Old-School Take on New-Tech Social Networking Shiny Objects

My wife's smart phone started to crater after 2 years of pounding use, so she got a new, more advanced one. And one just like it for me!

Great. I hadn't figured out how to use the old one yet.

But I was trying to figure out this new one and wow! The look and feel and features are dazzling!

And that's the way it is with digital technology. To compete, the wow-factor has to continue to upgrade itself. Wow and more wow. Shinier and shinier wow.

I remember when Facebook first came out, that was WOW. Since then it has upgraded with even shinier wow and I guess there are still people on the planet who are still discovering it and thinking: WOW.

But after a while, you start to see through the WOW and realize that more is actually less. Too many options, too many people you never heard of wanting to "friend" you, too many posts of trivial details, too many comments that say absolutely nothing.

I've "followed" lots of people I know, and it leaves me with an empty feeling. Not much shared or learned. Only superficial stuff. Little of value added to the friendship. Sometimes it seems that we are slowly growing apart instead of hanging together. You know, "Is this all there is?"

I've read that lots of people are becoming disinterested in Facebook, even disconnecting. The wow stopped working for them when the shine wore off and they saw it for what it is.

The bottom line: Facebook, with all its bells and whistles, is a LAME, INADEQUATE SUBSTITUTE for being there with a friend, for actually relating to other human beings. Maybe the base market for Facebook is for people who prefer the shallowness, who prefer to keep their distance.

My No. 1 hot social networking medium - FACE-TO-FACE IN-PERSON CONTACT. Physically being there for the total reality experience, including hugs you can feel, not some stupid icon substitute. After nearly 70 years, I still feel the WOW of actually BEING THERE. It's truly addictive.

My No. 2 hot social networking medium - a phone conversation. No typing. I get the actual tone of voice with the content. And the back-and-forth replies are immediate. The interchange can go on and on. WOW.

All these other shiny tech objects are dull by comparison.

Post by Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D., Copyright 2013. Building Personal Strength .