My blog has been languishing lately, which doesn't really effect anyone in the world, not even me, since it just frees me up. But I feel guilty about not posting because an old friend of mine I've known since middle school (and haven't seen in over, ahem, 15 years) actually reads it! So, Chris, I'm back mostly because of you.
If you keep up with me in other online social arenas, you know that I do post to Facebook and twitter on a regular basis. I hit posterous for interesting photo ops on occasion and I try to keep up the print to pixel blog. And yes, I confess to a dorky pride in the badges I've earned on foursquare. (One does see why even small companies are hiring social networkers to represent their brands online these days. Maintaining an online presence takes a lot of time.)
I don't usually hurt for things to talk about, just the time it takes to sit down and write about them. The beauty about FB and twitter is that they require fewer than 200 letters to get the gist of what's going on. I even logged into tumblr because I thought that format might be a good means of getting something out into the world while my toddler is napping.
Social networking is interesting on many levels, but fascinating to me in just how isolating it can feel. I opened my FB account in 2006 because I was back in college and I wanted to get a slice of what students were into. This was still when you needed a .edu e-mail account to access FB and the exclusivity of it appealed to me. As a 30-something back in college for a fellowship, it became a fascinating arena in which to observe college students.
Despite the ridicule I endured from the other fellows in our program (including my husband), I loved making connections with the students in my classes. Following them online made the gaps in age and experience between us narrow. But however many people "friended" or "followed" me, I still felt (and continue to feel) the screen between us. Naturally, there is a safety for all parties when there's a piece of hardware between them. I look at the sites I frequent as a means of making connections with people because I'm fairly isolated in my life as a stay-at-home-parent. It's a chance to not only chat with other parents near and far, but to breach other communities in which direct access might be difficult (my love of letterpress, typefaces, technology, writing, gardening, keeping chickens...). I love knowing what buzz is humming.
But that's really what it feels like: Buzz. A constant swirl of noise that distracts, perhaps detracts from direct experience. Don't misunderstand me--I love knowing what's "trending." I love getting instant updates about what people are eating for breakfast and what they thought of the 'Glee' finale. I love the illusion that by following Brooke Burke on Twitter I, too, might be able to have the career, the hot husband and the family all while maintaining double D's and size-4 jeans.
It just feels like integrating our avatars into our real lives is a delicate dance where I wonder, "Who am I actually dancing with?" and "Why am I doing it through a computer screen?"
I would love to eventually meet up with the people I meet through the internet, but I really love that most of the people I interact with are people I've met in person, but continue to bond with online. The goal is to stay connected, and that in itself feels good.
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