This week it's all about 'The People in my Phone'. I first used the internet 15 years ago I think, that's certainly when my parents first got dial up. Having email and MSN Messenger at University really helped keeping in touch with friends, especially University friends during the holidays.
Over the years I've used the internet more and more and because I work at a University I got a Facebook account in mid 2006. Then I discovered blogs, with Lucy's Attic 24 blog being the first I regularly read. Twitter followed in 2010 and in December 2010 I got an internet phone and my 'social media network's grew and grew.
Having the internet wherever I go has opened up a whole new world to me and I've been very inspired in many ways by the blogs I've read, tweets and instagram photos I've seen, and people I've interacted with.
I do a job where I can spend a lot of time in an office on my own and being the summer holidays there are no Guiding and little Theatre volunteering to do so at the moment I'm especially glad of the 'people in my phone'.
Talking to my 14 year old Guides a couple of months ago they couldn't imagine being their age with no mobile phone let alone no internet, although they could see the advantage of not having it sometimes. Sometimes I think I should be less dependent on mine, there's a well timed story about this on the BBC Website today - however on balance it's definitely a good thing for me.
I feel really similarly to you, I think. I do worry that I'm too reliant on my phone, but when I'm in the right frame of mind the social media I have on it opens up the world in such a way that I find really inspiring and positive.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was at University, we had the internet but only in the uni itself, no-one had it at home and mobile phones were really just for calls and texts. I can't imagine being without mine now, but I have started going offline on a Sunday to get a bit more balance. My children are really small and have never known a world without wifi!!!