Lynn's recent post about Facebook reminded me about a post that I have been meaning to write...
A couple of years ago Josh and I were swapping stories and talked about how there are friends and exes that we have been wondering about, but not necessarily enough to actually call or physically track down (who has time to lead a manhunt when there is vaccuuming to be done?). With Facebook and Myspace some of those "what have they been up to" questions are answered, usually before you even get in a quick hello. Jobs, familial status, location: its all on the page. How do they look now? Check out their photos. Its been interesting getting to know people again, tracking their lives so to speak, but without the responsibility of coffee dates and phone calls, awkard silences and "umm"s.
And for friends and family with which I have regular communication, I love the convenience of it all. I can plan coffee dates at midnight, inquire about a hair appointment at 7am, and take a quick look at wedding photos before I'm off to show property. Amy and I were recently able to chat online, as we both happened to be on Facebook at the same time (the IM features on both are great) and she didn't even hear the vaccuum. I have caught up with a friend who is somewhere in Central America and had a lunch date with a friend in San Francisco, all while simultaneuously getting work done; answering the phone at the office, checking my regular e-mail, tending to Ava.
I still love an old fashioned coffee or lunch date, lengthy conversation, and the opportunity to hug someone I haven't seen in awhile. And I have to wonder about the state of personal relationships as we grow ever more dependent on the cloak of the computer. But I also have to wonder if I would have a social life at all if Facebook and Myspace didn't fit so neatly into my whirlwind days.
* I can also get into a discussion about how one can define themselves on these sites, i.e. the profile photo that they choose, their mood and/or status update, etc. but I will save that for another day...
¡Cruz es Cinco!
11 years ago
2 comments:
I too love face space and see it no different than these blogs (which are always filled with more personal data). Having the opportunity to quickly say "Hi, I've been thinking of you, what you up to?" is fantastic, and relatively free (compared to long distance calls). I have however told myself that I really need to utilize the original mail system and send some letters *if I could only get away from myface long enough :)*
Cyber-relationships are crazy and sotra impersonal- But I prefer it WAY more that wondering, waiting, and gossip.
So cheers to those who have nothing to hide (except those things we'd never post), friends to find, and things to be said.
ps. I also IM from my gmail account (if anyone is interested in changing email accounts, I highly recommend gmail).
Thanks for figuring out why I now have so many Facebook "friends' but no account. I will get around to signing up one of these days. I feel as if this post was a personal invitation to do so. :)
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