I'm a relatively busy person, and my schedule can make it hard for me to keep in contact with my friends as much as I'd like to. But just recently, it hit me that my way of staying abreast of the going-ons of many friends and acquaintances had changed... thanks to Facebook (and MySpace, somewhat). It's kinda sad, but outlets I once praised for allowing me to connect with friends I hadn't seen in years at the same time allows me to feel I know about the more significant events in their lives without ever picking up the phone.
A few months ago I hung out with a friend and his girlfriend on a Saturday, and they seemed quite happy. By Monday I saw a profile update popup on my facebook home page that said they were "no longer in a relationship." So after giving it some time I spoke to my friend who says, "I guess you heard," and I respond, 'well, sorta'. That's the thing; I don't need to "hear" anything. Just be on a networking site. And this is a case where I actually chat and see this friend regularly. I haven't seen one of my good friend in months but I'm able to track the growth of her baby through posted pictures. Another friend I have seen maybe once in last 2 years, but no worries... a quick read of her profile and I know she broke up with her longtime boyfriend, is tired of men, switched her orientation to bi, cut her hair and now loves the show "The L-Word" and Ellen DeGeneres. And an old school friend who was a quiet, nerdy, glasses-wearing bookworm? Well, she's now a contact-wearing stylish fun girl who is no doubt out throwing back drinks (usually shots) come the weekend. I've got friends/acquantainces that are everywhere from Dubai to Namibia to Honduras right now... and it's not like I'm opening any profiles, these are just what I know from status updates. These are just a handful of examples, but any divorce, marriage, child birth, job change, mood change, pet purchase, travel plans, lunch plans and on and on and on... I can learn about in 2 seconds off a website without even a word spoken to someone. Seems a bit impersonal...
I don't know. It's just interesting that as technology moves us forward, the benefit of progress can sometimes mean a sacrifice in good ol' human interaction.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
I agree. Sometimes I try to make a conscious effort to _limit_ my facebook usage. Perhaps that is contrary to the benefits you mentioned, but I seem to experience fewer bits of information than I do bits of B.S.
But nevertheless, I'm sure that will change as the years pass by...
Post a Comment