Conversations I wouldn’t have had, thank you Social Media

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March 21, 2017 by readlisaread

I think about this a lot– possibly more than it really merits.  There are people in my life, things that I have discovered, and big, great belly laughs I have had, all thanks to social media.  It’s easy to be dismissive of FaceBook or Twitter, filled as one friend once said “…with cat videos” and poorly spelled inspirational quotes on cheesy backdrops.  And, yeah, there is a lot of fluff, sure, but as a literate, curious and mindful adult, I can skim through the chaff pretty quick.  Of course, my definition of chaff and yours may differ… but take this conversation about this article for example:

FontConvo (in PDF in case the above image is less than legible)

It’s a side conversation, and not one too likely to happen at most gatherings, unless you are related to/friends with a LOT of typographers and publishers. It’s not an important conversation–on a level with a cat video, I suppose– not especially erudite, nor overly funny.  But… it’s a REAL conversation, about something I am curious about, and obviously other people are too.  It would have to be a desperately dry dinner party if the Oxford Comma were to pull up to the table, yet, he is super welcome on FaceBook. These irreverent/irrelevant conversations allow my (virtual) friends to know me more deeply–heaven for an extrovert .

And it prompts things like this:  my friend sent me this photo, which she took because she liked, then shared it with me, knowing I would like it too:

A small gesture, sure, and were we pen pals in the previous century, probably not something worthy of the time it would take to develop the film, put the photo in an envelope, write the letter, go to the Post Office… you get my meaning, I’m sure, gentle reader, for you know me too, thanks to Social Media, if no other connection.

So, don’t dismiss those cat videos and quotes by Abraham Lincoln too abruptly. They have a place on social media– and so do you, if you are looking for your tribe.  You’ll find me with the fontists and the foodies….


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