Here's the thing I don't get about social networking sites
How many "friends" do you have on facebook and myspace that you actually talk to? Both have reconnected me to a couple people I'd lost touch with (cause they, say, moved to Scottland), and it's been useful for getting closer to new friends*, but mainly it's just this weird quantification of popularity game.
People add every person they've ever met to form some enormous address book they'll never use. What's the point of seeking someone out, adding them as a friend, then never making anything of it? Sure, I've done it myself. "Hey! Look! It's Billy Thatguyoverthere from high school! Wow, haven't seen him in ages. I wonder what he's up to?" >> Add as "friend" >> Read his profile instead of actually asking him what he's up to and forming any sort of actual connection.
Maybe I'm in a weird place to judge this phenomenon, because I live in the same area I grew up in and still keep in touch with about 90% of the people I'd want to keep in touch with. But it seems like a strange phenomenon, similar to getting everyone you know to sign your yearbook, "have a nice summer"s be damned. You got 'em, and that's what counts!
*Because apparently now it goes: meet person through friends at party >> Become their "friend" on myspace >> Hang out more >> leave funny references to things that happened at said gatherings on their page >> move on to exchanging phone numbers** and actually becoming friends (sans quotation marks).
**Or, let's be honest -- screen names and/or email addresses. And if you do get the phone #, it'll be used solely for texting for at least a month before any dialing occurs.
What is wrong with us?
posted by Blogs t r e t c h @ Wednesday, May 23, 2007
2 Comments:
I don't know what exactly is wrong with us, but you're right that something is! Symptoms are popping up everywhere... symptom #1 was noted in your most recent blog - LL as Maxim's #1 - and symptom 2 will be if Blake wins Idol tonight. Maybe we prefer [non-]communicating electronically instead of being seen in public with people who condone such behavior?
I gotta tell ya, Stretch and I'm sure Liz will bite my head off, but this is part of the reason I cancelled my account. I was tired of having these false connections with people from my past. THis was not an involved decision, I don't feel like I'm somehow forging deeper relationships than people who use myspace but if I am going to reconnect with an old friend or make a new one, I would much prefer it be on a street corner, at a party, through a mutual friend or as a random act of coincidence than on myspace. Everyone is just TOO AVAILABLE so that by the time you do meet, there are no details to divulge, they already know where you work, what you did last weekend, seen your pictures from vacation. Not to mention that I ended making a few connections with people I never intended to see again *cough cough ex boyfriends. So I just said forget it, I'm going to reconnect with people the old fashioned way. BE INTIMATE!
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