Changes part 4

You might need something to hold on to

When all the answers, they don't amount to much

Somebody that you could just to talk to

And a little of that Human Touch

Human Touch Bruce Springsteen

I blame all of this on Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks.  Stupid You've Got Mail.  Used to be you had friends.  You saw your friends and they saw you.  Was that good enough for Tom and Meg?  Noooooooo.  They had to go and make a movie about building a relationship via emails.  What's worse it was a romantic comedy (code words for chick flick).  People saw this monstrosity of a movie and thought "Hey, that looks cool!"  Soon relationships through emails gave way to relationships grown via Instant Messaging and Facebook and MySpace and Twitter and Skype.  All because of Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.  I hope they are still Sleepless in Seattle! 

Wow, I feel better.  Thanks for allowing me to vent.  Truth be told I am a big fan of social media.  I have been able to connect with people in ways that were simply impossible even five years ago.  Thanks to Facebook I have been able to find, and be found, by folks from all over the country.  I remember last fall when an old girl friend from high school asked to be my Facebook friend.  We had not seen each other in over twenty years.  It was great (for some reason my wife did not share my excitement about reconnecting with this long lost friend.  Wonder why?)

Because of the speed of the new social media communication is instantaneous.  Within fifteen minutes of my friend posting that his mother was in the hospital over thirty people had replied with words of comfort and support.  I have a "smart phone" (as opposed to a "stupid phone"?)  All of my emails and Facebook messages get pushed to my phone so I don't even have to be tethered to a computer to be in touch with people.  If I have a joy or concern or just want to post what I am thinking I can do so whenever and wherever I want (except, again, from church camp.)

Some people complain that too much irrelevant information is posted.  Do I really need to know what you had for dinner?  No, but relationships are nurtured by the seemingly meaningless details of life.  Think about all of the things we talk about with our co-workers.  We share vacation plans, updates on our kids health, and yes, what we eat.  So why should Facebook relationships be any different.

Of course, there is a shadow side to social media relationships.  It is called Farmville.  Or Vampire Wars.  Or a legion of other names that identify the games people play.  I hate them.  I resent having to be told about someones need for help building a virtual chick coop.  I grow weary of hitting the "Hide" button over and over again so I don't have to look at all of this stuff.  Yet, I am aware that these annoying games are, in their own sick sort of way, builders of relationships.  After all, many of them require help from friends in order to play. 

I think relationships built and/or sustained by social media are here to stay.  I don't have a problem with that fact.  I do, however, have a question.  When do we touch?  I am a physical person.  I like to touch.  I need to touch, human skin not plastic keypads.  I can hug my laptop, but it cannot hug me back.  Or hold my hand or give me a kiss. 

God created humans with a need for physical touch.  Even before we are old enough to know anything we crave being held.  Some of us require more touch than others, but every person I have ever met needs contact with other people.  I believe that social media has changed some aspects of our relationships but it will not alter this fact of human life.  If anything, our need for touch will alter social media.  How?  I don't have a clue.  But it will happen.  In the meantime I will continue to enjoy my relationships with friends old and new via the new social media, usually with one of my kids on my lap because they need to be held.