Based on the amount of hits and comments we reeive on our blogs, Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, etc., we now have a new way to falsely measure our relevance. We can look at the amount of activity of our posts and say, "I'm trending, yahoo!" or "I'm not trending, might as well give up on life."
Some people can re-calibrate and deal with the ups and downs of social media popularity. Others get so absorbed by the hall of mirrors, they have to bail or else they'll go crazy.
I see a parallel with social media obsession and Americans' pathological obsession with becoming famous and getting lots of attention, a chimera for happiness.
I think the best use of social media is as a way to stay in touch with friends and family who live far away. It's not good to get too wrapped up in Facebook, et al. It's not a substitute for an in-person visit or phone call. I will admit I've "met" some interesting people and had interesting conversations online.
Posted by: Keith Beesley | February 26, 2014 at 12:56 PM