Saturday, October 1, 2011

When social media takes a wrong turn

After the week I have had I now see how social media can work to the detriment of a person-I being that person. When you find someone online for a reason (I hunt for writers for a website) you pick someone with great writing skills. That doesn't mean your personalities will ever be enough for a real friendship. Most of the writers I have found are truly gifted artists who have talent that abounds. Some are tortured, some are happy and some just write for joy. Some capture you and you think in your mind, I could be friends with this person in real life. Of course that is not always the case as I have learned this week. The budding friendships can come back to haunt you and turn out so wrong that it upsets your life balance. Then the analysis starts after the argument grows so big it takes on a life of itself. You end up blocking people and defriending and slinging the shit around. All because of the failure of both parties to try and make friendships where they don't exist. I am as guilty as the next person. Liking on facebook or other medias is not really liking the person necessarily but rather their quote or their news feed or their stories. Real friendship demands interplay in the real world and putting aside different personalities and talking honestly and recognizing when a budding acquaintance can become a friend. I tend to see only good and when I find myself in a situation where there is negativity and long held anger for every reason under the son I always try and remain in a good mood. Sometimes however, you must look at your own real truth and realize you judged wrongly and let someone in your life that is not suppose to be there. They teach you that they are there for some reason but it is not always a permanent one. This has been eye opening to me as I have so many friends that are so long term and I have never engaged in petty junior high bullying or fights in my entire 62 years. I am not a fighter but I now see a side of myself that I am actually proud of. I can defend myself and I can let go and let people dislike me. It hurts when it is happening but after the initial shock you start to feel better and know that your life is what you want it to be and realize that you have lived without fighting your whole life and it is better that way. Taking sides and getting involved in other people's business I can see rarely works out. I look at a person and if they pluses far outweigh their negatives I let the pluses win out and disregard the negative. I guess if it ever became such that the person was more negative than not I would talk to them to try and resolve rather than make an across the board decision to delete them from my life. But they have to have that ability and desire as well. People process differently and while they are processing I am moving ahead without them.
A life lesson really learned. Just goes to show one is never too old to understand life and friendships.

15 comments:

  1. Valerie
    It's difficult when life's lessons punch you in the stomach...rude awakening. Social media is an interesting place. You really only know what the writer/poster allows you to know. As you have seen, it's not always the truth or the complete picture. It is wise of you to go beyond the hurt and anger to discover the lesson you were meant to hear. Thanks for sharing. It's good to be reminded that we can always learn and move forward to a higher ground.

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  2. The above was from Valerie posted on FB and transferred to here by me.
    You are a great friend Valerie and I thank you for your support always.

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  3. Very true Madge! And not isolated to social media. I have no idea of who or what you are referring, as I'm just trying to keep up with life. But I thing your point is a great one!

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  4. I also don't know anything, but I can certainly tell you that my own experience has shown me that the same can happen in real life. You open yourself up and then are shocked to discover not everything is as it appears. I wish you so very well as you are a force to contend with!! Still friends here and there and everywhere :)
    xo B

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  5. Thanks Barb for your words of wisdom. I appreciate it.

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  6. True Madge True! One writers story can be read so many different ways depending on the reader. The mind is a funny thing, a connection to the writer can draw you closer without knowing much about them. I tend to be like you, a positive person who tends to see the good in poeple. And, if you happen to ask any of my close friends, they would say I was a happy go lucky guy. My writting has turned out to be sort of my yoga for my mind, it always takes me to a positive place, even if what I am writting about is dificult, it brings me to the positive side. So that's the part of me that my writting shows.

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  7. Thanks Joey. I knew I liked you right from the first word.

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  8. Quite the lesson, yes. You said it so succinctly - "liking" what someone says/writes is very different from "liking" the person.

    Social media makes us feel as if we know someone. We know them only through our own eyes / experience, and in the ways they allow us to know them. Sometimes, our gut is right. We find wonderful people who enrich us. Sometimes we're off the mark; what they say is wonderful and enriching, but a friendship?

    Not so much.

    Tough lesson.

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  9. Madge, I have never had this problem (I keep most people at a distance)but my Poet friend that I do know personally has. I understand fully how it can easily happen because even in my physical world, I meet people that don't seem right so I avoid them. In your case, when you meet someone online you cannot use your most powerful tools, a woman's intuition and a woman's perogative. Very powerful indeed are these tools. Sometimes I wonder if just signing up for a facebook page isn't a mistake. Once in, it's almost impossible to get out. I liked this entry on your blog and I'm sorry you had to experience this. Life is too short to have to put up with such crap. I have always thought that the best defense is a good defense. This should apply to your online life as well. Take care.
    Your online friend (so-so)
    Donald
    ps:(I'm on to your other entries so I'm looking forward to some interesting reading such as this.

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  10. Thanks Donald. I appreciate your sweet words.

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  11. Social media can be quite complex and it's true, you only know what people show you, but it's been my experience in meeting "online friends" in real life that the vast majority of people are as real and unique in person. So don't give up on Internet peeps, they're just like friends in real life - sometimes they surprise you, but not always in a bad way.

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  12. Thanks Megan. I have some great friends from the internet that I have met and are terrific.

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  13. This is an intersting discussion Madge. I often look at my list of "friends" on facebook and think most of them would not know me if they tripped over me on the street. Social media tools are the fine line between reality and strange cyber relationships. Odd.

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  14. Odd indeed Kerrie. Thanks for commenting.

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