I'm a geek. Always have been, always will be. So when my work demanded some innovative (read budget-friendly) marketing ideas, I was all giddy about exploring social media as a marketing tool in line with the rise of the web. Finally, a valid reason to be logged in Facebook at the office all day long. Hehe.
But with FB, Twitter, LinkedIn part of my daily routine now, I realized that - aside from being a fascinating marketer's instrument - it helped me keep in touch with the different "homes" I was missing. I was suddenly talking to grade school friends from Munich, college classmates from Quebec and people who at some point in my life crossed my road and are now all over the globe. Of course, I could have simply picked up the phone or send a postcard. But truth be told, aren't we all too busy and too lazy to do so? This was a way of touching base with any efforts.
One may argue the value of social media and its tendency of decreasing actual social interaction (then again it is called social media, hmm), and yet for someone like me, who often feels lost and abandoned, it's a wonderful invention that brings "home" right inside your computer screen. The internet alone is a wonderful invention, that brings you the world whenever and wherever you need it. No more missing out on world news, the newest trend in French fashion or the raved-about bar in Munich. It is a virtual world I admit, but maybe the notion of what is real and what isn't is simply shifting? One thing is for sure, it provides instant gratification for those who's world is divided onto several continents. Do these networking sites replace shopping sprees with your best friend and family dinners? - certainly not. But for a split second - and just a click away - I can be wherever I wanna be and pretend I never left.
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