Why are people resistant to social media?

What I find amazing is that there are people out there who are proud of not joining social networking sites. It's strange, in a way, it's like saying they are proud to have never written an email, or a letter, to someone. Social networking tools are just that, tools to help people connect to friends, family, and even meet new acquaintances over the Internet.

Still, there are people I know online or off that have a steadfast pride of not joining a site like Facebook or Twitter. Sometimes people just typically respond that they don't want to join in a fad, other times it's because they genuinely do not understand what a service is used for. Both are on the outside looking in and wondering what the fuss is about. This is especially true, in my experience, of how people respond to the idea of Twitter.

It is kind of hard to describe what Twitter is. It's basically mass text messaging, but that doesn't really describe the ecosystem that has been built around Twitter. There are a myriad of different view points and groups that aren't really tied together in a way that is as cohesive as, say, Facebook, and that is what makes Twitter a great service. It's up to the user to define their experience in that ecosystem.

So really, Twitter itself gives as much as a user puts into it. But that doesn't make someone want to join Twitter since that doesn't exactly give an idea of what Twitter does. I guess a person has to be social, or need a social outlet, to use the service effectively.

If anything it's probably because of the fast pace that technology develops that makes it hard for people to get into social networks. Social networking and the way users work within them are constantly evolving, and users are constantly moving between services for different needs. People use Facebook for intimate discussion with their friends, almost making mini message boards, and then Twitter to get an idea of what people are talking about in the greater community.

So, really, if anyone has pride in not using these services they are kind of robbing themselves of experiences they could be having than simply being ignorant of their uses. These are people I know who can use a computer and the Internet, but are unwilling to join the greater community at large that is present on social networking services. Which is kind of sad, in a way, since they can add to a person's life.

Hello, thank you for finding this blog somehow. My name is Donald Myers Jr. artist and student, and I also have a wide variety of interests that I don't think I could focus on one single thing.

I'm not entirely sure how much this will be updated, but I am aiming for one post a week, at least.