By the time you read this message "The Social Network" may have
picked up a few big prizes at the 83rd Annual Academy Awards. I
don't know if the movie was an accurate depiction of Mark Zuckerberg
and the birth of Facebook; but if you saw this movie then you know
it was actually a cautionary tale about the internet and social networking; one we would be wise to pay attention to.
Don't get me wrong, I think when used appropriately and in balance, Facebook and the internet can be beneficial. Look at how these modes
of communication have recently supported revolution in the Middle
East and northern Africa.
The flip side though, is that these vehicles are also being used by governments - like China, Iran, Belarus, Russia, Egypt, and now Libya -
to more closely monitor citizen's views and activities. This information
has even been used as the basis for arrest, interrogation, beatings,
and imprisonment.
And earlier this month in Egypt, if you followed the timeline carefully,
it was when the internet and phone connections were cut off by the government, that protestors began pouring into the streets. When they connected to one another in this way, their power and unity began to burgeon.
So, social networking - and the internet - is, like most things in life,
a double-edged sword.
Our privacy, intimacy, boundaries - our personal freedom - is impacted every time we use social networking and the internet. The average 8 to
18 year old now spends upwards of 7 hours and 38 minutes per day
using media related technology (phone, computer, TV, etc.) That's a
whole lot of time.
And here's the thing about "internet relationships," they're not really relationships; not in a holistic sense. It has to do with physics.
Without getting too technical about it, as we've looked at before, we
are energy; we're all composed of energy. As such, within each of us
is an electro-magnetic field. This energy field within us reacts and responds to everything around us.
When you walk into a room your electro-magnetic field (EMF) automatically reacts and responds to other energies in the room.
In a similar way, when you speak out loud, the vibration of your
voice impacts other people's EMF (and your own).
So, unless you are in the physical presence of someone - or you can
hear one another's voice - your EMF is not receiving all the signals
and vibrations it needs to accurately experience and interpret another person's behavior. This ability to experience other people with our
energy is what keeps us safe, helps us discern, draws us or repels
us to people; it guides our choices and communications.
It is also integral - critical - to our emotional socialization,
growth, and maturity. It is through our self-expression - verbal,
visual and kinesthetic - that we learn how best to interact with other people; how they react and respond teaches and guides us.
The reason you have a whole lot of people saying a whole lot of outrageous, rude, unfounded, immature, or dangerous things on the internet...or believing that a stalker is prince/princess charming...is because they are communicating in isolation from others, not in connection to others.
When you're on the internet, you cannot fully - or accurately - experience the energy of other people. You cannot receive all of the information you need to make wise, accurate and safe choices...or
to make the most appropriate choices for your self about what to share. You need to connect in person - or hear one another's voice - in order
to fully and accurately begin to know a person and choose wisely what you want to share with them.
There's much more to this, but this is a good start...
More next time...
(For more about the concepts in this message, go to "Energy: the science &
spirit of you," "Words: words have power," & "How to Make Love: spirituality,
sex & the Self" at at www.kellygracesmith.com.)
Copyright © 2011 kelly grace smith All rights reserved.
