From August 7, 2009
Last week a gentleman on television was talking about the benefits of social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. He pointed out that "isolation is punishment." In prisons, if they want to punish a prisoner they put him in isolation.
Man
is a social being, and as the Lord said, "it is not good for man to be
alone." Some folks are concerned that face-to-face social interaction is
being displaced by virtual social networks and criticize these
interactions as not only inferior but counterfeit, not "real"
interaction at all.
The problem with that
attitude is that if not for these Internet networks, many people would
be sentenced to isolation. Many older people who are unable to drive
themselves make use of social networks to relieve their isolation. What
about those with disabilities that make face-to-face communication
difficult or even impossible? They are able to interact comfortably with
others through this medium.
And then there are
those of us with "social anxiety." We used to call it just plain
shyness. Those of you who don't suffer from it tend not to understand
it. And unfortunately, some outgoing people are judgmental of the shy;
they have a "just get over it" attitude. If only it were that easy.
So
as a shy person, I am thankful for outlets such as Facebook. In a crowd
you will ordinarily see me standing off to the side or near someone I
know very well, typically a family member. I seldom if ever join a
conversation in progress. Those of us with social anxiety tend to think
we would be unwelcome, so we don't intrude on a group. The reality that
we WOULD be welcomed doesn't matter because shyness is completely
irrational. Those with social anxiety feel isolated, realize that the
isolation is of their own making, and can't do anything about it.
BUT...there is Facebook. On FB, I'm not shy. I jump into conversations with only a little thought
as to whether I might actually be unwelcome. After all, if the
discussion weren't open to everyone, it wouldn't be on FB. On FB and
Xanga, I am myself, the way my close friends and family know me. I am
the REAL me. Because of this, I am able to get to know my friends better
and, wonder of wonders, to make new friends. Through Xanga and FB I
have come to love people whom I've never met and know that they love me
too.
Now I know that any of you reading this
are obviously not critical of social networks. After all, you're here.
But when you hear others fretting about Americans' lack of "real" social
interaction, tell them for me that this is as real as it gets!
