Keeping connecting in the 21st century
Do you have internet friends? I absolutely love this topic, because I am fascinated by interpersonal psychology (so much so I majored in it in university!), and the intwinement of the human psyche. In this age, we are both blessed and cursed by social media and the role it plays in our lives.
I used to completely preach against connecting with people through a screen when I was younger. Granted, younger Baikley had a LOT of steadfast opinions she ended up giving up on after some education and self-reflection, but I digress. Today though, I am so thankful and lucky to have friends all over the country with whom I can relate to on so many different platforms. Much of my ability to change that original thought is due to a lot of balance of ensuring I have a lot of great face-to-face connections throughout my days and weeks with my loved ones.
This ability to adapt to how we function as a human species I think is truly beautiful – to be able to find new ways to full part of a whole and to focus on not letting this potentially alienating experience do just that. In the last few months, I have actually MET one of my now close friends in actual physical space after DMing and texting for MONTHS!
Instagrammers always suggest geo-tagging your posts and I completely agree – without doing this, my gal pal and I would NEVER have connected! She had just relocated to my boo-thang San Diego from the East Coast, and had seen a post of mine from a trip before my move back down. We joke that we’re twins now, with the same wild long blonde hair and absolute love of Poshmark and sampling new products and brands.
As an online seller of beautiful secondhand clothes, the ability to have a community of peers who experience the same highs and lows that I do is something I truly cherish. Have you found an online niche tribe that you love and adore? Let me know in the comments how you use social media to feel connected, or if you think it isolates you more so!
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