Social Media Dominates My Life

It's true.

Just five minutes ago I text a friend for some information. After a few short exchanges, she hopped onto g-chat because texting was taking too long and we continued our conversation there. Whilst having that conversation, my friend referenced her blog, so I went and checked it out as I was instant messaging with her. She then tweeted (via Twitter) my response to her blog and we started an on-going exchange there, whilst still conversing over g-chat. In a matter of seconds, I had text one of our mutual friends and told her to check out the blog that I had just read. Turned out, that mutual friend was actually talking to my other friend already and in a matter of minutes, we were laughing about how this whole, 3-way exchange had formed and we made the unanimous decision to just all talk on Skype later tonight.

Isn't it funny, and even in some ways, ridiculously miraculous, that exchanges like that can even happen? If I told my 91 year old grandfather about it, he'd probably make a "pfffft" noise and mutter something like, "Well I'll be." But in his head, it wouldn't even compute. He'd probably actually be thinking, what the hell is this tweet-nonsense and instant whatchyamajigger? Why dontchya just pick up the phone and call 'em?

For my job (in Marketing), I use social media constantly. I monitor Facebook, tweet for four (yes, FOUR) different Twitter personae, I work with LinkedIn, I e-mail for a work account AND my personal account, I am constantly connected to Jabber, my work instant messenger (that simultanously links me to my Google-chat AND my Facebook chat), I have access to all of this on my phone, and don't even get me started on how the very software that my company builds, markets, and sells has a feature called TeamHome, that looks, feels, and works remarkably like a Facebook page.

At any given time, I'm connected, by a mere touch, to hundreds of people. Fifty years ago, something like this would have been absurd to even consider. Even twenty years ago would have been pushing it.

What's the result? Other than having almost instant contact with anyone I may need to at any given time, it means that I am in constant

information overload

which, surprisingly enough, is not helpful when it comes to me trying to NOT be too 

A.D.D.

to even function. Thus, there is too much to process in short amounts of time, which sends my brain into instant, speedy, multi-analysis overdrive and ends with me feeling exhausted, often confused, and tragically uncreative, fairly often. 

Must learn how to disconnect.