Social or is it Anti Social Media?
Social or........... Anti Social?
This new age of technology has given us certain benefits but I am afraid it has also given us some very sad disadvantages. The smart phone or tablet has become an extension of our arms and instead of using them to reach out and wrap our arms around a friend who may need a hug we can be seen more often concentrating on the screen before us.
How much are we missing of the beauty around us?.
Did you hear the chorus of birds this morning as the sun was rising?
This is a very short video of the early morning at our place, I thought it might be appropriate to share here. Birds in the morning
Did you even see the sun rise or the suset?
What about the amazing full moon high in the night sky surrounded by billons of stars and galaxies far more vast and beautiful than we could ever have conjured up in our minds or replicated on our screens. Did you see it?
Did you really see it and wonder at the magnitude of its beauty, the vastness of its place in the universe.?
We are all spending more and more time with our devices and less and less time with our family and friends. Social media can be anyhing but social. We see less of the world around us and more of the artificial world hidden behind these screens.
The devices have become an extension of ourselves. How many of you can go a day without looking at a smart phone or tablet? Be honest, can you, will you just for one a day a week ?
Add up how many hours per day are spent in front of a device. You will be surprised or perhaps shocked. These devices can control us; they affect our thinking, consume our atention and deny us the simple pleasures of life if we let them. .
Perhaps we need to set aside one day a week to remove the extension of our arms and extend our hearts and minds instead. From the very young to the elderly, we have all embraced this technology which in turn has controlled our minds. Has it got to the point where we need surgical amputation of technological devices?
This thought has bothered me somewhat so this is my second post on the same topic. You can read the other one here. Communicating today Even if you decide not to read the whole post take a look at Gary Turks video where he sums it up far better than I could.
Look Up by Gary Turk
.Oh and if you are going to spend ime on a device you might as well earn some money while you are there. Wealthy Affiliate provides an excellent opportunity to learn the ropes and build an online business that paysHit the link below to get on board.
Recent Comments
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Wow, Gary I am so in touch with nature and it's goodness that it presents to us 24/7. The Galaxy, the unknown, God's Creation. I'm in love with the video, How it brings forth life within its stillness.
Most people don't take a moment to just see the abstract things of life, because they are so caught up in the ordinary things of life.
Thank you, for the true awaken!
Blessings!
Louisa B
Everyone should take 5 minutes and watch Gary's video. I watched it several times, mostly because I wasn't used to Gary's accent and had to rewind and listen carefully to understand.
"We're a generation of idiots. Smart phones and dumb people," Gary says. Think about that for a moment. Through Social media we are actually becoming an anti-social society. Is digital interaction really the same as social interaction? I think not.
And now this digital social revolution is creating an even greater risk ... identity theft. My anger is growing from this realization coming from the US Congressional probe of Facebook's practices and procedures.
Yes, we need to stop and smell the roses. Wait! What is a rose? Ahhhh...........I need to google what is a rose!
frank =(
Hi Judy and thanks for your inspiring post. My 'time of day' is usually the nighttime and I'm addicted to looking up at the stars - when I can see them! For example it's 1.46am here in the UK and I'll be popping out to stare up at the universe soon, just to say 'thanks!'
All my neighbours think I'm mad, but I know better!
I've also been known to go up to our local beauty spot on midsummer's day and watch the sunrise, although the best one ever, was watching it rise at Machu Picchu - that was truly magical.
Thanks for the inspiration.
Gail I love it that you do that. Although at 1 46 am it might be time for bed.. We have the beautiful milky way and any familiar constellations and I love to gaze up at them in awe too.
It just saddens me when I see so many young people who are not interested in anything but their devices and their sleep. However perhaps its just a growing phase and they will grow out of it.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
There are many young people who are like that, it's true. But there are also many others who love to look at the stars and watch the sunsets too. My girls love looking at beautiful views and going for long walks in the woods, so those things are not dead. There's still hope! :)
That's because their Mum has developed that awareness in them.
You are a wonderful parent and your children are blessed to have you.
I see too many kids who grow up with both parents busy working to pay the mortgage and left with little time to cultivate such appreciation in their children.
When we were growing up we built our own cubby houses, made rafts to paddle down the river, went on long bike rides with the family, made mud pies and helped with many household chores to get a little pocket money., We did not have smart phones or notebooks but we did have a lot of fun.
On hot Summer nights we all slept outside under the stars and would try to make out the shapes of the various constellations.
We played sport and joined in Youth club activities and as we got older went to the local Saturday night dance where there were no smart phones but we enjoyed dressing up and being a little flirtatious. Many young people today meet their partners in bars or online dating sites.
The kids today who engage in scouting and or sporting organisations are doing OK and we should continue to encourage them .
Its a new and different world, but I am not sure it is a better one.
This is a little bit of nostalgia of a long lost childhood and perhaps it me who needs to move on.
Cheers
Judy
Thanks for your kind words Judy. I love spending time with my children although it can be stressful too at times when you're on your own!
You have described my own childhood to a T! Many happy memories although it's always easy to look back with hindsight. There were some rough times too but luckily as we get older, I think we forget those, as we should. No point in just looking back.
There's a great future there too I believe. Have faith - everything will be alright because the ones that are not on their smartphones and games 24/7 will be the ones having the ideas and making the rules. All the others will be just following them! :)
I have always felt this way and even though I am building this business I do not carry my cell phone around with me all day. I do shut off the computer by evening most days and talk with my family instead. I ask many of my friends to call me instead of texting me unless it is for an update on something simple like getting together but I will not carry on a conversation via text. I like my tech but I do not love it. It is a thing after all.
Thats a great attitude and so good to hear. I was just telling Jill about soe young people i had staying with us. So much of the day is wasted as they are being held captive to their smart phones. Even as they lie in ed their phones are busy.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Hi Judy,
I agree with what you are saying here. And by the way, I watched your short video, and you live in a wonderful country. It is so peaceful and lovely. I will visit one day!
To get back to your subject, I see myself and my family sometimes sitting in the same room all looking at our screens without saying a word to each other, so yes it has come to a point that we need to disconnect. At least once every so often.
I agree 100%, and I found that nature has the power to get us grounded again. So for us, the weekend is very often when we disconnect and get back to the basics by going into nature, out of the hectic city.
Social media is the kind of thing that you're damned if you do and your damned if you don't. The answer is a balance between the two, but unfortunately, the human being is easily addicted and these devices are very addictive.
Hopefully, more and more people will realize that we need to get back the basics, and even though we keep it in our daily lives, social media should be an entertainment just like TV, and not a way of life.
Thanks for this reflection. I will put down my cell phone now and go for a nice walk outside. :)
Hey that's great. You are right, its all about balance, and getting it right. In our modern crazy world we do need these devices but we should not allow ourselves to be controlled by them.
My concern is mainly for some of our young people who spend half the day in bed and the other half being held captive to either a smart phone or a computer game. As adults we need to encourage them to look about and enjoy this beautiful world we have been given.
Yes I am very fortunate in that I do live in a gorgeous area. but even so I still have to discipline myself and go out and enjoy my surroundings.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on it.
What a very interesting post, full of fact. I enjoyed reading it and so many will relate to it
Many people don't know how to use the social networks they have
Others use it to hind behind
From a business perspective it is neccessary
We should spemd more time talking to each other, in local surroundings.I have lunch out once a week, I take my smart phone, with me, but don't use it... its set for calls only, but while in the pub, I see couples sitting at tables, both engrossed in their phone and not speaking!... Total madness
Hi Judy, I agree with this.
I make sure to balance everything out leaving a lot of time for going for my usual long walks. I love nature and the animals around where I am staying. There are so many varieties.
Life is too short to miss out on the beauty surrounding me, I don't allow the gadgets to control my day. My 3 year old Granddaughter may not see a shopping mall when she grows up, only online shopping and that saddens me.
Doing a little bit of everything is healthy and I'll always stick to that!
That's a great attitude Patsy. My grand children are older and I see them so attached to these devices, it is a worry as they spend half the day in bed and the other half with devices and Netflix.. We need to start weaning them off the devices at a much earlier age and teaching them to keep some balance in their lives.
Thank you.
I agree and it's up to the parents to wean them off creating a balance. It's not healthy and very bad for their eyes.
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Judy, I called you Gary! Sorry, I just took notice to that mistake.