Social Media Is Taking Over The World

And I think there is absolutely nothing wrong with it.

In the age where almost everyone has a smartphone and the access to apps, everyone is more "in the know" than ever before.

We all know where we were on May 1, 2011. I was sitting on my couch watching the Phillies play the Mets at Citizens Bank Park. I checked my Facebook and kept reading that "he was finally killed." Now, doing some research, I found that he, was in fact Osama Bin Laden. Well, everyone at home or on their computers were now aware that Bin Laden had been killed, but what about the 45,000+ fans in attendance? Only those in the press box were made aware.

Well, thanks to cell phone, smartphones, and apps on those phones, fans started becoming aware of we, at home, had known for up to an hour already. Slowly, the chants of USA! USA! broke out and it was a site to see.

There were social media sites out before Facebook (though people still don't believe that) like Friendster and even MySpace. But they weren't the destination on the internet. Now, social media sites have the most hits on the internet.  Some of these sites are for a particular audience while others are just general sites that anyone can join. Are they distracting and time consuming? You bet. But are we getting a lot of our news, our information and even get-well wishes on those sites? Yes!

We do post our lives on Facebook and we do try to get in touch with celebrities on Twitter, but also see pictures of family members who may not live close and it is the best way to keep in touch these days. People feel much more connected now than they ever have, even if they are becoming less social in person. We text, we don't call. We'll facetime but when together, we'll text someone else. We're so used to using our fingers that we're forgetting to use our mouth.

I have a tumblr (which I just am getting used to), a Twitter, Foursquare, Loopt, Digg, Stumbleupon, Tweetdeck, LinkedIn, Facebook, and that's only to name a few. I follow my sports teams, my friends, the news, fake celebrities, and job openings to see what's available. Is it a bad thing that I'm that connected. I think not.

Aren't we forgetting what's in front of us though?

How many people have been on a date, a movie, or even a sporting event and taken out your phone to check your pages? Probably more than read this blog, but it is true. We do let social media take over our lives and forget what's going on right in front of us. We're so "tuned in" that we forget there is a life in front of us. But when we try to forget it, there's an advertisement telling us to follow them on Twitter or "like" them on Facebook. So there really never is a time to turn it off.

The best thing about social media is that it is becoming standard on most smartphones. And some social media sites are actually partnering up with phone companies.

If I'm at the Phillies game and I see someone leave the game early, I'll check my Twitter to see what they found out. I'll check in on Foursquare to see who else is there with me. And then I'll write a status to let my friends know I'm at the game and we'll grab a drink. It's even a great way to meet new people at the game.

Most generations, except for Generation Y, always say that we should get off the computer and talk to people, yet the biggest number of new users are those Baby Boomers and our grandparents who are getting in touch with friends from their past now. But they want us to get off the computer so they can get on!

While some will criticize these social media websites, I don't see a huge decline on people deactivating their accounts. In fact, there are more sites than ever before.

Social media a fad? I think not. Just look at all the businesses that have are making jobs for social media.