Let’s face it, you’re addicted to your phone. Say it with me, “hello, my name is_____ and I’m addicted to my phone.” We get up every morning, check our phone and it’s battery charge, and it’s out the door to start our life as we know it. Social media sites are so much of who we are anymore that it almost gets in the way of having a normal conversation with someone. We text across the room instead of picking ourselves up off the chair in which we are perched upon to tell someone something they probably already know. We message instead of speak, we touch screen instead of type and we don’t look up and make eye-contact. We should have seen this coming with the invention of the TV remote as making our lives easier doesn’t necessarily make them better.
Now I’m not saying we should give up our phones. They have surely made our lives a little better with the convenience of it all. Where my mother would yell out the back door for me to come in the house, today you call your kids on their cell phone, or wait, just send them a text to come in. That’s providing they are even outside in the first place. Reference the comment above about the “chair in which we are perched upon.”
The whole thing about social media is the “social” part. We need to get out and bump into a few folks and introduce ourselves. But go ahead and connect with them after shaking hands and having a conversation. Look them in the eye and smile. It has always amazed me how much we can find in common with someone in a few minutes of talking, or even better, by listening. That’s right…listening. How many times have you read a text message only to find the meaning isn’t what you thought? If you can hear someone’s voice you know exactly what they mean. “How’s your day beautiful?” Or, “how’s your day, beautiful?” See what I mean? I personally prefer the first one, but in a group of bikers it may not have the same impact.
So let’s get social. Get out, shake a few hands and have a REAL conversation. Go where the people are and see first hand what they will be sharing with all of their friends. After all, it’s called “SOCIAL media.”
Jeff Maddox 