Une lettre de ma fille

 C'est l'une des plus belles lettres que j'ai eu de ma vie.
Ma fille de dix ans l'a ecrite.
Merci Gael pour ces jolis mots qui m'ont mis les larmes aux yeux.

Social or Antisocial Media.

I have a nostalgic feeling for old times, when people looked into each other’s eyes and took a moment to ask how they were doing, without being in a rush to look back at their mobile phones.

When families used to gather around the dining table while talking and sharing their daily stories, without having to rush to post them on social media.

When friends used to meet to have a heartfelt conversations, not only socializing “on line”.

For sure, People are communicating more nowadays, that is a fact, but we should ask ourselves what kind of communication we have?

many relationships became between men and machine, instead of being between persons interacting normally.

I don’t want to sound odd, but what makes the digital world better than the real one? And since when hitting the “Like” button is compared to shaking a real hand, and seeing the light glowing while looking into others eyes.

 Life is not the same anymore. We are living nowadays under the immediate influence of social media, in every aspect of our daily lives. It has changed the way we live, and think forever.  It has turned our lives into a vicious circle of virtual and superficial way; relationships are not “real” any more. You cannot be sure, if your “friends” really like your photo or your post, or if they are hitting the “Like” button out of courtesy, without looking or reading… because they do not have time, they have to switch to another “friend” post to do the same…

Of course, I know the benefits of technology, business wise, marketing, education etc… And how internet makes our life easier and faster, and how important is the open world of information that give us the illusion of knowing everything.

 However, the flow of information does not seem, like making people happier, even when they are more included, more interactive, more participative and more informed citizens in the online world.

When I look around me, I see humans staring at their electronic devices; I don’t see their eyes anymore, they are hiding behind their tools.

And I wonder: what makes it so essential to communicate with people around the world? To know how they live, think and act, while we are too far from the ones beside us, who really care about us, and maybe need us?

Don’t get me wrong! I am not an anti-social media person; on the contrary, I am a blogger myself (hayataoun.blogspot.com) but I use internet moderately without bombarding the newsfeed of my social media friends with my daily routines.

 However, deep inside, I am a classic person, who still likes to have flowers, greeting cards, phone calls, or hanging out with friends who really enjoy being with me, rather than spending time chatting with other “friends” online…

Finally, social media is here and staying, plus it is very powerful and influential, we should not get obsessed with it, and we should not forget that our real lives exist outside our screens.

I think we have to go back to the real world every now and then, and to be aware of what we are losing through this process of digital relationships! We might ask whether being more connected can actually make us happier.  

We have to know what really matters in our lives, and once we master our real world, just then we do not lose ourselves when surfing the universe virtually… 
Written by Hayat Aoun