Social Media: Connect vs Disconnect

Some of these slides I feel are too extreme. I’ll choose to ignore those and focus on the one’s that interest me ..

we are so connected that we are starting to become disconnected

Society is being shaped by the perception of others to form our social self

Social media allows people to empathize their positives. And delete their negatives.

When online we choose what we want to reveal and what’s left out. In order to project the image we want people to have of us.

 

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First of all…

I acknowledge that I am guilty of checking-in, Instagramming, texting, checking my email, playing WWF in front of friends/family at a dinner table.

– Why do I do this?

To feel connected? To share my location to the world that I’m here, alive, existing, living life?

Shouldn’t I be connecting to the person who’s right in front of me?

Why is it so important to project the image we want people to have of us?

To show up as carefree, when I’m still trying to battle my self-doubt

To show up as “i don’t care what people think”, when clearly I still am pining for validation for my self-worth 

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At the same time, I still believe in the good power of social media and how it can connect communities and people. See Facebook groups/events. Meetup.com, OKC, LinkedIN, Yelp.

But so many people are stil so concerned about living life in a status update. Me included.

Right now, I’m working on being concerned with how my life feels rather than how it looks.

I’ll Instagram to show the world that NYC is not always hustle/bustle, and it is possible you can find moments where people of NYC to stop in moments of awe

I’ll check-in on FourSquare with the intent of finding tips left by locals and even leave a few tips for recommended dishes

I’ll write a great Yelp review because I want to see this business thrive and feel good about contributing to their success after.

I’ll Facebook status update an inspiring quote, a TEDtalk, or maybe a Spartan WOD with the intention to evoke action/reaction

I won’t even care how many times I mupload/tweet/check-in because my actions dictate who I am. I don’t give a fuck.

 

The Social Revolution – I Share Because I Care

Here’s a thought for you. What is the greatest computer? Mac? PC? How about the huge mainframe computers they have at NASA? NO.

You see, up here in our heads, this is the greatest computer.

How about our eyes? But do you know what you are seeing? I mean really seeing?

Every second, every single second your eyes take in 72 gigabytes of information. The world’s greatest camera. Now is that not incredible? A computer and a camera.

And this date, this code, is up here, behind the firewall of our personality.

86 billion neurons evolved to understand, to translate, to give us our vision of the world around us. The mountains, rivers, great savannahs, every animal in their incredible shapes and sizes, Friends, family, lovers, the people around you now, everything and everyone that you’ve ever met at all. They are all here. They are all stories. Memories. Charged with emotion. Your happiness, sadness, joy, frustration, your loves, your loves lost. And these collection of stories makes YOU. An ongoing project that only comes to an end when you die.

Your memories are your life.

Above all, we have a genetic imperative, a unique desire to share. What makes us human, our sense of self, and our ability to share who we are. Our greatest gift.

Let’s rewind a little.

Cave paintings. First we paint to say “I was here”. Then we paint to say “why we are here”– to pass our knowledge, experience, to build on what we know. For this is evolution. Sharing for survival. We share more and more.

Now, we share our friends. We share our favorite on Youtube. We share our locations. We share our internet photos…maybe sometimes a bit more after a few drinks…

Everytime we share we are reflecting our personality, our selves..

But this is normal. Innovation changes again. Always. 20,000 years ago. 1000. 10 years. Tomorrow. It doesnt matter. Interference is a good thing. Whether it be a smile, or a tattoo, the phone in your pocket. Disruption in innovation of all sorts creates rifts. And makes possible only imaginable leaps forward in technology and communication.

Today, we see a world on fire. On fire with data. With information. But, there’s a revolution around the corner. Nothing less than the total translation of our human emotions. These urges into information. Pure communication.

I believe we are at the frontier. Ahead lies the internet of YOU. An internet of pure emotion. Genuine connection. To finally take us beyond a cave painting.

This is not science fiction.

Doctors can talk to people in comas. You can control a toy with your mind. This is NOW. A world of shared emotion. Where the greatest experiences are magnified. A million. A billion times.

Can you imagine love? Now can you imagine a love that is billion times more powerful? And empathy. True feeling.

A new future. A world that we will create, where the borders of language will be gone. Imagine what we will be able to achieve.

Remember me.
Remember where you were.
The next generation of social media is coming.

For tomorrow, is the future we all share.

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A friend shared this video with me and I felt compelled to watch it over and over again.

Yes, I even took 10 minutes to type up the transcript…

Take a moment and think to yourself “Why do you share?”

I share to declare. My passions, my interests, my goals, my hobbies, my love and acknowledgement, my appreciation for people and what they mean to me. When I declare it, it becomes more real.
I share to pass on knowledge. Life hacks. Youtube How To videos. Life lessons gained from experience.
I share to describe experiences. I want other people to see, feel, think, touch, to be present to the idea that there is more “out there” and that we aren’t confined in a bubble.
I share for human connection. Who are we without language? Who are we without our word? Without integrity or authenticity? Or self expression?

If you internalize your feelings…if you don’t bother asking for something or standing for what you believe in, because of fear of “rejection, looking bad, guilt, shame“, you are never going to live the life that you love or love the life that you live.

So I’m making a stand to share my experiences, my mind, my feelings, my knowledge, my skills, my passion, myself.

…Because I believe in humanity and strive for genuine connection.

I share because I care.