A friend recently shared his philosophy about Facebook
with me, and I have to admit that I think he is on to something.
It’s all about “connection”.
Of course it is, right?
It’s amazing to find that old girl (or boy) friend and see how fat they’ve
gotten, or how successful they are.
Isn’t it? Doesn’t it feel good to
reconnect with your first boss, your first employee, or your high school gym
teacher? It’s great right? You send a few sentences, you catch up, and
you make well-meaning promises to meet over a drink to discuss more.
Does it happen? No.
Likely the only thing that will happen is that you will run across their
name a few times a year when Facebook randomly decides that it’s time to poke
them or write on their wall. Then
you will remember your excited agreement to meet up and discuss life, only those
plans are now six months old. Or
more.
My friend believes that maybe some people just aren’t meant
to connect again, and that the mystical connection fairy of Facebook has somehow
thrown a wrench into the cosmic "way of things." (I’m paraphrasing here.)
Perhaps he is right.
So what now? Do I
disconnect?
I'm certain that people want those connections again, but we are so caught up in the daily mill that it's hard to find the time. I think it's these demands on our time that influence our relationships; we are overwhelmed by our lives, yet we want more-so much. Email, Facebook and the like have done a lot towards helping us reconnect on a certain level. It has it’s pros and cons to, how it changes human social patterns we wont know for many years.
ReplyDeleteC
Hi C,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your response.
I think the point my friend was trying to make was that it's the fact that although we want connection (but we can't find the time) is what makes him believe that perhaps those connections are not meant to happen in the first place. Connection can sometimes feel like a burden, which isn't good for anyone.