Article: You may be thinking: that’s not social media.  In fact, letters are the original form of social media, though the phrase has come to be associated with virtual and fleeting forms of contact – none of which have even begun to approach the depth and gravitas that can be conveyed in a tangible, handwritten letter.  Start by conveying why you’re writing.  A simple, “Hey! I’ve been thinking about you and wanted to write to touch base about each of our long and winding paths through life.” Ask a few questions specific to their lives, particularly about things you know that they enjoy. Update them a bit with a few things in your realm, particularly anything you’re especially proud of or are looking forward to. Make it fun.  Include a drawing, hard-copy photo, or scrap of concert poster you wish you could have attended together – or did attend together in the past! “Stalk” is used here with in an attempt at humor – the point is, take advantage of the opportunity to catch up on the happenings in a friend’s life via their Facebook posts. Tossing a “like” at a photo or comment that sticks out will bring you to their mind, too. Commenting is even better.   By browsing your friend’s wall, you’ll automatically have things to talk about next time you see them. Make notes on your phone of things you want to ask them about next time you get the chance. Or, better yet, use your phone like a phone and call them – you already have an opening conversation in mind! Photo-based social media platforms can be a great way to stay in touch with friends too. With both Instagram and Pinterest, you can quickly and easily share images of the things you see while searching the web, other peoples’ profiles, or even real life.  Use Instagram if you’re into taking pictures of latte art, interesting sidewalk formations, or the book you’re reading.  You can simply post photos to your feed, or send them as direct messages to a friend. Leaning towards those slightly more home-décor-minded, Pinterest has been compared to sitting around and ripping pages out of magazines with your friends.  Whatever platform you choose, remember to emphasize the “social” potential by @-ing or #-ing or simply direct messaging your friends that you think would be interested! When sending images directly, include a note about how much better it would be to experience whatever you sent together “IRL”! Appearing with overwhelming force, Snapchat has become the go-to social media weapon of literally hundreds of millions of humans.  Some of them are your friends.  Keep in touch with them and their day-to-day moments of snappiness by downloading this free photo and video messaging app on your phone.  Add text and rudimentary drawings to your messages to be extra social. Send messages to a few select friends or everyone on your contact list! Know the distinguishing feature of Snapchat: you’ll only see each other’s “snaps” for a few moments. Snapchat is especially fun for wild, zany, and otherwise nonsensical discourse. Aside from the smartphone apps you’ve probably already heard of, and all the other methods of sending messages back and forth across the web, there are other, more creative ways to interact online as well.   Check out Miniclips.com, which hosts a bunch of multiplayer games you can challenge your friends to play with you.  If you have different schedules, you can always see who can get the highest score in a single player game and update each other about new achievements. Use Spotify to setup a shared playlist that you and your friends can all add music to.  You’ll learn what they’ve been listening to and vice-versa. When you discover a new artist that they added to a shared list, shoot your friend a text to tease them (politely) for finally developing an appreciable taste in music. Excessive internet use – including, if not primarily, the use of social media – can have detrimental effects on your health, productivity, and happiness.  If you’ve recently upped your time online and are experiencing greater loneliness, staying up later, and missing class or showing up late to work, you may be spending too much time online. Stick to non-instant messaging tools – such as email – instead of live chatting, if your productivity or happiness may be taking hits from your time using social media.

What is a summary?
Write your friend a letter. Facebook stalk your friends. Use Instagram and Pinterest. Jump on the Snapchat bandwagon. Get creative with other online platforms. Don’t rely too heavily on the online realm to keep in touch.