What would happen to the world if everyone disconnected for a week? I don't know about you, but I secretly like it when I go up North or go on vacation and don't have phone or internet service. It's not so much the internet, but how the internet is being used that's getting to me... Social Media has gotten Out Of Hand. You can't go anywhere or do anything without seeing a "like us on Facebook", "follow us on Twitter" or one of those funky looking barcodes to scan and get more (more than likely useless) information. I really want to know how businesses survived, or for that matter, how the world spun without these lame, 'I have to know what you are doing at every single waking moment of your life', sites.
As probably many do, I do my daily Monday-Friday getting ready for work routine with the news on in the background...my morning news of choice is KARE11. No reason really, I just like the gang they have giving me my daily news. Anyway, KARE has this contest going on right now...I haven't really heard the details, but I know it's something about the "Fan of the Day". OK, great. In my mind, we have to tell you why we think we are KARE's biggest fan and you will pick the winner based on whatever. Here's the part that bugs me. "Go to our Facebook page and tell us why you are KARE's biggest fan." So you are telling me that not only do I have to have internet access to join your stupid contest, but I also have to sign up for Facebook??? I could be some 15 year old kid who doesn't know who's President but just happened to hear about this contest and joined because they have nothing better to do than sit on Facebook all day, but the 82 year old widow next door who gets up at 5:00 am everyday to watch all four half-hours of your recycled newscasts can't win because she doesn't have Facebook page, let alone internet access?? What is wrong with this picture? I would love for a company to run a contest where there was NO web or email address, NO "follow us on Twitter", or No Facebook users allowed, and to top it off, "Only calls from Land Lines will be accepted". I wonder how many contestants they would get then.
As you saw from my post last week, I recently got my first 'smart phone'. I was hesitant to get one in the first place, but I knew it was inevitable at some point in my near future and the opportunity kind of landed in my lap. The kid who sold me the phone was talking up how you can 'connect to Facebook super easy' and 'check in' with the touch of a button. Excuse me,? "Check in"? Yeah, like I want to get someplace and 'check in' on my phone so not only does my entire list of so-called 'friends' know that I am out someplace and my house is vacant, but strangers can later come up to me and discuss how my trip to Target was. 'Oh yeah it was just fabulous, I got toilet paper and toothpaste, why?'
Needless to say, I will not be one of those people that has a permanent glow lighting their face from checking or updating their Facebook account constantly while out in public with their Human version of 'Friends'.
I know it's what the world is coming to and I know it makes businesses grow, and a lot of the time can be for a good cause, blah, blah, blah,...but I wish we could have a "No Social Media" week in America. Let's go back to good ol' fashioned face-to-face conversations. I bet a lot of people would actually be relieved. They wouldn't feel stressed when they see ten emails in their inbox telling them that So and So commented on Jane's Status, only to be disappointed when they see something totally boring like "Jane is making sandwiches". Well Jane, sorry to say, but you are actually "typing on Facebook", not 'making sandwiches', because it's virtually impossible to do both at the same time.
No comments:
Post a Comment