Thursday, September 16, 2010

the social/anti-social network

I've been seeing trailers for a new movie that's coming out in a couple weeks. It's called The Social Network and is the story of the founders of that contemporary Internet phenomenon, Facebook.

If you use Facebook, and you probably do, then you know that it can bring chuckles and tears and pleasure and irritation. It can bring reunion with people you've lost contact with over the years or it can cause family fights or it can bring viruses to your computer. You name it.

Lately, I've seen some nasty family fight stuff going on, which mostly has to do with people finding out more about each other than they're comfortable knowing. Or political opposites within the same family. Or how about this: a fairly distant cousin (who I probably haven't seen in 40 years) who this week dropped all of her Facebook friends that hadn't publicly (meaning, on Facebook) consoled her on the recent death of her dog. Being dumped as a Facebook friend is the ultimate put-down these days, you know.

Then there are the Facebook friends that you maybe used to have some loose connection with and now have become a good cyber friend. The high-school classmates, for instance, that you maybe never once in high school had a conversation with and now you find yourself caring about their daily lives. And they care about yours.

It's all very strange. It's all quite new, yet it already feels so familiar.

1 comment:

ruthie said...

Everyone beware they will be dropped for not consoling whenever Scoob dies. It will be an all out war! I have a love/hate relationship with Facebook, but ultimately I'd rather know truths than pretend I know people when I don't.