Read a really neat article by Kari Henley, Are Facebook Friends "Real" Friends? Kari explores today's definition of friends and community, but for me, the real nugget of insight wasn't about the people in our lives, it was about us!
Kari introduced psychologists Wendi Gardner and Marilynn Brewer who have studied how people describe themselves, how do we answer the question Who Am I? They find our answers relate to the people or groups in our lives, and they've created three categories of self (physical, social and collective) which I find helpful for integrating social media into our world, our lives.
Kari used psychologists Wendi Gardner and Marilynn Brewer research on how people see themselves, i.e. when they answer the question ... Who Am I? Apparently we define ourselves by the ocmpany we keep so they've broken this down into 3 categories of self - physical, social and collective. I like how social media is positioned here.
- Ground your 'Physical Self' Stay grounded in what makes you unique in this world and tend to your inner life each day with the essentials of air, earth, fire and water. Find activities that put you in a "flow state."
- Nurture you Social or Relational Self Be mindful of the relationships you have through work, spouse, friends, neighbors and offer gratitude when you can. Knock on a door out of the blue and surprise someone!
- Develop our "Collective Self" This is the part of you that expands to others via social networking sites, larger societies or associations and other broader social identities that are less a part of your day-to-day experience, yet can expand who you are.
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