My youngest daughter, Sydney, got engaged last Friday night. While my husband and my other children knew it was happening, it was a surprise for Sydney.

Interestingly, after it happened and we spoke to the happy couple, I found myself in a race against social media. We wanted to call/text those closest to us before they saw the news on Facebook, Instagram, or Snapchat. In some cases, the race was really close.

I really had to “sprint” to get to my sister before she saw it on social media. I called her cell phone. When she didn’t answer I called my brother-in-law, who also didn’t answer. I then texted my sister, “Nothing is wrong but can you call me?” She texted me back, “I’m at a friend, What’s wrong?” I texted back, “NOTHING is wrong, I just need to speak to you for a second.”  She quickly called me and said, “What’s the matter?” 

Obviously, my sister was overjoyed to hear the news but then told me that my niece must have already seen the news on Instagram because she also called my sister and left a message. Luckily, I got to my sister before my niece did.

Social media has changed so much. It clearly makes it much easier and faster to convey news. But, sometimes, that’s not such a good thing. Or is it?