Facebook

Just had some weird facebook encounters that got me thinking about this whole technological era thing.

I've always been hesitant to join up with online profile sites. I was slow to use facebook and myspace both, and now that I have them I rarely check or use them. I'm not looking for a boyfriend, I have lots of friends and much prefer meeting new ones out and about, and I'm very happily busy with my current, real life. I don't want to hang out with my friends online or on facebook; I want to hang out with them for real instead. And though it's quite nice to see pictures of my old friends and read their updates, it feels weird to check them every single day. But the majority of users probably check their sites multiple times a day. To me, why not go live my life with my friends that are physically here?

It's not that I'm anti- keeping in touch. I love emailing my friends and reading about their latest stories, and I speak frequently on the phone with a handful of college friends who have scattered broadly since graduation. But I feel that websites like facebook and myspace keep us too connected. It creates this false sense in us that we're better people if we spend more time on our computers keeping connected with long lost friends. But maybe we're not supposed to be doing that. Maybe these long lost friends are holding us too much in the past, or that these websites are keeping us too much in online world. Sure, these friends are wonderful, but isn't there such a thing as being too in touch? Does it really make us better and happier to spend so much time staring at a screen?

So don't get a facebook profile, I'm sure is what you're thinking. The reason I hold onto it is because I do enjoy getting updates and photos, and it's quicker and easier than email. And it's fun! I like sending little messages every now and then to my friends. But whenever I go on it, I just feel so overwhelmed. There are so many pictures and names and questions and notifications and requests from all throughout my life, and I feel guilty that I'm not keeping up with all of it. And interjection -- zombie wars? What? There are all of these crazy ways, like zombie wars, or sending virtual hugs and pokes, that keep us sucked in. We live our lives and celebrate our friendships and enjoy our hugs via the internet.

Isn't that weird to anyone else? It just seems so natural to most people, that of course we check our email from our phones, text message our friends while we're eating dinner with other friends, then go home and post photos and write to our re-newfound BFFs from Kindergarten.

I don't know, I guess I'm being harsh. On my generation and on myself as well. I mean, I'm the text message queen. And like I said, I have myspace and facebook profiles that I check definitely three times a week. Hell, I write in this blog every few days! It just feels like I spend so much time on the computer already, but in comparison to most others my age (and almost all others younger than me), my computer time is very minimal.

But no matter how weird or sheepish I may feel about this burst of technology, it's only bursting further. Angela is DYING for a facebook profile. She sends instant messages from her phone and knows more about the internet than I ever will. Marie grew up playing computer games and has friends who create webpages. Part of TechEd now is to learn how to make flash animations! In the field of technology, I am old. And my attitude is even older; I'm in a minority, I think. And this is the direction our society is headed in, no matter who's protesting or supporting. And there are many good things we can gain from technology. Our knowledge is increasing in amazingly rapid ways, and we're learning how to make life better.

But on the other hand...we're also learning how to make life worse. With every good thing there's a bad side (balance, there must be balance) and I just worry about the children who are growing up in the bad side of technology. And honestly, I feel most of them are. So many kids would rather be inside gaming than playing outside and experiencing nature, or even than playing with their friends. In 20 years, we're going to have a society of technologically savvy adults who can program any shit they think of, but don't know how to communicate face-to-face and have no idea how to cuddle their babies. I'm worried. Our society is evolving at such a rapid pace that I wonder if our minds can keep up. One day, this gap is going to be so intense that we fall apart. What will the world be like then?