A More Social World

It baffles me when I still hear complaints that Facebook and Twitter is leading to an anti-social world.  I think that it’s the opposite.  I believe that social media makes it easier to be more social. I see it happening everyday.  I’m not just saying that because I’m a PR student who is addicted to social media. 

With a single tweet I can post my prediction of the Braves hitting against the Diamondbacks in the game tonight and it might get featured on SportsCenter.  My aunt can post a video on Facebook of my cousin playing basketball in Boston and I can watch him in Columbus, Ohio.  Maybe I need a new recipe to make for a cookout this weekend.  With a few clicks on Pinterest I can find a new dish to try from a person that I’ve never met in my life.  The way that we receive news is no different.  I can filter through NYTimes stories on my Google+ page spending time reading the stories that I’m interested in instead of hunting through a paper.  

Social media outlets have changed the way that we live our lives. We might not always notice the change in the daily activities I’ve listed because it has become routine.  It becomes clearer when big news happens like the news of Dick Clark’s passing on Wednesday night.  Dick Clark was legendary.  There will always be people that are influenced by Dick Clark but there will never be another Dick Clark. 

I actually heard about his death because I was on Twitter when the story was reported.  People may argue that I would have heard it somewhere else eventually but Twitter was first.  Lately Twitter has been my main source for big news events.  I’m sure there are many people that agree with this. 

My memories of Clark are the grandfatherly, happy man talking to celebrities and counting down the moments into the New Year.  My mom and dad had different memories of him.  I had never seen a clip of American Bandstand before Wednesday and now I have the ability to view them with the click of a mouse.

My parents aren’t the only ones with memories of Clark.  Search #DickClark or #RIPDickClark on Twitter and this becomes obvious.  I love having the ability to hear everyone’s memories. People don’t just post on Twitter either.  Google+, Facebook, Pinterest, Tumblr, Flickr, and other social media sites give people an outlet to share their memories.  The news stations even use their websites to feature memories.  Here's an article from Huffington Post and it features some memories from people:

  

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/19/dick-clarks-new-years-eve_n_1437040.html

This is just one example of many out there today.  The nostalgic posts from people older than myself give my generation a chance to learn more about Clark and the impact he made on the world of entertainment.  I now can imagine Clark as a sweet, experienced man wishing me a happy New Year every year and also as a fresh, handsome man with a lot of charisma breaking down barriers by introducing music and dance to the nation.

American Bandstand clips have been featured on the news and people who got their big break from Clark spoke highly of his character.  The tweets and posts keep rolling in reflecting on Clark and his various professional projects.  Today we can sort through all of the memories and learn more about what the world lost which have been collected online. Without technology and social media collecting these images and memories wouldn’t be as easy.  So as you are browsing the news be thankful that we live in a time where we can honor those who deserve recognition in huge ways.  

I, like the rest of the world, am sending thoughts and prayers to the family and friends of Clark at this time.  I have no doubt that with all of the memories that have now been published online he will never be forgotten.      

'photo by Alan Light'