dilluns, 24 de novembre del 2014

You've got a friend in me #SocialNetworks



Bé, encara que molta gent abusa de les xarxes socials i el temps que passen  enganxats al smartphone, i malgrat les opinions que diuen que tot això ens portarà a perdre vida social, jo he de dir que de moment en tinc bones sensacions. A banda de la gent que he conegut o contactat a traves d’internet, fins i tot aquest any he tingut la oportunitat de conèixer alguns en persona. I de moment, bé, cap assassí en serie ni coses rares.

Fa temps que segueixo un bloc que m’agrada molt, que barreja musica i pensaments de l’autor. El blocaire en qüestió viu a l’altra punta de Catalunya, però aquest any va haver de venir a Tortosa i vaig poder trobar-me amb ell uns minuts i vaig confirmar lo que pensava, una bona persona! A vore si ens tornem a trobar un dia...

També seguim un blocde Yorkshire, el autor del qual viu molt a prop d’on viuen mons pares i explica caminades i parla de llocs que visita que jo conec bastant. A més a més, també hi posa molts reflexions personals molt variades, barrejat amb un bon sentit d’humor. Firma com a Yorkshire Pudding i poca gent coneix la seva identitat real – però a l’estiu li vam proposar una petita trobada a Sheffield. Vam anar tota la família, vam fer un cafè junts amb ell i vam xerrar més d’una hora. És una bona persona amb una vida també molt interessant. A vore si ens tornarem a trobar... almenys ara hem posat una cara al personatge del Pudding!

A la primavera vam quedar amb 4 o 5 tuitaires que ens sembla que tenim alguna cosa en comú – piular sobre les Terres de l’Ebre. No coneixiem gaire 2 d’ells. Vam fer un esmorzar de productes de la terra – pa amb tomaquet, pernil, formatges, vins, oli del bo etc – i vam parlar una bona estona, arreglant el món (local).

A l’estiu també vaig anar a Barcelona per un dinar amb un grup de gent que piulem coses sobre Catalunya en anglès i que poc a poc ens estavem trobant per les xarxes. També ho vam passar molt bé, i d’allí ha sortit un bon grapat d’amistats fructífers.

En fi, de moment, es confirma la regla – que si uses les xarxes amb coneixement, poder ser bones eines, no tots son trolls i ciberbullies !
..............
So, social networks and smartphones and all this internet stuff are just for cyberbullies, trolls, and nutters, and will be the end of civilization as we know it? Maybe. But for now, I’ve had a Good Year which seems to prove the opposite. Rather than losing my social life thanks to my (almost) addiction to the internet, I have in fact made and met more friends...
For some time now I’ve been reading a blog which offers up great music mixed in with the thoughts of the blogger himself. As he lives at the other end of Catalonia, we’d only “spoken” via blog comments or email... till this year. He had to come to Tortosa for a sporting event his daughter was participating in, so we arranged to meet up and had a short but grand time chatting.
Another blog I try to keep up with is written by a certain Mr Yorkshire Pudding and offers the author’s thoughts on a fascinating variety of topics, as well as many local references as he likes walking, studying the history of, and posting photos of many of the areas which I know from my youth as he lives quite near my parents’ house. In the summer we met up with him in Sheffield city centre – in a public café just in case he was the typical serial killer you hear about who uses internet to lure his victims into his web. Well, he isn’t – I think. In fact we spent a fine hour chatting away and, who knows, maybe we’ll meet in person again. But in a more civilized place, like Barnsley.
In the spring time a group of local tweeters who hardly knew each other, but shared our love of commenting on local things, decided to meet up at my house and get to know each other in person over a typical Catalan breakfast (with lots of local products) – “bread with tomato”, ham, cheese, wines, olive oil, local pastries and chocolate. We had a great time and will definitely do it again!
Similarly, a different group of us who’d noticed that we were all tweeting about Catalonia in English decided to have a meal together this summer in Barcelona. We had a great time and some fruitful friendships arose.
So, to cut a long story short, don’t believe everything you read in the Daily Mail, people are still people, and 99% of us enjoy getting out and meeting people and having a good time – and some of us know where the Off button is on all this technology too.



Update: forgot to link the blogs yesterday. Sorted now!

4 comentaris:

  1. It is nice to read this post Brian about the connections you have made through your "addiction" :)

    ResponElimina
    Respostes
    1. Thanks Carol. Yes, I've nothing but praise for how social networks and my life have evolved recently - though must remember not to overdo it!
      By the way, Mr YP is a nice chap when you meet him in person :)

      Elimina
  2. Two things..
    1) Barnsley civilised? That's like saying The Pope is a gigolo or that Margaret Thatcher is sorely missed in Goldthorpe or that The Madrid government have handled the Catalan quest for independence with good grace.
    2) Why would Carol NOT think I was a "nice chap"? Or am I being hypersensitive?

    ResponElimina
    Respostes
    1. Don't take it the wrong way - you know, just in case she had the slightest niggling of a doubt.... !

      Elimina