Social Media Means Always Having Someone to Talk To

For many of us who were born in the ’80s, Patrick Swayze was our heartthrob of choice. His death from cancer yesterday was heartbreaking news, a sad reminder of the fragility of life, and a reason to reminisce about our childhood. But, what struck me in particular about yesterday’s tragic news was the way in which I learned about it.

I was sitting on the couch, working on some writing when I logged into Facebook. The news had apparently been announced just moments before, and already two close friends had posted about it on my wall. That was my first notification. Shocked, I then proceeded to comment back, share my own feelings, update my status, and post a photo of Swayze’s autograph, one of my prized possessions. I then logged in to Twitter to further engage in the conversation, and share my sadness with the world.

In years past, I likely would have picked up the phone and called my best friend, my mom or someone very close to me. Today, it’s all about social networking. Even text messaging is starting to fall by the wayside in such situations, with the wide net cast by Facebook and Twitter proving more effective for communication with larger groups of our friends and family.

Literally, within a half an hour or so of the breaking news, I was sharing my feelings with thousands of people across the social media realm. I was reading the insights and memories of others, watching videos, reading linked articles and become a part of the historical record. Communication has fundamentally changed. Long gone are the days of reading the news in the morning edition. Instead, breaking news moves in real-time, and we expect the ability to communicate and share nearly instantaneously.

It’s truly fabulous, when you think about it, how small the world has become. How connected we all are, sharing, speaking, and engaging with one another constantly. Makes me feel like part of one big, huge, massive family, bound together through the world wide web. Think of it this way – there’s always someone to talk to.

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