self-worth.
Some claim our habitual, almost pathological use of social media has hindered genuine connection. However, to the contrary, we have created a further understanding of ourselves and our purpose in life as a societal collective. Despite all the propaganda and political and cultural polarization, we have created a spiritual revolution online. The more adversity we face, the greater our reach for the divine.
I disagree with the line “social media is not real life”. We can resist as much as we like, but the fact is that social media is a part of our lives, and our use of it has only increased. We have created a whole world online that has deeply penetrated our offline lives. We can resist as much as we like, but the digital matrix is our new reality. We are responsible for how that will evolve over time and act for us, not against us.
S. Angell is a published poet, writer, philosopher, video blogger, and preschool teacher by day. She explores an array of topics, including love, life, death, history, and society, from a philosophical perspective. You can find her on Instagram @therainydaypoetess or TheRainyDayPoet.com
