Social Media - Friend or Foe?

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a dozen times: “Without social media, my happiness level would be much much lower.”


What? Wait? Lower? You ask…

When I make that statement, I often am met with a furrowed brow and curious expression. People have come back with assumptions that it must be because I work from home and/or that’s how I make money, make contacts, etc… I suppose a piece of the puzzle might be the extra income social media generates for me, but the human factor is much more important. If you’ve read my previous posts about being content and not comparing yourself to others, you’ll know that I’m an optimist. As an optimist, I should be able to find joy with or without social media. The part of me that craves social media is the human side. The empathetic part of my being needs to be part of a circle.

The same empathetic part of me struggles with social media, but I am getting better at just scrolling past anything that looks like it might be sad or ugly. I have found immeasurable joy in groups I have found on Facebook, LinkedIn, and GoodReads. If you haven’t discovered groups, you’re really missing out on the joyful part of social media. For example, there is a group for breastfeeding moms, unicorn moms, attachment parents, local gardeners, bakers, cloth diaper families, music lovers, organists, and that is just to name a few.

If you are having trouble with XYZ in your life, just query it on social media and I bet you’ll find a group of likeminded individuals or those going through a similar situation. There are cancer survivor groups, diabetes groups, spouses of alcoholic groups, and the list goes on and on.

If you have an unlimited amount of time to spend in person with your friends, then never mind anything I’ve said. However, if you are busy and trying to juggle too many balls, you may be just like me where you need a friend at 2am because you can’t quite figure out why the baby has a temperature or why the fridge smells weird. Social media never sleeps. There is always a friend out there to chat, bounce and idea off, or just lend a listening ear or sympathetic shoulder.

I went from being in a business setting with nearly 100 women, to being a stay at home mom. If it weren’t for social media and the relationships I’ve developed, I’m afraid to say that I’d be lonely. My husband works long hours, my kids don’t appreciate me anymore than they should at their age(s), and it’s so nice to lean on other people. Before you poo-poo the internet and social media, check out some groups and affiliate yourself with some positive online friends.

Do you have any favorite groups you’d recommend to others? How did you hear about them? Is social media a happy place for you? Share your thoughts and comments – we absolutely love hearing from you!

Crystal is a church musician, babywearing mama (aka crunchy mama), business owner, active journaler, writer and blogger, Blog Tour Manager with WOW! Women on Writing, Publicist with Dream of Things Publishing, as well as a dairy farmer. She lives in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin with her husband, four young children (Carmen 9, Andre 8, Breccan 2, and Delphine 1), two dogs, two rabbits, four little piggies, a handful of cats and kittens, and over 230 Holsteins.

You can find Crystal riding unicorns, taking the ordinary and giving it a little extra (making it extraordinary), blogging and reviewing books, baby carriers, cloth diapers, and all sorts of other stuff at:http://bringonlemons.blogspot.com/ and http://muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com/