I’m not sure if it’s right or wrong, but at least I find it interesting. I’m talking about how social media relationships work over the Christmas period, and whether it’s perceived by the majority of people as a necessary pass-time during such a family orientated holiday or, more likely, as an anti-social behavior for the socially inept. So what comes first for social media users, offline relationships with friends and families, or online relationships?
Many “non-tech savvy” people (read as normal people who don’t spend hours online each day) would be surprised at the activity levels online over Christmas. Out of interest, I logged onto World of Warcraft on Christmas Eve (in between meeting the mother in law, followed by the father in law, followed by the fiance’s brother and wife, followed by having a meal with said fiance… Xmas was tiring..) and was surprised to find a huge number of people were choosing to spend their time with their online friends. As I walked around, I was wished Merry Christmas numerous times, and left feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. Following this, I logged onto a few of my frequented forums to, again, be happy to see people chatting away with their online friends. In many of these people’s lives, their online friends are more important than offline friends. No, this shouldn’t be seen as them being geeks, but it SHOULD suggest that online relationships aren’t just throw-away, part time and anti-social wastes of time, but central to people’s social calendar. As work takes up more of our day, and the cost of living
I know it’s an old concept to some people, but I just thought I’d share the importance of social media as an intrinsic part of people’s lives. For example, a good friend of mine recently spent Christmas in New York with his girlfriend. They met playing Scrabbulous on Facebook. My housemate met her boyfriend playing World of Warcraft and now are part of their own guild called “Just the two of us”. Yes, sickening, but true… If millions of people spend Christmas Eve online with their friends rather than being with their family then perhaps it should be realised how essential these online relationships are.
Two gamers marry on World of Warcraft
Blue Root blog 