What did we do with-out social networking? We lost touch with friends. Long distance phoning was expensive and people moved.
We tried to stay in touch with old friends but after a few moves, decades, and name changes, old friends became lost.
Enter the phenomena of social networking via FaceBook, Twitter, Myspace, LinkedIn and others, and it is no surprise that the over 50 year old female demographic is the fastest growing group in social networking. We are all finding each other and catching up!
Those of us over 50 are very excited to be able to rekindle friendships. We can easily share pictures of ourselves, our kids, our pets, our homes, or our grand children with a touch of a button. Some of us are even able to scan in old photos of a sweet sixteen party, a prom, or a wedding. It is so easy to get caught up, that it can feel like time never passed.
Young women today are in constant contact with friends and family. They can text, email, and Skype all the time. No bad date or bad haircut is not reported and talked about with several friends via cyberspace. It will be interesting if attrition holds true for them too.
For those of us over 50 a new set of problems has arrived with social networking. Today the way to get rid of someone who turns out not to be a real friend, or we remember we never did like them, is filled with tasks: not returning their texts, emails, calls, de-friending them, or even sending an email that their social networking friendship is not for you!