Christmas came early this year when I received an iPhone 4 from my parents. The need for a smartphone was in the forefront of my mind for months for many reasons: 1. Keeping up with my various social media escapades was becoming increasingly difficult; 2. My old phone was absolutely awful, dropping calls and making texting almost impossible (typing "c" either meant typing "ccc" or nothing at all); and 3. Quite a few of my friends have smartphones and I was beginning to feel left out.
Now that I have my wonder device, although it's not the latest technology (I didn't feel I was innovative enough for the iPhone 5...or affluent enough, for that matter), I have been using it constantly. I thought I was attached to my phone before, but that was child's play compared to my attitude now. Every spare minute, if I'm not texting or making a call, I'm checking Twitter or Facebook. OK, I'm also socializing with real people who are physically present and making sure I don't get run over by a bus, but the point is, my phone is a new and very close companion.
Another change that has happened with my new phone is a rekindling of my love for photography. When I brought my phone home, I downloaded Instagram, well, instantly! Since then, I've been taking pictures of every perfectly-placed nicknack in sight. It's really fun and I think it's bringing an element to my Twitter that was previously missing. Pictures seem much more interesting than just text tweets and I'm loving bringing some life to my online presence.
So yes, I am obsessed with all of the creative social media opportunities that have recently been opened up for me, but as always, I'm trying to stay balanced and keep one foot on solid ground while the other is in the cyber-world. Only this time, I'm finding that my feet are a bit closer together than usual. I can share all of the awesome, random things that I enjoy in my normal life by posting them in the technological universe without having to remove myself from the situation to stare at a computer. I feel really connected to people, near and far, and I think it's pretty amazing that I could have such a change in perspective from the palm of my hand.
