MySocialSpace

Social media is the electronic web that forms the new backbone of society. It so happens that one's web of beliefs corresponds to this new web of 1s and 0s. I frequently use social media, and for a number of different purposes. I use it frequently and often for long periods of time. I use both Facebook and Twitter, but I prefer Facebook over Twitter.

Each person now has a social media persona which may be used for sinister purposes, but for the most part social media is a gift to mankind. I started with MySpace in 2006, but switched completely to Facebook in 2010, once MySpace was phased out. I miss the MySpace era. I used to make friends on there from all over the world and learned a lot of useful shit on the MySpace groups. Once I even found a girl to date on that platform.

We met at Wired Cafe in Bethlehem in May 2008, meeting for the first time in person. I was 24 at the time and she was a 23 year-old grad student who had just finished her semester in North Carolina. She was home for the summer and wanted to meet new people in her hometown. We had a great chat at Wired (it was the first time I was ever there), followed by a drinking session at Bethlehem Brew Works. Long story short, the next day she informed me over MySpace messaging that she had a boyfriend that she was trying to make jealous and never wanted to speak to me again. I was more careful after that!

Since 2010, however, I have since fallen in love with Facebook and use it to the max: I utilize numerous pages and groups on the platform. I have made real-life friendships on there, including with a former high school classmate of mine, Marybeth Large, who is now a close and dear friend of mine. It has also been a tool that I have used to expand my knowledge base and explored new interests on the many pages and groups of Facebook. I also link my Facebook with other platforms.

In addition to this, I have an unusual way of making new friends on Facebook. I look up strangers in the "People You May Know" section, who happen to be friends of Facebook friends. It is a great way of meeting a lot of interesting people from both the Lehigh Valley and throughout the rest of the U.S. and the world. I don't mean to creep anyone out, just to cast a very wide social net and connect to people with similar interests and personalities.

I have recently discovered Twitter, where I have made a few influential connections, including with a Weather Channel meteorologist, as well as with an NBC News producer from New York. It is the way in which celebrities, politicians and journalists interact with the public in 2017. In addition, its run-of-the-mill members are fewer and more professional than that of Facebook, joining together people with similar interests, endeavors and life goals. I also personally like to link my Twitter to this burgeoning blog of mine.

Twitter, however, has a few drawbacks, and that is part of the reason why I don't use it very much. For example, I think it is often too political; I don't like that the Alt-right has a platform there. Once in a while, however, it is good to discuss vital interests and beliefs with other likeminded individuals. You just have to watch out for Internet trolls who are inspired Alt-right leaders such as Milo Yiannopoulos and Richard B. Spencer.

With social media, everyone is a star, everyone is a writer and everyone is a consumer. Through extensive use of social media, I hope to be all three at once. I want it to be a springboard for me into the world of making money and important connections online. I also desire to connect with new friends I make via social media. Social media platforms will continue to dominate our lives as we go well into this century.