Wednesday, April 1, 2015

April 1: Writing Prompt #91-The Social Network

Do you feel like you “get” social media, or do you just use it because that’s where all your friends and family are?
I didn’t  “get it” at first. In fact, partially because I where I lived, I didn’t even sign up for any social media outlets (i.e. Facebook) until way after everyone else I knew did. It was kind of like my first computer.  I remember my dad trying to buy me a computer when I was in college in the early nineties, but I didn’t want one. I told him I just needed a word processor for typing up my college papers, so he got me a Brother word processor, which was basically a digitalized typewriter.  Needless to say, I reluctantly realized later that I really needed a computer, but not until I moved out to the island where I was completely isolated from the newest technologies getting “big” in the states (i.e. cell phones, social media, etc…).
Funny thing is that despite my separation from technology, I became fairly computer savvy quickly because the only way for me to finish my bachelor’s degree was to take some online classes in addition to the face-to-face one offered. I ended up taking some web design and other computer specific courses too and now I love to do my work on computers.  I even taught classes for the University of Maryland online after I completed my Masters degree ENTIRELY online. 

Like all my other technological experiences, I had to “warm up” to social media, but now I really enjoy it, primarily because of the connection it gives me to my friends and family (so many of whom live far away). Without social media, I would never had been back in touch with hardly any of my school friends, and it really keeps me more abreast of what my brothers, cousins, and other family members are up to as well.  So, yeah, I think I “get it,” and I also use it because it’s where all my family and friends are!

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