All This Social Media Makes My Head Hurt

I really thought I had become quite a wizard when I suggested to my friends that I would write a blog to keep in touch with them.  After all, many of my friends did not even know what a blog was.  And some that did were afraid to read it.  They had some idea that some big brother was tracking their movements on the www and if anything on that blog had a 'flag' word they would be tracked.  I guess when I have some of my rants there likely are some flag words written. But I also think everyone is safe reading my blog.  We get fairly little information from the rest of the world over this way, unless it is pretty news or news that might be considered western media that differs from the views here.  Those bits of information tend to have a filter, and when a filter is not available, then our internet seems to be less than reliable.  No matter.  I have some idea of what is going on elsewhere.  And there is always Skype to keep me in the loop.

Now back to this nattering about social media.  I can twitter, I can digg, I can reddit, I can Youtube, I can Google Buzz, I can Facebook, I can LinkedIn, I can blog, I can wiki, I can text, I can e-mail.   I can do all those things, but I do only a few of them.  But now, there is a  new kid on the block. Pinterest has grabbed the attention of many.  I am shocked that people take the time to build a bulletin board of their likes and post it to the web.  I guess it is better than hanging some corkboard in your kitchen or elsewhere and looking at that clutter on a daily basis. But when a housewife has time to gather all the pretty things she likes to change the decor in her home and a young to-be bride gathers wedding plans I am thinking those people could put that energy to far better use; couldn't they?

What I have witnessed, as an educator, is that social media is creating a new generation of people who do not know how to carry on a conversation.  With their ability to write compromised; writing 'r u 2' instead of 'are you two', they have begun to talk in short messages too.  They try to speak as fast as that text, and the result is a blur of sounds that are just partial words.  I teach phonics.  Try to imagine someone from Georgia (USA) teaching phonics.  The sentence would go something like this: Y'all gonna sez tha souns wi'me. These communicators I speak of only use, at best, one or two phonetic sounds of a word when they speak.  That results in a new language.  Is that where we are headed?  A new language?  Maybe so.  If so, I better find somewhere on the internet to get a certificate in this new language so that I do not find myself out of a job.

As for Pinterest, I am befuddled.  Yes, we have discovered another way to convey a message to others without having to speak a word.  Just build a Pinterest board of your favourite restaurants, your coveted designer clothing, the various hardware items so hard to find for your next renovation project and you have now used Pinterest for the commoners.  I suppose this new social media will be useful to marketers, public relations firms, and who knows what else. But really, if you want your friends to know what you did on vacation or how you renovated your home, why not pick up the phone and invite them over for show and tell.  It will enhance your communication skills.

I am afraid to admit it, but Pinterest could work as an education tool for what I do. But I resist.  I draw a line. At least for now.  I remember how difficult it was to train my mentees how to use a wiki.  I am not ready to try this one on them.  Besides, how will I know if they have a question for me?  They are not forthcoming when we are face-to-face. The only way I know if they don't understand something is if I watch their body language and ask them a direct question. I will not have any feedback online.

Social media is definitely changing how we interact with each other.  Picture life in 2030.  There will be no need for large spaces for people to gather. All we will need is a device to tap our fingers on and access to the www.  That way we can send a poke, a text, or a smiley face to our friends and envision them smiling back at us. Or better yet, we can build a Pinterest and see if they can find us. I wonder if it will be quieter too?