So, one of our readings this week relayed the story of Trudy and Peter Johnson-Lenz and how they used social media networking to request help following an accident that necessitated Trudy's admission to the hospital for a head injury and subsequent medical care. The part of the story that struck me most was Peter's admission that he and his wife were not much for 'schmoozing and socializing' therefore the help that they could receive from their local community was limited. Consequently, (and partly due to their careers) they were instead able to reach out to their online community to get the help they needed. 

The Johnson-Lenz' situation made me think about other groups of people that may not be able to obtain help locally, and how social media networking can offer a suitable substitute. The first group that came to mind was introverts because introverts, especially those in small-town or rural areas, may benefit from enhanced social networking skills to find like-minded communities, search for jobs that accommodate less socially active personalities, and more. The article linked here provides some good tips on how introverts should approach social media networking, what benefits are available, and some pitfalls to look out for.

Is Social Media Helping or Hurting Introverts?

Comments

  1. LissaMay 14, 2021 at 5:47 AM

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  2. LissaMay 14, 2021 at 5:48 AM

    Trudy and Peter's story from Networked really stood out to me as well. It made me think of how common Go Fund Me has become and how quickly a story can spread and money can be raised for people in need- all virtually. You bring up a great point, small towns, communities and cities with limited access to larger communities and community activities, how do they use social media to connect? I thought it was interesting that Thompson mentions that in large social events, introverts do not always have time to 'recharge,' but on social media, introverts are given the opportunity to engage to their comfort level and also to use social media without having to actively talk to anyone. I can connect to this feeling, I would consider myself more of a passive user of my social media platforms. I can see what's going on and connect a little, but I don't feel the pressure to post and comment constantly.

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    1. Lauren CMay 14, 2021 at 11:50 AM

      Hi Lissa, that's a good point and I feel the same way in that social media allows me to contribute when I feel I should as opposed to feeling pressured to do so. The Johnson-Lenz' made an additional point about how much had changed since their parents generation and even their own in terms of how people form support systems. While not everybody takes advantage of social media in this way, I do believe society is trending towards online support systems as opposed to localized support systems that were the status quo in previous generations.

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  3. Nicole RMay 18, 2021 at 8:29 AM

    Thanks for the link to the article about introverts. I'm definitely an introvert! I wonder if it can also be connected to Covid and how almost all of society went online to conduct their lives from school to work and other 'social activities'. Did this help or hurt introverts? My five year old's birthday was this past weekend. I swear it was so awkward talking to adult...more than usual. Such a weird time that I'm sure will go down in history as a very significant period where society needed to adapt and used online tools to do so.

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