I've written before about how much fun
I'm having with the DonateAPhoto app (you can read about it here), so recently I took the plunge and joined Instagram. (my user name is momscrayon). When I told my 14 year old about
it, he asked, “Why does my Mom need more social media than me?”
Excellent question, Kid!
First of all, no one needs social media
in the sense that, we can survive, physically, without it.
Those of us who lived through a natural disaster like a hurricane or tornado, something
which knocks out electricity, know that. But for someone who writes
for a living, having many venues to showcase my work is important. At present, I'm on Twitter, Facebook, Bloglovin, and now, Instagram, so
it's easy to see what I do and sponsors look for you to be on multiple sites.
Second, you see your friends almost
every day. You Skype with them for hours at a time and have plenty of
social interaction. I work from home where the only individual I see
regularly is the mailman. He's a nice guy, but I think he's getting
tired of hearing me blabber on; I mean, the guy has a job to do. Social contact is important for everyone
and social media allows me to have a modicum of that.
Third, I get quite a bit of my news
from Twitter. I learn maintain contact with friends, close and far, via Facebook.
Now, I'm getting a visual glimpse into various worlds via Instagram.
As you know, the Web is contains a universe of data and it's important to stay current on local and world events.
Lastly, you, my friend, are 14.
You are still developing the social radar you'll need to determine
who might be a threat, what you should/should not say, what to
believe and what to discount, whether information is valid, etc. You
have nothing to sell, no agenda to promote. Your world is largely
contained to our house, neighborhood, and town. There is NO
reason you need to be spreading yourself around on social media.
Your book is unwritten, your time has not yet come.
Do I need social media? Professionally and from an information standpoint, I do. From an social perspective, less so; but it's useful. Someday, I will be gone from this planet.
At some point, you
may want to review my digital footprint to learn more about who I was
while you were growing up, to touch me, virtually, when I am not
here. Then, my beloved son, you will be happy that I was on social
media.
~~
Thanks for reading!
