Social media is an incredibly useful tool for women looking to forge new connections. For many of us working girls, being self-employed means running our own businesses from home. Often, the work we choose is done alone; even when gig work is involved, it may be a solo gig. This can be wonderful, exhilarating freedom; but it can also be isolating and scary.
Globalization has meant that the world is shrinking as we are increasingly connected irrespective of our location. The mobility offered by the internet means that we can digitally reach out to others around the world. This means that connections can build more rapidly and are possible even if you do not have the time that would otherwise be required to meet in person. Although this sounds good, the issue is when culture is online, it can seem shallow.
With women making up more than half of the world’s population, and with most of them being global citizens with aspirations to be outstanding in their fields of work, it is clearly evident that they have a say in the business of anything and everything happening around them. Independent women who have a voice and demand to be heard, who refuse to bow down to the old world order and refuse to fit in with cultural norms of what a woman “ought” to be like.
Contrary to the traditional community and the circles we form, social media has the capability to share information globally. In the past if we wanted to share news or events, we had to do so person-to-person through word of mouth. Now we can reach hundreds of thousands of people instantly by doing so. People need to be understood. Their worldview is so different from ours that we have spent much of our lives in isolation; an emotional isolation.
The modern world is increasingly experiencing a state of isolation that has been brought about by the distance between the people and the ideas of the present generation and those of the previous one. This is due to the changes in society that have taken place with increased technology as well as modern ways of living. We live in an environment in which we can communicate with whole countries from our own homes on a regular basis. Some people still live in isolation, but this is happening less as time goes on.
Social media is changing the way we connect, converse and express ourselves. Social media platforms are creating a new platform for us to communicate. However, users’ interaction with these social networks have made them vulnerable to different forms of abuse and online harassment. In the majority of cases, victims of cyberstalking face a lack of support that they need from those who are supposed to help them.
Social media helps globalize relationships, as many of us already know. With the internet cutting physical distance, relationships are now possible with people whom you would have otherwise never met, be it your best friend or your colleague around the globe.
Instead of constantly being in battle mode over politics or religion or the newest debate, we need to attempt to genuinely connect with people at a personal level, at the level of ideas and emotions and empathy.
Social media should be used for strong interpersonal connections and being more human. It's a fundamental change in our humanity that a person or an idea will become a trend on social media. We should stop using social media as a battle ground for fighting with other people and ideas, but use it to connect with people at a personal level.
There are various support groups popping up on social media now, for this purpose. To help people find their tribes, who would understand them and help them overcome the unending loneliness that is the curse of people whose ideas are vastly different from the physical communities they are a part of.
