I have discussions regularly with clients about the relevance of social media. I argue that it’s not just a place for teenagers, but another way to communicate and connect with community. With friends spread out all over the place, sometimes sites like Facebook and Myspace are the only places left where we can feel connected to one and other. At the very least, having a virtual connection with an old friend is a way of saying, “Hey, I’m still your friend!”
The importance that social media has had on my community has never been more clear than this last Spring when I lost a very dear and long time friend . LP was quirky, amazing, complicated and, yet, an incredibly giving person. He was always one step ahead of everyone in matters of computers, music trends and social media. He taught me how to use my computer and he invited me to join him on Friendster and MySpace years ago. He was connected to so many people in different places; so, like me, social media made sense.
With his sudden passing, social media allowed all of us who were connected to him to connect to one and other. A mutual friend had recently created a Ning community, Musical Family Tree, centered around Indiana music and the community therein. In the days following LP’s death, Musical Family Tree members posted memories and connected to each other in a special group on the site. New members flocked to the site, creating profiles and sharing their memories. Even his mother joined, and shared a lot on the site. She used some comments to craft a lovely obituary and posted it there before it published in the paper.
I never would have thought that social media could make grief any easier. But it did. Those writings helped paint a bigger picture of our friend, filling in the gaps and unseen moments from his biography. It also allowed me to see the intricate web of LP’s friendships and his impact. The existence of the unmediated and uncontrolled environments offered by social media allows people to drop barriers and truly express themselves, just as they can more readily reach out to others. None of these conversations could authentically happen with traditional media. Social media is a place to have conversations. Sometimes those discussions aren’t easy, but, if we choose, they’re always worth it.
-Ben
interesting post. Shows that life applications of social media are far reaching. I bet this is the same for weddings, birthdays and divorces.
Comment by John on August 19, 2008 at 10:18 am
Thanks for sharing Ben. It’s funny how the Internet has expanded our access to bad news. It seems every week I am extending APE (Agnostic Prayer Equivalents)to friends and loved ones all over the world.
Comment by PJ on August 19, 2008 at 3:09 pm
I follow your digitalia blog – I wonder why you don’t write more often. This is a very human article. Did the online content reach into the real word? And how?
Comment by Jack B on August 19, 2008 at 3:14 pm