My childhood friend and neighbour VR posted this image on Facebook.
VR had disappeared from my life in 1958 when my family moved out of Chennai where we were neighbours. She came back into my life thanks to Facebook and her cousin who too came back into my life in 1980 when both of us were posted in Delhi and a mutual friend had brought us together.
I commented on VR’s post as “Thanks to social media in the last few years, many childhood friendships are being renewed too. Perhaps this is the single biggest contribution that sm has made to our lives.”
While social media has played its part in bringing back old friends into my life again, the observation made in the image remains true too. My longest lasting friends, two of them from my boyhood and two from my early working days, survived all separations and have continued to be friends though three of us live in different towns while two in the same city. Alas the last two do not know each other but, the next time that I am in Chennai, I will remedy that situation.
Social media has also brought back groups into my life like classmates, ex colleagues, fellow alumni family etc and to that extent the world has shrunk for relationships.
Another tool that has brought disparate people together is the blog world and this blog by Wisewebwoman brilliantly explains this.
I am blessed indeed to have so many old friends, and more so for long lost ones returning to my life thanks to social media.
It is wonderful indeed that our worlds keep expanding, Ramana, thanks to social media. I am grateful for the introduction of you to my life so many years ago now. 🙂
XO
WWW
It has been my pleasure entirely WWW.
A lot of my blogmates have come and gone over the years, but a core of loyal followers have stayed with me for quite a while, and I’ve enjoyed getting to know them and sharing their lives and experiences. I know a lot more about them than virtually anyone I know in the flesh, except of course for Jenny. They have enriched my life in so many ways. One big benefit of social media that offsets all the poisonous trolling.
Your statement that you know a lot more about your blog friends than virtually anyone you know in the flesh, except of course for Jenny totally zaps me. I find it interesting and intriguing. Perhaps you should elaborate in a blog post.
what I’ve found interesting at times, especially of the social media platform, facebook, I regularly use is having “people pop up on another friends” page – and you wonder “how do they know xyz”? And mostly you never find out! Unless some message pops up and said person says “oh I remember that…” and of course you were never with them at that time!
Of course, my blogging virtual friends have certainly been added to…half the time I can’t remember how I connected with their page. An example would be you Ramana – how did I find you? Probably from someone else’s page… I probably clicked on-over and thought “now that’s interesting…” next minute “subscribed…” 🙂
Catherine de Seton recently posted..Tripping around town…
You have now articulated an idea that I toyed with including in my post about people I know popping up in other people’s facebook pages. Another welcome feature of social media indeed. Blog friends have enriched my life too.