Are all the various social media platforms we join today making us a less sociable generation of introverted couch potatoes?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Those of a certain age will no doubt be able to remember when television first became available to the masses. Within a couple of years sociologists were predicting life would never be the same again. Face to face social interaction would disappear as we all sat hypnotised by the monster in the living room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many years later, and life changing games consoles descended on the population. Children (and many adults) the world over, were glued to their television screens. The latest games and game consoles were the topic of conversation during school break-time. Nothing would be the same again \u2013 again. Outside activities with friends and family would become a part of history. Yet still the predictions proved pretty groundless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Time moved on. From the early word-processors, to home computers the internet, and social media, the technological revolution has forged ahead, with one big difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The advent of smartphones, tablets and notebooks means nowadays your social media activity is no longer tied to your home. You can take it with you, and for those with an addictive personality, they are never far from the next fix. No matter what the venue, from cafes to bars to shopping centres; everywhere you look singles, couples, and families can be seen studying the screen, each involved in their own little world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The strength of social media can\u2019t be over-estimated. It has brought down regimes and heads of government, but it also has much going for it socially.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are many reasons why online social activity appears preferential to face-to-face socialising, not least lack of time. Having to combine bringing up a family with working full time; often leaves little spare time and even less spare cash, for other activities. Without social media, many would have no contact with family or close friends – to them it\u2019s a lifeline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s also a great way to expand your real life social circle and partake in activities you thought you would never get the chance to do again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For organisations such as MixingOut, social media is the ideal medium to promote our numerous social activities. That old adage \u2019Like attracts like\u2019 is true across all areas of human activity. People new to an area, recently retired, or who wish to increase their social pursuits, can search out people and groups with similar interests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many people have no wish to develop a one-on-one relationship, even a one-on-one friendship comes with possible risks. MixingOut is not about relationships, it\u2019s about groups of like minded people enjoying a range of different activities from coffee mornings, to restaurant visits, to theatre visits, to dog walking in the hills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The positive benefits of getting out and about are legion. Mental stimulation and a little exercise can promote a greater feeling of wellbeing. One\u2019s social circle is expanded, new hobbies and pursuits undertaken and existing skills honed. But, most importantly, new friends with similar interests are made.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yes, social media has its downside, but it also has its upside. Used in the right way it can be your gateway to a genuinely more fulfilling and enjoyable social life, where the need to be forever checking Facebook, Snapchat, or Twitter becomes a thing of the past.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Are all the various social media platforms we join today making us a less sociable generation of introverted couch potatoes? Same Analogy \u2013 Different Medium: Those of a certain age will no doubt be able to remember when television first became available to the masses. Within a couple of years sociologists were predicting life would […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-628","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-food-for-thought"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mixingout.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/628","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mixingout.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mixingout.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mixingout.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mixingout.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=628"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.mixingout.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/628\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":799,"href":"https:\/\/www.mixingout.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/628\/revisions\/799"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mixingout.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=628"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mixingout.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=628"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mixingout.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=628"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}