Social Media and Web 2.0: All About Being Seen Heard and Responded To Online and in Real Time

It seems to me that this is a brave new world we are living in. What I mean by that is that people are looking for new ways to connect and yet manage the way they use the internet. For some the internet does seem to offer the feeling of anonymity but this does seem to be a feeling of false security if not outright delusion. There is no real way to hide online and with the emergence of social media it is even easier to find people.

This feeling of anonymity be it real or imagined is not necessarily a bad thing mind you. For some it allows them to interact with others and yet feel safe in the confines of their own home in front of their trusty computer.

For others the sensation of anonymity of the internet is too isolating and so with the coming of Web 2.0 we have the development of a huge variety of social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, My Space, You Tube and of course blogging on sites such as Blogger, Wordpress and Live Journal. These seem to be a direct reaction to the vastness of the web and human nature being what it is they are amazingly popular.

In a business meeting the other day we were discussing it, and the person I was meeting with said they could understand if from a business perspective how these social media platforms are useful and beneficial but this person could not understand why individuals would love to spend so much time blogging and Twittering.

While everyone's reason for participating is likely different, I do feel like sites like Twitter and Facebook (where you can constantly update your status) give people a chance to say: "Look at me!" It seems to come down to the need to be seen and heard and responded to.

Were it not for my business, as a Spiritualist Medium Psychic Advisor I would not be so active in blogging and the other social media. I might have a place where I can connect with friends but I would not be updating them as often. I am amazed at how time consuming blogging and social media can be. I guess I am old school I enjoy a bit of TV and a good book. I also enjoy outings with my partner and family and friends off line.

Having been on the internet since 2001 though I can say that there was a time that I was using it to reach out when I was feeling isolated in my life. At the time I had just completed university and was unemployed and looking for work. I had studied to become a teacher but my health forced me to leave the program early so I did not complete it. I was devastated. I had no idea what I was going to do next! I was depressed and ANGRY!

Living in a small town, I did not have good communications with my doctor at the time and I thought I have to get handle on this. So with that in mind, I stated to do social research and with my background in sociology it made total sense to take this approach.

At the time I was trying to find out if other people with disabilities were having the same problems I was having at the time with employment and connecting to others. The other question I had (that would come later) was how are they resolving it?

What I discovered frightened me in some ways. I did find that yes, people with disabilities were isolated and disenfranchised and for many of them they were trapped and it seemed they were killing time on the web instead of finding useful resolution to the issue. This was not what I wanted and so I needed to ask different questions. For me these questions could be summed up as: What is it that people need and how can I be a part of giving it to them?

By the time I got to asking these questions though, I had moved out of the small town and was back in Toronto and managing my anger and depression through medical treatment and counseling. I had gotten back into Spiritualism and doing mediumship. This was a real healing time for me and it was at this point that I realized that people need direction and upliftment. I had spent 4 years looking for help and had to find it on my own but what if I was meant to help others in the way I would have liked to have been helped?

While it would take me another few years to formulate the business , to do readings professionally and begin my work as a spiritual psychotherapist, I knew now that I did have something valuable to offer others. This discovery was made in no small part by the online research I did in the early part of 2000. At the time the social platforms available were groups and communities offered by MSN and Yahoo. The term "social media" was not coined yet and Facebook and Twitter were still to be born but the motivation for participation in the groups and communities was the same. Human nature being what it is means that people need to connect in some way and also need to be seen, heard and responded to. This was what I was searching for when I was struggling and no doubt it is what motivates many people who are active online.

For me the social aspect of the web helped me to do my own healing and to discover my life path. Now I have a successful business and a satisfying personal life with a loving partner and good even more friends. More than that, I am centered spiritually, mentally and physically and I am blessed to be able to help others find their direction in an uplifting way that allows me a great deal of satisfaction. This is why I continue to be very active online even now. Even when I do feel it is overwhelming and time consuming I do have the impression of someone looking for help and so I connect and communicate with the intent of being seen and heard just in case I might have something to say that would assist that person.