This is a fine observation coming from a man who basically writes about himself and his observations week after week, but I'm going to focus on the rest of you from the safety of my glass house!
I know that the vast majority of you are FakeBookers or Me-Me-Me Spacers and for as much social networking opportunities it provides you, it's basically a way to publish every aspect of your lives to whomever might be interested. Because I never really signed up for these pursuits, it makes me question what your motivations are. Is it really important that you network your current status and mood for all to see? Can someone explain what the benefit of that is?
I am genuinely interested in how this shift of lifestyle has happened. I know for many it can help build a cyber-personality that is more confident and seemingly outgoing than the real you … but does it mean we have to go to the extent to which you need to tell the world that your current status is "confused"? Maybe it's a reaction to the media's fascination with every aspect of celebrity life that has become the wallpaper and obsession of modern life, and we can all help fuel that by making ourselves micro-celebs in our own little circle of spotlight?
From observing those that surround me, I see constant uploading and editing of pictures, so that the most flattering of images are portrayed … and this is a practice that is common to both genders. Have we all become our own self-publicists? Another more intriguing trend is when self-portraits become your chosen screen savers on your computers.
I met a girl recently who not only felt compelled to have her pictures staring back at her from her screen but also surrounded her workstation with photos of herself in frames of different images in different surroundings.
I am trying not to be overly critical but this level of narcissism cannot be healthy, right? Is it all driven by vanity, or insecurity or something else that
I am missing?
The latest trend that seems to be spreading like the bad news of the credit crunch is the phenomenon of Twitter. For those who already Twit excuse my brief explanation. Basically it's a mechanism where really short messages are shared via a network and those who want to react to whatever is being broadcast can add their Dh2 worth. It takes small talk to a whole new level, where sometimes the most meaningless speckles of people's lives are pumped out to whoever is listening. Like all these programmes, there is a huge celebrity community that uses this, and it creates the illusion for the rest of us that somehow we have a connection to the stars.
I cannot see how my life is enriched by knowing that my friend (?) Ashton Kutcher has just "spilled his coffee" or that "Demi [Moore] has just left to pick up the kids"! All this Twattering is a great PR mechanism for those who need to maintain their fan base and let's face it, it provides a more intimate and surreptitious way of marketing their activities directly to their target audience. There is a true advantage for some who need to counter what is written about them or events that surround their career that might not get a fair hearing in the conventional press, and for some fans it is a fantastic avenue to keep up with the news they want… but don't get too sucked in.
After all, research shows that with modern telephony many of these Twitterings are done via text messages, so these small mutterings about basically nothing are lining the pockets of the network operators.
Once again I have more questions than answers … so use your egos that are happy to share your thoughts with all and sundry and holla back to me. Maybe I need some education!
Small-Talkingly Yours.
