Squawking in the Cacophony- Social Networking
January 31, 2010
“I used to be with it, but then they changed what “it” was. Now, what I’m with isn’t it, and what’s “it” seems weird and scary to me.”
-Grandpa Simpson.
I’ve been skeptical about social networking for a long time and I still don’t post very often. I keep checking in though, seemingly worried I’m missing something.
Despite my efforts to limit my network to people I actually know in the “real” world, my network of acquaintances is still getting bloated. It would be worse if I added every “friend” suggested by the system. I hesitate over the ‘accept’ button for every friend request, but how can you say “no” to somebody from grade school? For a brief, nostalgic moment we both feel excited about the miracle of modern technology bringing us all together, (cue sappy music), but then what?
Well, then you have to wade through a muck of posts about far flung acquaintances eating their “yummy” soup, having a job that “sucks”, or something similarly stupid or irrelevant. It reminds me of watching TV.
Social networking and TV surely have many redeeming qualities, but both are so full of crap I often can’t be bothered to try and find the good stuff. (I haven’t had a TV for over fifteen years, but I watch a little when I’m visiting family or staying at a hotel.) Social networking seems to mirror the horror that is “reality TV” specifically; people seem to get really excited about fifteen minutes of shame.
Watching “Real Housewives of Orange County” recently, I found myself appalled, incredulous, irritated and depressed; all at the same time. Then I got online and found myself checking Facebook because I got an email saying somebody commented on something. Twenty minutes later I shook myself out of the stupor; irritated that I got sucked into the “boob tube”… again.
Sometimes I wonder if I am missing out by not participating as much in social networks. Now that buzz is a part of gmail, I feel a little bit better about that because I can say something to a very small group of people, instead of sending out identical emails. But I’m not sure if I really need to do much more than that.
Well I don’t think you’re missing out on much. I’m not commenting much because I haven’t decided if I have anything worth saying.
And I’ll be damned if I start talking about what I ate for dinner or how I’m feeling after having a cold!
I’ll have to try Buzz some more, but I’m skeptical about that too.