Good morning my dear friends - at least those of you who have joined me here on and off over the past two years.
I do have other friends too (you may be surprised to hear) who wouldn't been seen dead on one of the pages of my hithertoo prolific blog. It was perhaps in honour of this 'eschewing social media club' that I thought maybe I ought to do the right thing and step down for a few months from this podium of social media self-aggrandisement and indulgence that certainly some consider this form to be. Those that do however always hasten to add, with an often supercilious smirk that indeed this isn't about 'you Carole'- its about the whole thing. "It stops people communicating in person", "People are so trite - who wants to hear what someone had for breakfast?'', 'I've heard that people lose their jobs, or get found out by their employers for some drunken night in Magaluf - ooh er"……… and then of course the very serious concerns about cyber bullying causing an alarming rise in children under 16 taking their own lives - no longer even a safe refuge in their own bedrooms. And the dark influences such as the pro-ana forums in which young women (mostly) with eating disorders share ways of self-harming further.
One can't take exception with most of the above - and ultimately its a personal choice as to how much you engage or otherwise with any form of communication, in person or on the net. I find it interesting and funny to see the well rehearsed arguments for and against - the former usually with a certain evangelical zeal. I'm probably most likely to fall into the former which slightly still surprises me as a woman of a 'certain age'. Suffice it to say though I find myself feeling somewhat younger than my chronological age all too visibly reveals!
Some who know me might think this is simply a retarded maturity and they might have a point - but by and large I think it comes down to a certain 'curiosity'. I was renowned as a child for being a little bit 'nosey', and I'm 'curious' about the different loading of the two words? I like to find out things - its true, and curiosity seems to lend itself first to such a wide array of things, whilst nosiness is definitely about other people's lives isn't it? Curiosity by definition can be about anything though - things, people, stories, science, philosophy, the arts - the natural world and everything else you can think of and most that you can't.
On balance I suspect mine is a healthy mix of genuine curiosity and nosiness. And so to Social Media. I love it. Yes I see all the cynics shaking their heads. Yes I know Facebook has all our details and with regular accuracy sends us targeted adverts for what they know we like. I particularly hate those…….fifty something ads inviting me to make my will, take out more life insurance, or get new dentures or pay for my funeral! And yes its all a pain, and without looking much further we can all find many more bug bears. But most of us participate for better or worse in some way or other, and in particular the Internet Natives who find social media as easy as breathing. We all know that connectivity is now seen as another vital utility not just for doing the weekly shop online, but for ensuring constant communicating with each other.
What always strikes me as odd though is that we complain about never being left alone, or finding ourselves constantly reactive to other people's agendas. Whilst that might well be true in the working world, where instantaneous response is de rigeur, heaven help us if we live in constant anticipation of yet another message. Its danger lies in its invitation not to miss out on something - in the grand global gossip. But here's the thing - and its rather obvious - and that's choice. Yes that old idea of making a decision - remember that? In some ways I really respect my recalcitrant 'eschewing' colleagues and friends for their stoicism in a world gone mad. However there is a third way (oh no did I really quote him?) - and that's surely about balance and integration. It is for me anyway. Hence my enforced blog sabbatical, as I did become somewhat addicted to a daily fix last year. So I have taken some of my own medicine and taken a break.
To boot I have a number of good friends who put up their 'open for business' social media signs just when they choose to. And at other times the shop is most definitely closed. Hey it wasn't that hard, just pull the blind down. They neither eschew nor evangelise, but indeed conduct their online life much as they do their life in the flesh. As a recovering evangelist I salut them.
This is the preamble then to a series of blogs I shall write on different subjects over the next couple of weeks (and possibly more regularly than I have just suggested - dammit - I still have the bug lurking). This is because the last three months have had their fair share of ups and downs and some exciting developments and projects. I will share them in episodes I think. So if you are 'curious' to hear more about the trials and tribulations of an itinerant director (who's delighted to have a new agent - Niki at http://www.nikiwinterson.com) then I'm your girl. (ok woman of a certain age).
My next blog will feature the story of Caroline, a young woman of 21 whom I met whilst volunteering at MIND the mental health charity where Caroline volunteers too. Caroline lives with the intrusive and very cruel eating disorder - anorexia. She presented to our volunteer group supervision a few weeks ago - and I was overwhelmed with her frank sharing of her disease, her articulate and passionate desire to be well, her understanding of her own life. I am seeing her this week and will be catching up to hear how she's getting on. We will share her story together here.
Nice to be back.
Carole
I do have other friends too (you may be surprised to hear) who wouldn't been seen dead on one of the pages of my hithertoo prolific blog. It was perhaps in honour of this 'eschewing social media club' that I thought maybe I ought to do the right thing and step down for a few months from this podium of social media self-aggrandisement and indulgence that certainly some consider this form to be. Those that do however always hasten to add, with an often supercilious smirk that indeed this isn't about 'you Carole'- its about the whole thing. "It stops people communicating in person", "People are so trite - who wants to hear what someone had for breakfast?'', 'I've heard that people lose their jobs, or get found out by their employers for some drunken night in Magaluf - ooh er"……… and then of course the very serious concerns about cyber bullying causing an alarming rise in children under 16 taking their own lives - no longer even a safe refuge in their own bedrooms. And the dark influences such as the pro-ana forums in which young women (mostly) with eating disorders share ways of self-harming further.
One can't take exception with most of the above - and ultimately its a personal choice as to how much you engage or otherwise with any form of communication, in person or on the net. I find it interesting and funny to see the well rehearsed arguments for and against - the former usually with a certain evangelical zeal. I'm probably most likely to fall into the former which slightly still surprises me as a woman of a 'certain age'. Suffice it to say though I find myself feeling somewhat younger than my chronological age all too visibly reveals!
Some who know me might think this is simply a retarded maturity and they might have a point - but by and large I think it comes down to a certain 'curiosity'. I was renowned as a child for being a little bit 'nosey', and I'm 'curious' about the different loading of the two words? I like to find out things - its true, and curiosity seems to lend itself first to such a wide array of things, whilst nosiness is definitely about other people's lives isn't it? Curiosity by definition can be about anything though - things, people, stories, science, philosophy, the arts - the natural world and everything else you can think of and most that you can't.
What always strikes me as odd though is that we complain about never being left alone, or finding ourselves constantly reactive to other people's agendas. Whilst that might well be true in the working world, where instantaneous response is de rigeur, heaven help us if we live in constant anticipation of yet another message. Its danger lies in its invitation not to miss out on something - in the grand global gossip. But here's the thing - and its rather obvious - and that's choice. Yes that old idea of making a decision - remember that? In some ways I really respect my recalcitrant 'eschewing' colleagues and friends for their stoicism in a world gone mad. However there is a third way (oh no did I really quote him?) - and that's surely about balance and integration. It is for me anyway. Hence my enforced blog sabbatical, as I did become somewhat addicted to a daily fix last year. So I have taken some of my own medicine and taken a break.
To boot I have a number of good friends who put up their 'open for business' social media signs just when they choose to. And at other times the shop is most definitely closed. Hey it wasn't that hard, just pull the blind down. They neither eschew nor evangelise, but indeed conduct their online life much as they do their life in the flesh. As a recovering evangelist I salut them.This is the preamble then to a series of blogs I shall write on different subjects over the next couple of weeks (and possibly more regularly than I have just suggested - dammit - I still have the bug lurking). This is because the last three months have had their fair share of ups and downs and some exciting developments and projects. I will share them in episodes I think. So if you are 'curious' to hear more about the trials and tribulations of an itinerant director (who's delighted to have a new agent - Niki at http://www.nikiwinterson.com) then I'm your girl. (ok woman of a certain age).
 |
| Caroline - 21st birthday |
Nice to be back.
Carole
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Not Blair - Buddha
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