Social Media Communities

I've been thinking a lot lately about the way we use social media like Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and others. These sites are evolving into new ways of being in community with other people. And for all of the negative press they get there are a lot of positive aspects beginning to emerge.

The other day a friend told me that he has stopped using Facebook because it is a black hole where time disappears. Many of us have had that experience where we log on and bury our heads in our computer screens only to find that an hour or more has slipped by when it felt like 10 minutes. We look up and see that we are alone in room or office and there is that sense that we have been duped. A lonely feeling overwhelms us when just a moment before we felt so connected.

A new study by the Pew Internet and American Life Project as reported by Mashable indicates that we are using Social Media platforms to strengthen our ties to one another away from our computers and mobile devices. The report claims that "Facebook users tend to get more emotional support, companionship as well as instrumental aid (meaning they’re more likely to get help when sick, etc)."


There is no doubt that online communities can cause problems or be places where people are endangered but we can say that about every community, online or otherwise. These new online communities will be what we make of them and it appears that we would like them to be for good.


What is your experience with social media sites? Do you give and receive instrumental aid? Do you give or receive support from people you know? Have you had a primarily positive or negative experience?