No more boundaries, but personal responsibility more important than ever

 

It is no secret that I am a big fan of Twitter. I absolutely love the way it gives us access to virtually anyone out there that is tweeting, as long as we can be compelling and get their attention. The way Randi Zuckerberg feels about the internet, I feel about Twitter…in her book Dot Complicated say says:

Thanks to the Internet, there are no more gatekeepers. There are no more limits on the human imagination.

This can be said of any most social media networks. This technology has changed the music industry and the aspect of what we view as celebrity by giving “regular people” the tools to get themselves or their message out there.  

Same goes for exchanging ideas and meeting like-minded people. The technology behind social media has taken down geography and access barriers to hard to reach individuals by making them  more accessible to the anyone that can be compelling. Anyone has a shot of engaging with a CEO, a military General an athlete or a celebrity, something that seemed seemingly out of reach even years ago. 

Randi says it beautifully in a passage from Dot Complicated: 

The previously solid boundary lines between friends, lovers, families, work, society, and celebrities are all beginning to blur. Technology seems to be making things both easier and harder at the same time. We have at our disposal incredible communication devices, but we seem to forget how to communicate with one another.

Technology has shown us a new world. But there’s work to be done to make that world a beautiful, hospitable place for our generation and the generations to come. 

I think she brings up a very important point–while the barriers have been taken down, it just means that we must be that much more diligent about following a set of guidelines for using these tools. Technology and social media need to be used responsibly and they are not the answer to everything, but if used correctly can have tremendously positive impact on our lives.  

With that said, know when to use face-to-face and recognize nothing can replace that in an age where our attention comes at a premium. This holiday season, unplugging for at least part of the season would be a great way to use the technology responsibly.