Growing up, half of my family lived in New Jersey while my father’s half lived in Australia. Although it is easy to call and send mail domestically, it costs a ton to call people half way around the world and can take up to two weeks to send something there. This made phone calls upsettingly short and letters behind on the recent news of everyone’s life. For a ten-year old girl wanting to stay in contact with her cousins, this was not ideal. It wasn’t until I was thirteen that I got a Facebook, where I was able to stay up to date with my family without a letter or phone call. One of my first friends was one of my older cousins on the site already. As all of us got older we have been able to stay in contact and always stay on top of what each other are doing. Social media has become a free, fast, and easy communication tool used to reach the majority of my family while being able to stay up to date with the changes in their life. We even have our own group where we will post exciting accomplishments or news. This has become a major way of communication for many families across the globe, especially when trying to get in contact with someone in the wake of an emergency.
After Harvey, thousands turn social media in attempts to locate family and friends lost in chaos of storm https://t.co/8fHXhPgvs9 pic.twitter.com/Fn83kYSoKd
— CBS News (@CBSNews) August 31, 2017
Social media has paved the way for a world that is more intertwined and connected.
it's weird how on social media people say "real life" as if social media isn't actually connected to the "real" world
— Lolα 🏹 (@sugarpockets) September 10, 2017