So, you Tweet. You blog, Facebook and Tumble. You rule many Foursquare lands and have enough followers to give you cyber kudos. You like and are liked alike. You are Generation D, the digital era personified.
You tweet as you watch, you are surgically attached to your iPhone to check any Wiki fact any time, any place, any where.
Your online life is rife. But what the hell does it give you?
I am a big fan of social media, of course. I love it. The technological advances in the last few years since I started blogging have been enormous. Back in 2006 when I began my tentative steps on my first blog Myspace still and Twitter was unheard of. How times have changed. The rules may change with each progression, but the game is essentially the same. We are out there, online, sharing our lives with the faceless millions in cyberspace.
Living our lives online is fraught with negatives. The public shaming of Facebook, your digital drunken imprints indelible in timelines, the ability to be traced by people from your past. Overshare and beware. There are trolls, setbacks and confidence knocks. But so many positives. I have met, in real life, so many fabulous and inspiring people thanks to Twitter. My life is enriched by the conversations and opportunities which have arisen from connecting online. My professional life has gained, and my personal life has been rocketed to a whole new level by the blogosphere and Twitverse.
You are never alone with Twitter. As someone who suffers from endometriosis, a chronic pain condition, there are many days when the tweets from my online friends keep me going. My little crew of personal cheerleaders who get me through those moments are priceless. Talking to endo sisters supports us all in our times of woe; from all over the globe we are connected by a hashtag, and support is there, in real time, online.
Through blogland I have had the amazing opportunity to join Team Bangs on The Run, a group of 14 ladies led by blogger Bangs and a Bun to run the Nike Run to the Beat half marathon in September. As a group we all face a variety of personal journeys through which we are able to share and inspire others as we take our steps towards an amazing goal.
The feedback I have had from my personal blog when baring my soul about living with endo has given me the strength to look at launching a charitable trust to help others in my situation, something I never would have done without knowing how to reach people.
Social media has given my life a roundness that I love, opportunities and some pretty darn amazing friends and colleagues.
That said, go switch off for the evening. There is a big wide world out there you know. Make sure you explore it. Just tweet about it later.
Image via webtreat's Flickr