Social Networking and Loneliness

I stumbled across a video that is a good one to watch if you want to know why you are so hooked on FaceBook.  I have never understood the obsession of Facebook; now I know why.  Having said this, the video also made me look at my own blog through critical eyes. I will admit, many of my ramblings here are my way of staying connected.  Initially, this blog was my means to let everyone at home know I was ok, and what I was experiencing. It is still the purpose, however, I know that I have used the blog to figure out many things that puzzle me. If I write it down, it is real. If it is real, I can then begin to understand it. It works.  I think the difference between this blog and the other social network is that I bare my soul because I need some answers for myself. On the other fluttery one, people show off their quests and only put their best foot forward for others to see.  I could be wrong, but on my blog I am not looking for likes, comments about 'how cute' or all else. I am just sharing my life with family and friends, and whoever wants to know what life is like here.  I have no need for approval.

But back to FaceBook. The other day a colleague was bemoaning about how exhausted and ill she felt. She never lets herself be alone. Always on the go, lunch with someone, dinner with others, and online until the wee hours of the morning. When does she have time to just be?  Never.  All my new friends and acquaintances are FaceBook addicts.  They are online continually, thanks to their new fancy schmancy smart phones.  It is the same where I come from. People beat their chests with pride announcing how many friends they have on FaceBook.  But do they even know themselves?  No, not without the support of however many friends they have on their 'page'.  Take a look at this video and you will see what I have been espousing for a number of years.  I admit I am an introvert.  But what are people addicted to social networking (texting and Facebook) doing to themselves. They are making themselves crazy thinking they are communicating but very much alone.  And trust me, their communication skills are diabolical because of this new language they have built due to need for speed.

What is social networking creating?