How to Stop Talking to Your Friends

With the advent of social media, there are so many outlets (Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, LinkedIn, texting, email, the soon-to-be obsolete fax) that there is almost no need to connect face-to-face anymore.

What hath technology wrought?

Time magazine reported that Americans sent 110 billion text messages last year (that's billion with a b, folks!), which is double the number from the previous year. And like a virus, it keeps growing. True, teens account for the largest increase, mainly because they can communicate without being overheard, but every demographic shares in the texting phenom.

We've become humanoids. Or rather, iPeople with gadgets seemingly glued to our hands. Texting has become so popular that a new slang has emerged ("c/t" = can't talk; "c2tc" = cut to the chase; "cu l8r" = see you later; et al.) In one case, a student handed in an assignment written in it.

But even the older generation has fallen under social media's spell and has quickly joined the ranks of Facebook. With any new technology, mishaps in communication are bound to happen. I'm sure people back in the day faced their own etiquette issues with the emergence of the telegraph.

But should you make a concerted effort to only text your friends, here are a few tips even Emily Post would approve of.

Step 1

Like problems with email for the past decade, beware of the CC, BCC, REPLY ALL and FORWARD tab. Software is made to be user-friendly, but sometimes it's too friendly. The easiest solution is to take a moment before hitting the SEND key.

Step 2

This should go without saying, but don't dump your boyfriend or girlfriend with anything requiring technology. Are you listening Daniel Day Lewis? (The Oscar-winning actor broke up with his girlfriend Isabelle Adjani by fax.)

Step 3

Don't make any drastic updates to your Facebook "relationship status" before notifying your significant other first. Too many humanoids have discovered they've been dumped by seeing it on Facebook. Talk about passive-aggressive!

Step 4

Like email, realize that your texts lack connotation. Misunderstands abound because of this. Emoticons help; on the other hand, use them sparingly because unlike a real smile, a little goes a long way.

Step 5

Don't surf the Net drunk. Anything you post on Facebook or SMS (Short Message Service, a.k.a. "texting") leaves a trail of breadcrumbs leading right back to you. What you may think is funny in the dead of night can often seem very different in the light of day.

Step 6

You wouldn't carry on a conversation on your cell phone while on a date or talking with your friend, so refrain from doing so while texting. Are you listening? No, you're texting!

Step 7

While on Facebook, don't over-post. My own prejudice against Facebook is that it has become less of a networking tool and more of an advertisement of our own lives - and not the truth, either, but more what we'd like others to think of us.

Step 8

While online, take care to add your friends with thought. It's always better simply not to add someone in the first place than to "house clean" later and risk hurt feelings.

Step 9

Don't make Facebook a popularity contest, though some do with regularity. Egregious amount of friends only proves you are a "collector" and not someone all that cool.

Step 10

When asking someone out on a first date, always do so in person or over the phone. Texting only brands you a coward and the consequence is denial of said date.

Step 11

Avoid mixing your personal and business contacts in your social networking list. Remember, your post will be seen by friends and bosses alike.

Step 12

My personal beef: People who post to their spouses on a shared wall. Use email, then! Or a cell phone, but don't share it with the world. Makes us wonder what you're overcompensating for. A website entitled "STFU, Marrieds" is dedicated to "Married couples and their inane status updates and wall posts." Don't make yourself a target.

Source: Net