I know a lot of people who don’t understand my love of social media. They ask me why I’m on my phone and wonder if I’m really paying attention when I’m tweeting. They say I’m addicted to the Internet.

But the truth is, it isn’t social media that I love. I love people. Nothing is more exciting to me than connecting with someone new.

It might sound naive, but when I connect with people online it feels very real to me. When sharing discussion about Rob Bell’s presentation with a someone online, it was like talking to a friend, even though she and I have only met face to face once, I feel like she is a friend and not just some random twitter person.

Someone I met online told me about a job I might be interested in and when writing my cover letter I called her a friend. We’ve never met face to face. I’m not sure she could pick me out in a crowd (my twitter photo is the back of my head), but when we do meet, I’ll give her a hug like I’ve known her forever.

Truth is for me, twitter is like having a bunch of friends in my pocket. I know they’ve prayed for me when I’ve needed it and encouraged me too. They’ve listened and responded. They’ll come to tweet-ups and participate in chats.

I’ve met wonderful people online and have made connections stronger with real-life friends. Twitter might seem banal to some, but for me its a lifeline, a connector and a new and wonderful way to meet new people.

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