Facebook, Twitter, and other social portals have taken the Under 40 group by storm. These portals have their place in the current social interaction just as the telephone filled the gap back in the 50’s through the 90’s. Some of you can remember the “party lines” where households had to share phone service with multiple homes in the area thus you had to wait your turn to use the phone. Nobody worried about invasion of privacy back then. The more affluent obtained private phone lines but at an additional cost. In the 1980’s, mobile car phones were the rage among those with money to burn. For about $350/month you could have a mobile phone in the car. My boss had one in his company car and when we would trade out company cars for the weekend, I would drive his car and make phone calls “just because I could”. My company car, a Chevy Blazer (4 wheel drive), was his preferred vehicle for his New Mexico hunting trips. I was more than happy to drive his Lincoln Towncar with the phone while he was gone. What ego’s!
My daughter was an early adapter of Facebook. It seemed that the number of “friends” was more important to those new to Facebook. She has finally discovered that only those who she really has a relationship with are the ones she is interested in sharing her family’s life. Did she need to suffer Facebook “Depression”? “What is that?” you ask. You see that people you casually know seem to be doing all these great things that are posted on Facebook while you are at home in a sleep-deprived state from caring for your sick kids the last three days. The thing that you don’t know is that those same people will not post anything that reflects the negative events in their lives. Facebook has just become another illusion that people have used to escape the emptiness in their lives. Don’t misunderstand me, this portal is great for keeping up with family and friends with pictures, videos, posts, etc. However, having a thousand “friends” and having your newsfeed loaded with “noise” does not fulfill the need for socializing and sharing.
Facebook can become addictive to the point that you spend most of your day in cyberspace rather than doing something productive. This world is full of addictions: cigarettes, alcohol, drugs, sex, social networking… the list goes on. People are trying to fill an emptiness in their hearts. Love is the only thing that can fill that void. Love has an infinite supply to fill all those voids that addictions focus on.
Man’s systems and structures invest heavily in keeping man under subjection to addictions. The ego will not be conquered without a fight. Love wins but with only a heart change. The ego will fight to the end to keep itself in control. Once you make a decision to subdue the carnal man, you can be assured of many tests coming your way. It is like the ego turns on a magnet to attract circumstance that would assure its position in your life. How much longer will mankind be a slave to structures and systems? One day people will wake up and wonder how they became so enslaved to their addictions. As that happens, social portal use will move to moderation and no longer rule the day.
