The Power of Social Media

Hello everyone, I hope all is well with you. I’m back today after Mother’s Day and a busy week at work and a week of running. I didn’t write much this last week because I’m still noodling over my story, and I’ve been busy with other things. My oldest will walk in his graduation ceremony tomorrow. I’m so excited for him as he starts this new chapter in his life. I’m also sad. I told my hubby it’s time to have another baby. Let’s just say, I freaked him out…a little. 😉

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But enough about that, today I’d like to talk about something I’ve noticed on social media. It’s nothing new. People taking selfies and posting them on Facebook or Instagram that’s the norm these days. What I’m beginning to suspect is that people are doing certain activities just to post them on social media.

This has me worried. What kind of connections do we really have if we’re engaging in activities just to create an image on the internet? Our focus should be on improving our relationships and staying in the present moment.

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I use Facebook to connect with friends I haven’t seen in a while or that live far away and to market my books. I know. I was one of those authors. Heavy sigh. In my defense, I knew nothing about marketing on Facebook and that’s all I’m going to say about that. LOL.

So many people including our next generation are using social media to sell the idea of themselves whether it’s true or not. Don’t you see where this could be a little confusing for them?

For example, let’s say they post an image of them baking. What if they want to be a master chef? What happens if they don’t get many likes? Will they stop pursuing that dream because it wasn’t popular with their followers?

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Now, I know this is an extreme example, but it sure does make you think, doesn’t it?

Is social media going to dictate what goals our next generation pursues based on likes? Right now, this is the power of social media. This power is in its infancy, but it’s there lurking below the surface. I say this because social media’s sole purpose is to keep the user engaged, using any means necessary. That means it will post pictures and articles in your feed to keep you scrolling. They’ve gathered all this information based on what images you interact with on social media.

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So, it’s not such a stretch that it could influence our behavior if we’re not careful. So, instead of taking pictures for selfies to post, let’s stay present with our families and friends. Let’s show our kids what a real connection is.  We do this by engaging in activities we actually enjoy and spending time with people we enjoy as well. Let’s show our kids that’s where true happiness lies not on Fakebook posting selfies of what we think our friends and followers will like.

How about you? How do you connect with people you love? Leave a comment! I’d love to hear from you!

Letting Go in a Dangerous World

Hello everyone, I hope all is well with you. It has been a busy week with work and writing. I’m still noodling about my story. I have to decide which way I want to go before I put all the pieces together, but I’m getting there. Winter has finally left us. My tulips have finally started to bloom. It’s good to get outside and feel the warm air, but enough about that.

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 Today, I’d like to talk about letting go. Something I wasn’t prepared to do. I don’t know if any parent is prepared for this, but right before my eyes my boys have grown up. They don’t need me to tie their shoes or kiss their wounds any longer. It’s hard to let go.

I wasn’t ready for this. My oldest is going to college soon and I worry. What if a mass shooter comes to his school and shoots it up? What if someone tries to blackmail him on social media? What if someone slips some drugs into his drink when he isn’t looking? The world is such a dangerous place right now.

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How can I make my boys understand the danger? How do I teach them to protect themselves? How do I teach them to be vigilant and look for danger before it finds them?

These are the questions I ask myself. Because when I raised them, I focused on teaching them how to be a good person and a good friend. I taught them to follow the rules, but now the world is full of people who don’t follow the rules. How do I protect them from those people?

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There was a school shooting in Oxford Michigan a year and a half ago, and the parents have been arrested and charged as well because they knew of their son’s fragile mental condition and did nothing. They bought the gun for him. How do I protect my kids from these people?

My first thought is to teach them to defend themselves. But how can they defend themselves from a mass shooter? Do I give them both a gun?

Does anyone else see where this is going? If we don’t do something soon this problem is going to get worse. We need to look at countries that don’t have a mass shooter problem and emulate them until we come up with something better. We need to nip this in the bud.

I say we look at Canada and emulate their gun control laws then maybe I wouldn’t be so afraid to let go. Maybe I could enjoy watching my boys bloom.

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Protecting them from the real threats on social media is a little easier. They still listen to me (Thank God) and right now, they’re not active on the popular sites, but it’s only a matter of time. I feel less worried about this one because my kids’ school has been very good at communicating the dangers of social media to their students. Hopefully, these lessons will stick.

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These are some solutions to some very dangerous problems. How about you? Do you have any ideas on how to protect our kids from the threats that are out there? Leave a comment! I’d love to hear from you!