Does social media make you lonely?

What do you think of this? Do you agree? Do you feel lonelier now that social media interaction is so prevalent? Personally, I feel like I reached a threshold about a year and a half into blogging and heavy social media usage, where I simply could not take on any more online friendships or connections. At least not without my current friendships suffering substantially. I feel that every person you interact with gets a little piece of your cookie, so to speak. Every time you respond to a tweet, every time you answer a comment on Instagram or Facebook, every time you return an email or text, and of course every time you interact in person, you break off a tiny piece of yourself and give it to that other person. Maybe the cookie is replenished every day, maybe it's replenished every week or month, I don't know. But after a certain point, you begin to feel depleted. Or at least I do. I'm curious to hear your thoughts, too! It's such a funny age we live in. We're kind of like pioneers in it, you know? 

* * * * *

Today's featured SOML sponsors are pretty darn awesome, so take a peek at their blogs, too, if you have a chance. I absolutely adore these two girls. Happy weekending...

Hi, everyone! I'm Rachel and I have a lifestyle and travel blog called Postcards from Rachel. I started this blog while living abroad in Scotland and now I write about moving around every 6 months for my husband's job. Sometimes it sucks -- like, really sucks -- but it gives us the unique opportunity to travel all over the place. Right now we're located in Boston so we're taking advantage of everything this area has to offer. Like Jenni, I'm obsessed with photography and hope to start a business sometime soon! I'm interested in everything expat and host a monthly link-up for travel bloggers, I write about anxiety struggles, blogging tips, and I enjoy spending time with my two nuggets, Malcolm and Ollie. I'd love to meet you so stop by and say hello! 

Blog | Twitter | Instagram

* * * * *

Hi y’all! I’m Dayna over at Princess Burlap, and I blog to inspire (and sometimes offend).  

I grew up in a house where The Boogeyman was real and the only rule was No Ouija Boards. I was a wrist cutter and a crier and a dreamer and a throw-myself-at-walls-and-screamer. 

One fateful day I tripped and fell into Jenni’s blog; I fell in love with her and her love story, and she gave me the courage to share my own. 

So I wrote her a love letter. Bloggers who inspire deserve love letters. Just sayin’.

I’m getting married in three months and my betrothed had a vasectomy. Sad face. And so it has been foretold that we shall enter into our married lives first as lovers, then, as pincushions. But wait! Bad news for me is good news for you! Adventures in infertility will make for a mighty fun blog adventure, being sprinkled as they will between posts about ghosts , confessions to being lost and found, and all the fun crumbles of life as I live it.

Truth is, life can be sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami, sometimes all at once and that is so not delicious. But it’s life and it’s such a wild ride, isn't it? Some days you’ll laugh with me, some days you’ll cry with me, but you’ll always get unbridled, unhinged and unfiltered me. That’s a promise. And a threat. 

Blog | Facebook | Twitter

* * * * *

Forget your phone this weekend.

Have you seen this? Pretty eye opening for those of us so immersed in a technology and communication-drenched culture. Just a little food for thought going into your weekend. Happy FRIDAY.

PS - I am doing sponsor features a little differently now. My advertisers will now write their own Friday introductions, since they know their blog or business best! Please take a moment to visit today's features... they make this blog possible, and I am so thankful for each and every one.

* * * * *

Bonjour! My name is Mal and I blog over at Lazy Boleyn. I am a French born newlywed and teacher always thirsty for knowledge and motivated to achieve my goals in life. I started Lazy Boleyn last August to share ideas and thoughts on various topics and anything that strikes my fancy. An avid reader, I am constantly looking for new books to add on my reading list and publish book reviews once a week. I am also a huge history nerd and wish I could travel back in time and meet my favorite historical ladies like the wonderful Anne Boleyn. The Boleyn in my blog name is a tribute to her and the lazy term is for me… although I'm not that lazy when it comes to blogging or watching television shows! Every once in a while I like to make fashion sets inspired by my favorite TV characters' style and share recipes and travel posts. I sometimes write some more personal posts and if you want to know more about me, please read these 10 facts and my first dreamtelling post. Stop by anytime!

Blog • Twitter • Bloglovin

* * * * *

Hello everyone! On my online place, Life of TOI, I go by my initials TOI. I was born in Ghana, raised in Italy, lived in the UK for five years and currently living in Canada with my husband and toddler daughter. We are expecting our second baby due in January 2014. You can read a little more about me here, if you want. I'm a writer and I recently completed my first contemporary young adult novel. I am looking for an agent and/or a publisher to get it into the world {if I ever manage to get over re-writing the synopsis stage, which is harder than writing the novel itself}. I love great literature that push me out of my comfort zone. Photos that capture the beauty in the ordinary life. Leonardo DiCaprio! On my blog I share our everyday life, my pregnancy journey, portrait of my child {soon children}, letters to my children, motherhood, travels, the things that I like, the things I sometimes fear to share like this and my journey as a writer. Really, you can expect variety because I believe we are all beautifully and complicatedly made. I hope you enjoy your time there and join our journey. Stop by anytime! 

Blog | Bloglovin | Twitter

* * * * *

Hi! My name is Maureen and I write She is Moments from Arlington, VA - Right outside of beautiful Washington, D.C. By day, I am the Marketing Manager at a Digital Agency specializing in Website Design. But She is Moments is where I share my joy. When you visit She is Moments you will find healthy and yummy recipes, helpful tips, pictures of my life, fun things to try, and musings on some hard life topics. I believe that being authentic is beautiful and I try to do that with each and every post. A few fun facts about me… I just turned 28, I get into pajamas as soon as humanly possible after work, I love to hang out with friends, try dinner in new places, go to the movies with Josh, or take a yoga class. On my blog you’ll find honesty, antics, and authenticity. I hope to hear from you soon! 

Blog // Twitter // Pinterest

How has social media changed you?

Day 8 Blogtember topic: Discuss ways that blogging or social media has changed you.

This one is difficult for me because blogging and social media has changed my life so much that I hardly know where to begin. For the sake of this exercise, I just went back to the very first post on my very first blog - if you’re wondering, it was on July 6th, 2008. It’s interesting, because I found that my writing voice and style has actually not changed much at all since then. But boy, so many other things sure have.

Blogging and social media have had many both positive and negative effects on my life. For one thing, they’ve caused this addiction in me to share my experiences with others. I used to live my life in a solitary fashion - you know, like most people do - but now, if I can’t photograph it, instagram it, tweet it, blog it, share it with the world, it almost feels like it wasn’t even worth doing. It’s such a strange thing, and when I put it that way, it sounds sort of negative (not to mention pathetic). But I find that in my life, this is a good thing. I am naturally disinclined to change, grow, experience new things, and get out of my comfort zone. Blogging and social media have helped me be less that way. Because, you know, my blog would be boring as hell if I remained a sad stagnant hermit covered in dog hair who mostly never leaves the house.

A second way that blogging, in particular, has changed me, is that it’s given me confidence I never, ever had before. I specifically remember being at the grocery store one day, a few months after I started Story of My Life and after I had picked up a few dozen or maybe a couple hundred readers by then. I remember noticing I had this extra spring in my step, and a stronger sense of self than I had ever had before. I remember noticing that and then immediately attributing it to my blog. People cared what I had to say, my great passion for writing was being affirmed, and I was connecting with people in a way I was missing in my “real” life! It just generally felt really nice. To have found a niche, a hobby, and something I knew I could excel at.

Social media has also caused me to be really freaking ADD/all-over-the-place, which I discussed in this post (the response to it was pretty incredible… so many of us suffer with this!). Since I already talked about it, I won’t go into anymore detail on that one. I’m getting a LITTLE better about this though. Re-training myself to focus when I really need to. It’s not easy.

And finally, this conversation would be so incomplete if I didn’t mention the way that blogging and social media have had an incredibly globalizing effect on my life - meaning, it’s brought the entire world right here into MY world. The things I have learned have been countless. The relationships I’ve made have been priceless. The art and talent I’ve been exposed to have been inspiring and invaluable. Basically, it's all made a giant world feel so much smaller and less intimidating. Maybe that’s the optimist in me talking. But I think it mainly just comes from a place of genuine passion for social media and other humans and their endless abilities to share and create.

What about you? How has blogging and social media changed you? Speak up in a comment or in the linkup below!