Can Twitter make you happy?
I’ve just been reading a post on the Social Media Today blog which points to “a fascinating piece in today’s NY Times Magazine, Is Happiness Catching. The article describes an innovative study by Nicholas Christakis and James Fowler, Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives.
Some key points in the article:
If you want to be happy, what’s most important is to have lots of friends. The happiest people in Framingham were those who had the most connections, even if the relationships weren’t necessarily deep ones.
The reason these people were the happiest, is that happiness doesn’t come only from having deep, heart to heart talks. It comes from having daily exposure to many small moments of contagious happiness, When you see others smile, your spirits are repeatedly affected by mirroring their emotional state.”
Well for those of us who have become part of a Twitter community based on a shared common interest particularly when it relates to something like cancer, we can certainly testify to the benefits of community. I only wish I had the same level of support when I was diagnosed five years ago with breast cancer. I felt very isolated and I know that sharing the experience with others would have helped me enormously, particularly if I could have connected with younger women. Twitter launced in 2006, when I had finished my treatment, and I only joined it earlier this year. Since I joined I have made new friends and connections all over the globe. I even met one of them at the recent LiveStrong Global Cancer Summit in Dublin and that was a real thrill, and have kept up with many others since that event since Twitter.
These Twitter friends support and reinforce my commitment to breast cancer advocacy in a way that my friends in “real” life can’t, simply because those friends don’t really understand what we have been through. They know what I mean when I lament lasting effects like “chemo brain”, when my fears of recurrence surface, when I feel down, or feel happy with each cancerversary. Some will say that these aren’t real friendships, but I wouldn’t agree with this. Sure, some of them are fleeting and operate on a superficial level, but the potential for a real friendship developing with many others is certainly there. I have met up with two Irish bloggers for coffee and while initially, it felt like a kind of blind date, we soon discovered that we had plenty to talk about and much in common in real life. A deeper friendship is certainly possible.
So, what do you think? Can we make real friendships on Twitter? Can we find support and help online? I would love to know what you think….
Twitter friendships certainly are a real possibility- just look at us- we probably never would’ve met if it weren’t for Twitter + LIVESTRONG!
I admit that I have way too many followers to develop real friendship with all of them, and that’s not necessary. You pick those who you connect with on a deeper level, who understand where you’re coming from, what you went through and where you are going! Once you find those Twitter friends, they’ll support you unconditionally!
My friends in “real life” don’t get the whole cancer experience. They won’t even donate $5 (€3,57) to my LAF fundraising. Most of all, they certainly don’t want to talk about cancer! I tried numerous times to get them to talk about it, but it’s just not going to happen:-(
Even at times when I was my worst, and really needed someone to visit me, the only reaction I received was via e-mails: no calls, no visits. I assume they were scared of seeing me weak and sick, and couldn’t deal with that… after all, I was always the strong one, the one who listened to everyone’s problems.
Isolation and stigma are not only a problem in developing countries- we see it in Western Europe & the US every day! That needs to be changed- and if social media like Twitter and FB can help us with that- why not use it?!
Anyway, some of your followers on Twitter might be a source of information, someone who makes you smile, someone who gets you to think about a certain issue…
but every once in a while, you find friends who just get you, who offer HOPE and make you smile! When it comes down to it, that’s all that matters!
Thanks for your friendship!
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Thank you so much for taking the time to leave this great comment Henrike. You have said it all way better than I ever could! So glad we connected on Twitter and looking forward to developing that friendship over the coming years. LiveStrong!
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Yes. Most definitely yes.
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An excellent post from one of the friends I met on Twitter this year and two comments of two other friends. 🙂 So yes, definintely – Twitter can make you happy. We share information and support but also a lot of fun and nonsense with each other.
I am not a cancer survivor myself but have seen close friends and family members go through this experience and it has touched me deeply. Deeply enough to become involved in the cancer fighting community. And while the info and support were an important reason for me to join the Livestrong Twitter community, the fun and nonsense are the reason I keep coming back. Twitter is the first website I check every morning and it always brings a smile to my face. Who knows what synchronicity with Marie I may stumble upon today? 🙂
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Yes, we can definitely find support online and make “friends” on Twitter. I also wrote a blog about Twitter being my secret cancer support group. I can be a Cancer Survivor on Twitter without feeling self-conscious about it whereas with many of my town “friends” I feel awkward, there is a cloud hanging over our casual conversations.
I am lucky to have found @jodyms on Twitter because she started it all for me, and she reached out to me… and the snowball continues to build as it rolls along:)
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another great post. I am not onTwitter but you have definitely persuaded me to see what it’s all about!
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i am going to be following you on twitter from now on – sounds like you have made some great friends there!
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I too have made great friends on Twitter so yes, it can make you happy 🙂
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Yes! Yes! Yes! It makes me happy every day to log on and tweet with my friends!
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A great post. I think social media such as blogs/ twitter/ forums can give people the support they need. Just because they are often cyber friendships doesn’t mean they are less real. Quite often, I think people can say things to people they know don’t know their other friends, if you know what I mean, that they can’t say to their ‘meeting up type’ friends. Gosh, this is getting complicated!
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Yes indeed Lorna – I know exactly what you mean 🙂
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Lorna you are so right and i know exactly what you mean! Great post JBBC!
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Can we make real friendships on Twitter? Can we find support online?
Yes and Yes. And Yes.
I’ve made lots of new friends as well as valuable business contacts, & new clients on Twitter.
I also found one of my housemates on Twitter.
I also found my dog from being helped out by people on Twitter-Sasha my Brittany Spaniel even got her story & picture in 2 national newspapers http://short.ie/twpower
I’ve been using online forums focused on personal development since 1996 & I can say categorically that the help, love, support & guidance I’ve received from many people around the globe have been what has helped me get through many a rough spot in life.
On Twitter I am constantly amazed by the power of it- for positive I really do love it. I started doing Twitter seminars because I wanted to share it with people- it’s fun as well as being really useful resource of information.
Like others have said here I can’t respond to everyone I’m following on Twitter but I do respond & I have tweeted with at least 50% of people following me at one point or another. I love meeting new people & Twitter is a great way to do that.
follow me on http://twitter.com/ClaireBoyles – would love to tweet with you 🙂
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I think i did a lot to isolate myself when I was going thru Cancer, but definitely agree that online interactions w/ others who have “joined the Cancer Club” makes a difference! I’ve found many posts & sites that encourage me & have helped me with changes I want to make in my life but needed that extra “oomph” to make happen.
It occured to me after reading Henrike’s response, that I have been instrumental in helping others (at my work place) thru their process since my diagnosis.
Like @Cadence4ACure says, “be the change!”
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I think any time people share common interests, values, or goals, reach out to each other, share ups & downs, provide mutual support, and raise awareness together that there is a genuine relationship forged, even if those folks have not met in person…Though I use Twitter mainly for professional purposes, I have met folks on Twitter who I have bonded with more closely than others (just like some colleagues at work become friends). Those more personal online connections, I’m starting to invite “back home” to Facebook, where we can interact one-on-one and longer than in 140 characters. Though there are certain “levels of conversation” and different types of relationships in our lives, the more positivity, good will, and interest in each other that we share, whether online or offline, can only enrich our lives. That to me, sounds a lot like friendship, and it doesn’t matter what kind it is, where it’s forged, or how long it lasts, as long as it is meeting a certain need at a particular season in our lives, including making each other smile.
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As always Peg you have hit the nail on the head here. Thanks for that insightful comment.
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Can we?
I will tell you from personal experience I have.
I have met several people from twitter and they have become my best friends.
To me the line between RL and online has greatly been diminished. I fully believe that social media is the here and now and the future. It opens doors that were never opened before, it makes people aware of issues they have never heard of before.
It can also be a very powerful tool. One example you described beautifully above.
When my father was diagnosed with cancer I felt helpless. I wanted to say and do something, twitter opened that door and the experience has been fantastic. I plan to continue to open the doors and go through them and help in any way I can.
Great post!
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And that’s what it’s all about 🙂 Thanks for your great comment!
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