The New Ties that Bind

Social Media Are Really All About Age-Old Motives

To me, social media is much more about making and maintaining connections than it is about telling the world what I’m up to this second. And that’s why it’s here to stay – we all want and need to keep a link to the relationships we’ve built. Here’s a small example, one that wouldn’t have happened just a couple of years ago.

Long-Distance Organizing

Tonight (Sept. 9), a group of folks will gather in a comfy living room in Portland, Oregon, for a house concert by an extraordinary Oklahoma singer-songwriter, Monica Taylor. This gathering is happening thanks to the connections of an exceptionally friendly fellow in Wichita, Kansas.

OK, the friendly fellow is me. Last year, I received a Facebook note asking what I was up to these days. I must confess, it seemed at first like a random mistake until a couple of rusty synapses fired and I realized the note came from an old college friend. I hadn’t seen or heard from Marlene since college, which was – well, never mind how long ago.

Friends of Friends

She found me because she’d heard Taylor perform in Portland and, checking out her website, saw my name on a few of the photos. We corresponded a bit, caught up with each others’ lives, and have stayed in infrequent touch. This summer, Taylor headed back to the Pacific Northwest and, at my urging, Marlene went up to chat between sets. One thing led to another. Marlene offered to host the house concert.

Another old friend of mine lives in Portland, too. I forwarded the notice to him and now he and his wife plan to attend the concert. I wish I could go – if only to prevent all of these friends from comparing too many notes about yours truly.