I am the kind of person who likes to be connected. Always in need of conversation. I thrive on information; current affairs fascinate me, and keeping abreast of them is a constant task. In pursuit of these aims I’ve always been a talker. I love to chat and chewing the fat about many topics brings me great joy.
In my previous occupations, this has been fairly straightforward. Working in an office environment, these were full of work colleagues with whom the current TV, government initiatives, or favourite musical act could easily be discussed.
Since changing professions 4 years ago, the human interaction, whilst still there, is not always accompanied by conversation. Driving a London Cab is a functional job, and many passengers want just that; a driver - Not a précis of the problems in Rwanda.
So it was with delight that I discovered Social Media in 2009. The ability to converse with people is virtually limitless, time being the constraining factor. Procrastination is the biggest pitfall, but this and other disadvantages are in the minority. On so many occasions my knowledge on issues have been stretched by reading articles, I am certain, these would not have crossed my path without the interweaving messages that have surfaced on twitter. These articles come from a circle of online friends with whom I am connected by a process of referrals. A ‘like minded’ group of people which seems to self propagate, with an extremely high success rate. The true joy of the connections are when someone says “How do you know [insert tweeter of choice]?” and you reply “I really don’t know, but it feels like I’ve always known them.”
And all of this is possible thanks to Social Media, specifically mobile hosted Social Media. Yes, it can be benign, inconsequential. As can life. I once heard Stephen Fry discuss twitter in a talk he gave. “It’s a broad church.” I completely agree. And I am so pleased to be an enthusiastic member of the congregation.
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