Carried Away?

http://xkcd.com/94/

 There is a growing base of literature on the virtual-life versus the physical. Authors are eager to purport that people are simply coming to exist more completely in the new media. That is, that the virtual world is not the sad extinction of human society, but rather the progressive, richly expressive and extended environment in which people can now exist.  I'd encourage you to read the essays linked above by Dr. Richard Beck, a celebrated author and Experimental Psychologist at my Alma mater.

What do you think? Are you better for your additional media? Do you find yourself more connected by having a Facebook, Twitter and/or LinkedIn account? Are you a constant updater or the type who doesn't change your profile picture for 7 months? Do you find updating cathartic or annoying? I have found that I do appreciate the avenue. Has your opinion changed over your usage? While I am yet to jump on the Twitter bandwagon, I do hold accounts of the other two varieties. I am somewhere in between the seeming Prima Donna who updates almost hourly about how stupid her current love interest, or, perhaps the general public is and the person you wonder why they even bother to keep their account activated because their last activity was when 30 or 40 people told them Happy Birthday. That means I change my picture fairly regularly, I update my status and occasionally find someone I know, and add them.

I don't plan on going over what other authors have already said in terms of the critiques for virtual living as a defence mechanism to the realities of life. I will say that while I was studying in Central London, Facebook was the only reason that a friend of mine from my Trinidad primary/elementary school, who was at the time studying in the States but doing a study abroad in Japan (and pit stop in London), and I went to Wong Kei's in Leicester Square for dinner that night. I hadn't seen her in 14 years. I have several friends who have married people that they either met online or reconnected with there. This is no longer virtual to me - it is very real. I say that, but then I can't really reconcile these types of stories with those of the classmates who add you on Facebook years ago, but see you in the mall or somewhere today and avoid eye contact. I am not averse to some people just not liking you that much, but then why do you want to be virtual friends? This brings me to the sacrificial rituals some people seem to have periodically. Do you have friends who do this? I have several people who sporadically declare in an update how it was time to do some serious deleting or that they were about to get rid of some negative people on their friend list.

I think even this shows how much the virtual world mimics and extends the real world - we have people in our physical lives who really have no good reason for still being there. Whether it's history or mutual friendship or a streak of conflict avoidance, people's minds can trail off even as they read these words to people in their lives who are there only because of one of the social contracts that that person adheres to. My next question is about whether anyone is of the opinion that there is a moral issue surrounding the use of social media? Barring conversations about cyber-bullying and the like, what are we left with? That Social Networks are a productivity stealer at work, and a source of frivolous relationships that would not exist without them seem  like extreme accusations. I think those relationships would still exist and Social Media simply increases the efficiency of that interaction. People will always find means of wasting time at work, but with these social media outlets and frivolous "friendships" that is contained within a single window. My guess is that it is quicker to browse through some vaguely relevant pictures at your desk as you alternate views to the latest spreadsheet you were working on than it is to chit chat at the water cooler.

 There are even suggestions that Social media can make a person happier than they were before they had access, but I will leave that for you to decide. Perhaps then my final point will be that everything in excess becomes a "problem". There is still much benefit in our increased connectivity, as long as your day doesn't actually play out like this video: