The light of 21st century communication

With the arrival of social networking sites, such as Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter, the Internet is changing the way people interact with each other. Now, if you are one of the minority, like my mother, who believes that social networking is a platform for destruction of one’s social skills, I hope to bring you into the light of 21^st century communication. And if you’re a fence-rider, not quite against it, but slightly skeptical I hope that at the end of this post you will be sitting on my side of the fence. And lastly, if you’re just like me – a total social networking butterfly - I hope my post drastically improves your social networking life.   

For some, social networks are a stage for idle chatter. But for others, like 14-year-old Liam Jefferson, these sites play a vital role in their daily lives. Liam was diagnosed with a chronic condition in which the bone marrow does not function properly. He had been in and out of hospital for treatment, often left with no other option than to stay at the hospital for days, and even weeks at a time. He soon began to feel isolated from the outside world.

Deborah Berlin-Romalis, a clinical social worker calls social networks, “lifelines”. She says that they are a patients’ connection with the world, and it allows them to stay posted, post pictures, and give and receive updates from friends and family.

In a recent study conducted by the Pew Internet and American Life Project and the California HealthCare Foundation, researchers discovered that blogging and online health discussions are the two most popular activities people living with a chronic disease engage in while surfing the net.

Regardless of your current social or health situation, it’s safe to say that one of the most important aspects of your life, is your relationships, and that’s exactly what social networking is- maintaining relationships. Just as we have control over with whom we choose to form our relationships, we are in complete control of our social situation.

So you can ask yourself: “Am I happy with whom I surround myself with? Or could I use some work in this area?” Know that you have the ability to change your social life and that you are deserving of the relationships you want. An abundance of wonderful relationships awaits you… at http://www.facebook.com/. ;)