Every now and then I go through these phases… phases where I find myself ashamed of Facebook and all of us who flaunt ourselves on it. I mean, who really cares if I’m traveling across the country or visiting the battlefield at Vicksburg, Mississippi? And do I really care if someone is having a meal at a particularly good restaurant or has posted new images of their grandchildren?
It’s times like this when the vast “Facebook Borg” appears to be shouting at the world to look at them, and thus perpetuating that self-centered mindset,“It’s-All-About-Me.” I’m so ready to disconnect.
Perhaps this blast is nothing more than a by-product of being broken down in Richmond, Kentucky.
Yet, all of this leads me to believe that maybe the best way to get ahead (or at least advance) in the world we live in is through the activity of shameless, self-promotion; making me wonder if talent and hard work really matter in today’s tightly networked world. A blabbering, self-loving photographer named Peter Lik comes to mind (I’m sure he wrote his own bio too).
At some point, I’ll come back around and start posting my own “look-at-me” or “listen-to-me” posts, but for now anonymity oblivion sounds pretty good.
In true hypocritical fashion, I hope no one reads this.
3 comments:
I often feel the same way, of course, there is nothing more self-promoting than a political campaign, so I am now as much a part of the problem as anyone. Your blog post might be the most ironic thing I have read lately.
Steve Walker
Isn't blogging another "look at me activity?" As a matter of fact, most of our activities have some level of "look at me" otherwise, we wouldn't do many of them. Showing our vacation photos to our friends, cooking a meal for our significant other, buying a beer or coffee for someone we haven't seen in a while....all are statements in a way that relay the message "I want you to 'look at me' so I can show you how much I care about you" and when the recipient accepts the "invitation" and agrees to look at the photos, or eat the meal, or go for the beer; they are, in effect, saying "look at how much I care for you by accepting these offers and giving you my time". This is why Facebook uses the "friends" terminology. Yes, we abuse it by allowing mere aquaintances to achieve "friend" status, but in reality, our real friends are interested in what we're drinking with our meal or where we've broken down, etc. Otherwise, they wouldn't really be our friends. Perhaps we should just be more judicious about who we add to our lists. When I see you and say "What's up Morgan?", I actually am interested in your doings if you want to share...but to be honest, I'm not as interested in some of my other "friends" whom i have on my Facebook list. Perhaps it's time to "cull the crops"..... Good luck with the fuel pump; those Ford trucks don't make it easy to get to... AMP
"Whatever else anything is, it ought to begin by being personal." ~Kathleen Kelly, You've Got Mail
The Yin and Yang of It… (IMHO)
1. Almost all motives are, at the root, self-oriented.
2. That's nature.
3. Most people, by nature (in spite of or maybe because of the above), are caring and want to share with others.
I once told you that I wanted to be read. I believe you might have thought that I meant "read" in a professional sense. That's good too, but what I was attempting to say is that I wanted to be seen. Heard. 'Got.' Connected... With. There are likely a lot of people who feel that way and, like me, get some measure of it by plugging their daily rag/news on Facebook. It's a slow process. For me, at least, because one can never really put their whole selves on the page (Clive Matson said that and I've never forgotten it), and with whatever does make it out there comes the risk of rejection. I mete out thoughts and feelings in small, cautious bits. You, on the other hand, dish up generous portions (not always pretty but often revealing a good heart). I imagine that to be both liberating… and exhausting… I think it's probably a good thing, for your sake, to vacate the masses now and then. Enjoy oblivion. I've a feeling you won't be away long. MK
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