Letter from the managing editor: Reaching out

Like millions of people my age — “my age” being somewhere north of college and somewhere south of retirement — I’ve been swept up into social networking, and now I have pretty frequent contact with family, friends and even casual acquaintances through Facebook, Twitter and more.

Like so many, I was skeptical at first. And a lot of it IS mundane, which is easy for folks with pulpits like my own to mock the whole movement. (Erika is drinking Diet Coke. Erika is on deadline again. Erika recognizes that this has become the cliché way of rolling one’s eyes at social networking.)

But I’m old enough to remember when non-intranet e-mail started (and old enough to remember former e-mail addresses like erikastudentstutzman1445@system.3210server.example.edu.) And I remember years later, while waiting for my old AOL dial-up to connect, thinking “This is never going to catch on.”

But in between the Tweets that irritate you and the status updates that bore you are daily amusements, and real connections: Children you grew up with, who now have children of their own; former teachers and bosses who inspired you, and still can; former roommates and crushes who are, literally, changing the world; and (and as I grow older, this is no small thing) people in situations just like yours.

You know you have preconceived notions of how narcissistic it can be; or how you’re doing just fine with the people in your life at this moment; or how the people from your past didn’t get you or won’t get you now. Give yourself permission: Let it go.

The soaring popularity of social networking proves what we already know: We crave connections. So share some photos, or pick up the phone, or look up an old friend (even a former friend) for a warm conversation today: We’re all in this together.

Erika Stutzman

erika@womensmag.com

Twitter: stutzmane

Check out these other articles