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Previously post I wrote for Galtime.com
My 11 year old daughter came to me one day and said…“Mom what did people do before Facebook & Twitter”? My initial response was a quick laugh.
Then I started thinking about it. What did we do before Social media??
I started thinking about it….before Facebook & Twitter, I was on MySpace. I remember going to Classmates.com back in 2004-2005 when my friends & I were planning a 10 yr High School Reunion. But what did we do before that??
It was like trying to find out What Came First, The Chicken or the Egg Theory.
I remember reading a few blogs here and there back in the early 2000. I was also a reader of a few money saving forums around that time-frame. In the late 90’s it was chat rooms & late 80’s- 90’s a simple e-mail….
Once I found it’s genesis I started thinking how much Social Media HAS changed us. We use Social Media as a tool.
-To Connect
Keeping in touch with Friends & Family. Finding others with our same likes or dislikes. Have a favorite T.V Show?? Now you connect with the actor or your favorite Musician! Your child’s school is probably on Facebook. what time if the Fall Festival again??
-Education
How can I get my child on a regular Sleep Schedule? What’s your recommendation for a certain product? How can I trim my family’s budget?
-Form of Release
Every tweeted to a company your likes or dislikes. When you had poor Customer Service and wanted to Rant about it? We blog….so naturally we have built up emotions that blogging allows us to release anger or any form of emotions. Irate with a family member…just tweet about it and you’ll feel better! 
-Careers
Naturally, Social Media is great for Marketers, Advertisers, Business Owners, etc. Many Mom’s have dived into Blogging, Created their own companies built around Social Media weather it’s writing a book, starting a P.R Firm, or making their dream of being a well-known Pastry Chef a reality.
-News
I still watch Local/National news programming. But if there is an Earthquake or Tornado somewhere, we probably see it on the web first. If stocks are plummeting, someone on CNN or Fox is already Tweeting about it. Going to Freeze tonight? someone on Twitter/Facebook already posted tomorrow local forecast.
What did we do before Social Media? What if it went away? What is the next big thing in Social Media and will it be a fad?
Just remember…the idea of the Internet was once thought of as a fad.
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I can say that I was probably one of the last people to get internet, but the internet has become a major part of my life, I go to school on the internet, I interact and meet great people on the internet, I express myself on the internet and I’ve gain more confidence in myself and my goals because of it. So there!!! NOT A FAD!
Your right! It is fascinating to think of how far we have come in such a short period of time. I’ve been using computers since I was like 5 & now I know 2 year olds that know how to use computers better than most adults. I do remember the primitive internet & chat rooms of the 90s. Kids are so lucky today. When I was in school, we passed notes on paper, to get information out. Although, I am now so reliant on the internet now that I don’t think I can ever go back.
We had to call people,go to the library for homework,and write letters. We even talked to people face to face.
I have a love hate relationship with social media. For every good there is also a bad. My main thing is TMI! People are now oversharing. Used to be we really didn’t know much about some people in our lives and now we (unfortunately) know when their last BM was. BUT I also love that I am able to connect with family I would never have connected with otherwise.