Social Media

We can all debate the pros and cons of social media but the one thing that I love is the connection.  Each of the channels I use is different connections.  I only use text, Twitter, and Instagram.

There is one text app that the family uses as a group and I don’t talk to or follow anyone else on it so when I get pinged from that app, I know it is from the family which I love.  I only use text message for people that I have relationships with.  I am able to have rapid fire convos with people that I want to talk to from friends and founders.  I really don’t like it when someone texts me that I don’t know.  I hate it when someone calls me who I don’t have a relationship with. Email is for that.

Twitter is my media feed.  What is happening in the world, what people are writing about, what is trending in the world and supposed important information that I need to keep my head filled with nonsense.

Last is Instagram.  There are so many things I love about Instagram.  I follow people in the design world from architecture to art, people and restaurants in the food world, and people and designers in the fashion world.  Things I am interested in.  The best is being able to see what my friends are up.  I am literally watching a few friends kids grow up.  I see where people are eating and what they are seeing that is of interest to them.  I saw a good friend got engaged.  The platform makes me feel more connected than less connected.  It is like the new water cooler and it works for me.

Being in LA, we find ourselves entrenched where we are, but I can stay connected and feel part of the program when I am not in NYC or anywhere else.  I like it.

Comments (Archived):

  1. awaldstein

    As long as you can find the balance and self control, the connection is amazing.As a culture, it has created what seems like a disproportionate number of followers rather than leaders.I find myself fighting it at times.

    1. Gotham Gal

      you can definitely go down a deep hole.

  2. Kirsten Lambertsen

    It’s interesting to me all the worry about young people using social media. The many that I’ve observed are far more sophisticated about their use of it than most adults. And I know nearly as many who would feel much more isolated and alone if it weren’t for the connections they make on SM and the exposure they get to a world of many ways of being instead of just the dominating groupthink at their school. It’s particularly valuable to kids who fall outside of average (just ask this mommy).Social media helps us all learn that we’re not so weird and that people we thought were “different” aren’t. I often wonder how my story would have been different if I’d had this when I was a kid.(No one needs to come at me about the dangers of social media. I understand and don’t think they should be ignored.)

    1. LE

      All good points. Someone should do a documentary [1] on this interviewing kids. One thing though as far as ‘not feel so isolated and alone’ that also works in a nefarious way. How? By allowing people who have extreme thoughts to flourish whereby in the past the isolation perhaps could have kept them more in line or not allowed them to think they were normal and continue the behavior. Given the country (and world) is big enough it’s quite possible to find people that will agree with almost anything no matter how bizarre. The important differentiation being ‘bizarre and harmful’ instead of just ‘bizarre and not generally accepted’.[1] Seems like a good kickstarter project.

      1. Kirsten Lambertsen

        I like the documentary idea! There’s got to be someone somewhere doing that, I bet.

  3. Sarah

    It is all about how you choose to use & then manage social media. I tell my kids it is like sugar, sweet and desirable, but feels terrible when you have too much. Learn how to tell when you have had enough. Being on twitter does not mean you have to tweet nor engage in debate. For now, I just use it to follow people/topics/themes that I choose to shape my my world view. I can log off anytime – and I do.

  4. AMT Editorial Staff

    Ditto all of it! But we also use FB — personal use. LinkedIn a little. Twitter mostly. Texting — ONLY for those we know well.

  5. Pointsandfigures

    https://www.nytimes.com/201… thought this was totally interesting and shows the power of social media to really influence the way we think without us knowing it.