I'm an addict

I love social networking.  Lord knows I do!  In fact, most days I think I love it a little too much. 

I'm constantly telling myself I'm just gonna read one more blog or check facebook statuses one more time before getting busy on the laundry, the sorting of the mail and the cleaning of the house. 

And it's almost always a big fat lie. 

Because,

My name is Diane and I am a social media addict. 

There. I said it. 

Up until this past week, I did not tweet. (and why it's called twitter instead of tweeter when you tweet instead of twitt, I don't understand...can anyone explain this?  anyone?) Now I'm following everybody from Bill Cosby to the Smithsonian and Sesame Street and getting my tweet on from the soccer field. 

It all started with facebook.  I first heard of fb in the summer of 2008 when my bestie, Michelle, asked me if I'd heard of it.  Facebook?  No.  What is it?  She was not yet on it but had been hearing a lot of folks talk about it.  

Well, I went right home and checked that sucker out.  And I was sold.  Posting pics of my kids, my dog, my childhood, my mom's childhood and inviting every single person I knew to join. 

At the time there were only a handful of people I knew on it.  Now if you aren't on facebook, you, my friend, are in the minority and so out of the loop.

No longer do I have to wonder whatever happened to so and so from elementary school or how all my exes turned out because I can find out all I ever wanted to know and a whole lot more on the wonderful world of facebook!  

I've always been secretly nosy.  I usually try to pretend like I really don't give a flip when in reality my curiosity runs oh so deep.  And I don't believe anyone who says their's does not. 

Social media is like a 24/7 reality show filled with mo' drama than any mama could ever fully absorb. 

But aside from the entertaining drama of it all, it is my connection to oodles of family members and friends, many of whom were counted among the long lost before their faces magically appeared on my computer screen...childhood and high school friends, college roommates, aunts, uncles and cousins I haven't seen since Reagan was in office.  All right there together on one page and easily accessible with a click of a mouse.

And blogging?  It's therapeutic for me.  I can come here and say whatever is on my mind and sometimes even get feedback!  Nothing like some comments on the blog to validate my awesomeness lift my spirits and make me smile. 

But there is a dark side to social media.  And I, for one, have been known to read way too much into it and take it a bit too personally when I am..

are you ready?...

UNFRIENDED

or

unfollowed!

Ouch. 

When I happen to notice that I'm down a number or two on my friends list or blog followers, it launches me into panic mode and I immediately set out on a mission to find out who, exactly, it was who would have such nerve and audacity to do such a thing.  

Nothing can cut directly to the root of any insecurity I may have ever harbored in the history of me, myself and I like the old "unfriend" or "unfollow" dissing. 

Suddenly I'm whisked back to the past and I'm that little shy girl on the playground praying I won't be the last one picked out of the line for kickball again and wondering and worrying about what it was I did or didn't do to offend this person. 

But then I come to my senses and remind myself that in the scope of it all, this is simply petty and small and that things, after all, aren't always what they seem. 

Now if y'all will excuse me, I must get back to tweeting and stalking cleaning my house and doing laundry.