Anyone working full-time will tell you that they barely have time for socialising with friends. I wake up every day at 6.30am and get to work around 7.15am, and depending on the flow of work, I leave by 4.30 or 5pm. More often than not, I take some of my work home with me to be able to meet deadlines. Then I go to bed, wake up and repeat the same cycle the following day.
I usually don’t have much time to sit with my family. Also, I am disconnected from my friends. Most of my compatriots work full-time jobs as well, and some of them have families, which limits their time even more. Whenever we plan to meet up, usually things don’t work according to plan. It takes a lot of organising, and in the end, some won’t be able to show up.
I often use social media to stay connected with my friends. We started a WhatsApp group to share our daily stories. This group helps me keep up to date with what is going on in other’s lives too. It’s great to share information with your friends at one click either by posting pictures, sending voice notes, and receiving their responses all together.
For example, after having a difficult day at work, it is a great release to send your complaints to all your friends at once, and read their responses and advice on the subject. It feels like your friends are still there for you, even if not physically around you.
Another social media site I find useful is Twitter, which has a remarkable amount of information that can be easily accessed. Twitter combines all your news outlets together on one website – magazines, your favourite journalists, even world leaders. So you can receive all the latest news and events taking place in the world just by checking your timeline. Not to forget, for many people, Twitter is their voice, a place where they can share their thoughts on the world around them.
So, for someone like me who finds it difficult to stay connected to the current events, it’s a great method to stay informed and learn so much from people across the globe.
A lot of people criticise the digital age and its effect on people’s behaviour. Some people stress over how social media keeps youngsters to remain glued to their gadgets and laptops; how it causes some of them to become more distant and reclusive – in other words, a huge waste of time. This does apply to some individuals, but it does not mean that the effect of social media on our lives has been all negative. The speed with which you can get in touch with a friend and your quick access to information is what makes social media a revolutionary means of communication. It is not a substitute for real human interaction, but in the midst of the busy lives we lead, it’s a great way to ensure we stay connected to our friends and the world.
Fawzeya Abdul Rahman works for the Abu Dhabi Government.
If you have a good story to tell or an interesting issue to debate, contact Melinda Healy on mhealy@thenational.ae