My Answer to Social Media Skeptics
On Sunday, October 10, 2010, I was invited by Lilly to attend the Global Work Party to Help Lebanon Go Solar organized by Young Leader Social Media Café (#ymlsc). It is a grassroot campaign that was led by 350.org. On this day, more than 6631 Events in 188 Countries celebrated climate solutions and sent politicians a clear message: “We’re getting to work—what about you?” I had the opportunity to meet very interesting people like Hiba Farhat, the regional coordinator of YLSMC. I also got to meet a couple of social media skeptics – this is where the conversation became even more exciting and this post is based on that conversation.
They believe that Social Media takes you away from the real world! Ironically, it was social media that got me to attend this “physical” meeting in the first place. If I were to summarize my answer to such skepticism, I would suffice by saying: Social Media is as real as it gets!
Here are some of the questions I asked the young skeptics in response to their disbelief:
- How many of your friends in real life share your beliefs and thoughts?
- How many of them can you discuss your true passion with?
- How many add value to you on daily basis?
- How many of them do you connect with on an intellectual level?
- How often do you get to have enriching conversations?
- How many of them are pure intellectual connections free of any bias and prejudice?
- How much time do you spend wasting your time?
- How many hours out of the 24 hours in a day are you effectively using?
- Are you investing in your “sweat equity”?
- Are you learning something new every day?
Their answer was very few!
Now try to ask the same questions in the social media realm … I have over a thousand Twitter connections and less than 10 are prior friends. This means that there must be something else that brings us together and that is our passions! What can be more real than that? On social media you are judged only by the value you add … not what car you drive, or title you hold, or clothes you wear, or money you have, or religion, or race, or any other societal dysfunction! You are what you give – this is reality!
Things to remember about social media reality:
- Social Media is only a connection tool – it does not replace the physical reality, it is simply an extension of it
- Social Media is a think tank of interconnected minds – that is something you rarely find in the physical realm
- Social Media presents you with infinitely many opportunities – what you decide to do with that is up to YOU
- Social Media is free – the physical reality you live in comes with a price tag
Are you a skeptic or a believer? Do you think Social Media is a waste of time? Do you think it takes away from your reality? Think About It!

