The Evolution of Social Media
I read an article this morning titled “The Evolution Of WordPress.” WordPress is the fabulous CMS software that powers this blog. Hack wordpress a great blog that I read was commenting on the changes and improvements the WordPress software has seen.
In the same way the advances in Social media are dramatic. Systems, methods, and technologies that many rely on were not around or were in infant stages just 5 years ago. 5 years in technology terms is a enormous amount of time but in the real world 5 years is a blink of an eye. The web as we know it has changed dramatically in the last 5 years. Its modern inception is only a mere 15 years or so old.
Web applications have given this ‘have it now crowd’ nearly instant gratification. I have commented before that I am amazed at the feature development of some of the current Web apps. Just bursting into prominence in the last 6 months or so FriendFeed and Toluu continually wow me with enhancements.
Social Media Addiction
Do you remember life before a cell phone? Perhaps the cell phone era is difficult to remember we have come to rely on them so heavily. Now when I leave my cell phone at home despite $4 a gallon gas prices I turn the car around and go back for the phone.
I think many of us have the same thoughts about social media. We have become so attached to Twitter, FriendFeed, Facebook, and any other social media application that application failure is devastating.
The twitter addicts have been hunting all over for a place to get their fix. They have stirred the blogosphere into a buzz over start-ups like Plurk and identi.ca.
The twitter addicts seem to have become attached to Twitter in the same way they are attached to power, water, and other necessities of life. They seem to be the most rabid. But I venture to say that Gmail, FriendFeed, or Google Reader went down in the way twitter has I would be equally as frantic. Social media addiction is prominent.
Declare Your Independence
I challenge you to declare your independence from Social media at least for some period of time. Declaring your independence will assist you in breaking your cycle of addiction. This should assist in the event that your favorite application goes down or becomes unreliable. So take a break from social media.
Perhaps we should stop for a minute and smell the fresh air. It is summertime. We should take a break and get outdoors. We could take our families on vacation. I recently saw a user friendfeeding on vacation from the beach. This flickr image appeared in the friendfeed stream posted from the beach. Could the addiction be anymore evident? No friendfeeding or twittering during family time. Take a break so you can appreciate and enjoy social media later.
