Day 169: Social Media has Kept Us Together

Despite physical social distancing, I think that we are able to manage isolation because of social media. Humans are social creatures. On Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, Relationships are number three just past food, water, shelter, and safety. This pandemic has drastically cut the amount of time we are able to be around friends and family that we do not live with (if you are strictly following the stay-at-home recommendations). Yet, the internet vis-a-vis social media and cell phones have allowed us to come up with creative ways to hang out.

This past week was the first time I video chatted with two other friends at the same time. Teachers and celebrities are reading stories to children through video. Television shows are created while the hosts sitting at home. I saw a group of people playing Flip Cup via video chat. And a large group of teachers and friends that I'm a part of have been voting on the best Disney films and WWE Superstars to pass the time. Stone Cold won!

Social media gets a bad wrap in our normal lives. We like to blame it for wasting so much of our time. I agree social media can be addicting, but so are a lot of other things. We have to manage social media just like all of our other vices. It’s all up to us to choose what we do with our time while we are isolated and afterward.

Everything in moderation. So it goes. I still spend too much time scrolling through the same five Tiger King memes when I’m bored, but I am thankful to still have social media and the internet. They have allowed me to stay connected with friends that may have drifted away a long time ago. And everything else is good for a laugh! Hang in there. Soon enough, we’ll all get to go bowling again.