The Effect of Social Media

It's a Friday afternoon and you begin to make plans with your friends.  You take out your day planner and the calendar on your cell phone to ensure that you do not have any social engagements.  You start to send out a text message, inviting some of your closest friends over for some drinks and a movie, something casual, something fun.  It is, after all, the week of your birthday, and you're ready to celebrate.

However, as you feel the excitement welling in your stomach for the fun you will have after a hard week of exams, you get ten text messages that reject your plans.  "I'm sorry..." they all begin.  "But, it wasn't on Facebook, so I made other plans."

You suddenly feel upset--rightfully so.  But the real issue here isn't the fact that you won't be spending the evening with your friends.  The issue is the fact that your friends expected it to be on Facebook for it to be official.  It wasn't enough for your friends to consider that your birthday was approaching and you would want to relax and celebrate.  It wasn't considered to ask you if you wanted to hang out for your birthday.  The only thought that crossed their minds was the fact that you had not sent out a Facebook invitation, or made a MySpace event.

When did this world grow to be controlled by Facebook, or other forms of social media.  My Twitter status does not have to inform my friends that I am going to the bathroom for me to actually be going to the bathroom.  I do not have to make a Facebook invitation to ask my friends to join me at Taco Bell to eat.

This social media movement has caused spontaneity to be all but nonexistent.  I cannot call somebody at the spur of the moment for fear that Facebook has already informed them of a party across town, of a concert in Dallas, of a dinner at Chili's.  What happened to being whimsical?  What happened to being irresponsible and playing it by ear?

Or do I need to invite you all to my Facebook event "Playing by Ear.  Hosted by: Paul Adams. Where: Somewhere?"