The first time I heard about Facebook, I was a freshman in College back in Fall 2006. I was in the bus, when a student told another: “Do you know what the future is? Facebook! Everyone is on Facebook today. If you don’t have a Facebook account, you are nothing.” A couple of months later I had my own account. I did not really know what it was, but it enabled me to stalk my new crush – to whom I am now married!

When Mr.Internet meets Mrs.Globalization

The world is globalized – everything and everyone can be connected. We witness every day how social media impacts the world – which is the reason why some countries shut off the access. We bring the world together and we have the responsibility to make the best use of it to make the world a better place. I have learned to enjoy all the best from what the Internet offers and all that for the price of a connection. Let us face it, this is pretty incredible and many of us take for granted the fact we can stay connected with the entire world. A Skype call connects you in a matter of seconds to your relatives, a business partner or a friend you have not seen in a long time. When we had our first Internet connection at home, we were allowed 20 hours per month and you could hear the dial when it connected – you’re laughing because you also remember it.

I learned my lesson misusing the social media. Our ability to guess things and make up things that do not exist is seriously insane. It is obvious that people will always want to show their best side. Don’t be impressed by the details but rather spend time to learn how to make the best use of online tools.

The crucial point is wisdom. There is two ways you acquire it: you are born with it thanks to great genes or you have to learn it on the job – which is the case for most of us. Wisdom has to do with your character, how you interact with other people. The way you use social media depicts exactly who you are. The content you post on your Facebook page says a lot about how much attention you need, how you want your page to be an inspirational wall to your viewers or how you like sharing thought-provoking information. The fact of the matter is, the Internet does not change people, it reveals their inner selves.

Stay connected not disconnected

Think about how Facebook has made our lives easier. For events you need to organize, you can create a page and link people together. You can be part of online-communities and be aware of what they are doing. You can post questions and get a quick answer. You can ask a friend something and know he or she is going to answer in the next 10 minutes. At last, there is the business use: create a page, share the basic information of your company and gets likes to create a network.

The way we approach the use of social media says a lot about how we approach social life: relationship or alienation. Do you prefer meeting with people and spending time with them and exchange some small talk or deep conversations? Or do you prefer staying in your room and watch TV? Sharing is what makes you social and helps you grow. Human relationships are based on constantly sharing feelings, data or lending a shoulder for someone to cry on. The same principle also works for online networks. Sometimes it does feel good to shout out how terrible you feel or stressed and having friends commenting with encouraging words. Don’t go depressed and frustrated alone, there is always someone in your friend list who will be there for you.

Not long ago I created a Twitter account. I rapidly found out that I could be connected to the people I admire and follow the information they use and share. I even started to follow Oxford Dictionary and Larousse – how cool is that?

Thank you

I love how the Internet has helped me to stay connected with people. I really believe that there are common patterns between social media and social lives and they clearly identifies how open-minded you are, how much you want to keep in touch with people and how open to the world you are to be ready to learn everyday something new. I love when people put pictures from their vacation on their facebook, because I can travel for free myself. Every person has his or her own perspective and that gives you a new one. Looking back, I don’t know how I would have kept up my social life in Marseilles without social media since I moved to Germany.

So, here it goes: big thank you to my social-media community that helped me to learn a lot, to discover, to keep in touch, to see how wondefully you evolved since I last time saw you. Thank you for making the Web a great place of the World! Just like everything else, you need first to use it and make mistakes before you know how to properly handle it and make a good use of it. Not to forget how blogging enables to do what I like doing the most.