ADDICTED to Social Media? Hmmmm, maybe! Each morning, without even opening my eyes, I instinctively reach for my iPhone to check email, Facebook and WordPress before starting my day. On lazy weekends, I even peruse Pinterest from bed. Hello, my name is Renae and I’m a social media addict!! Community. Networking. Entertainment. Oh, MY!!!

I’m a child of the 70’s, teenager of the 80’s, college student of the 90’s and adult (well, semi-adult) of the 2000’s. I didn’t grow up with fancy electronics; unless of course you count the ginormous microwave or beta VCR. We did eventually enjoy call waiting and when the answering machine was invented… whoa, watch out!!!

Beyond cell phones, texting and email, there are plenty of ways to keep in touch now. Instantly. Most notably, Social Media. We have Facebook (FB), Twitter, LinkedIn, Reddit, Pinterest, Tumblr, YouTube, StumbleUpon, Digg, Google+ and the of course the great blogosphere of WordPress, Blogger and more!! Social Media is the T-H-I-N-G, Yo!!! And with Wi-Fi, 3G, 4G, smart phones, tablets and computers all of these social media options are available at our finger tips 24/7.

WOW… times have changed, right? Back in the day when phones had cords (yes, kids connected to the wall) and we used answering machines to collect missed calls, could you imagine hearing this when you checked your messages: “Hey, I couldn’t sleep last night. Damn insomnia. NEED COFFEE. Bootcamp workout was AWWEESSOOMMEE, but I think I pulled something in my hip!! Ugh. Had a bagel for breakfast. Yum. OMG, I love this weather. Sunny, breezy. Gawd, I LOVE fall. Sigh. So, I’m in a relationship, but it’s complicated. Don’t ask. Oh, yeah… I’m a liberal, so *(!!&)*#^%@! the conservatives **long political rant** ‘Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.’ – Thomas A. Edison. Okay, have a FABULOUS day!!!” Yes, this is a typical day in the life of a FB status update, LOL!!

Forever ago we lived in villages and life was definitely more communal in nature – especially in farming communities. Families used to live in the same town or even as close as down the street. Now we are all about individualism and forging our path in our OWN unique way and family members are scatter across the globe. Perhaps social media is providing us a much needed sense of community? A need we never realized we missed or even needed amidst all of this independence?

Online communities like Facebook have become an everyday place we can come together for networking, talk, support, and share our lives. We get to see pictures of our friends, their children and families; hear when a loved one is going through something tough and needs positive vibes or prayer and lend our support accordingly; and we get to celebrate our friend’s triumphs or maybe just share some lighthearted witty banter after a long day.   All of this is done virtually of course with the use of our techy gadgets – without the complication of actually going anywhere or seeing anyone.

Perhaps we miss the sense of community togetherness? Or are we just starved for attention? Maybe social media provides us our 15 minutes of fame? Must we be continually connected? Whatever social media provides… I know for me I am indeed an addict. Yes. Admittedly, I post long status updates and of course I’m a blogger and I tend to get online more often than not. I think there is a special type of therapy I may need when it comes to my social media addiction, but for now… I’m sure there is SOMETHING I need to post to Facebook!! **smile**

© Renae Rossman and Candy Coated Reality™