A BOOK CALLED FACE.

Are we all becoming a legion of social networking followers that have been seduced by the promise of constant feedback on our every thought and action on a daily basis? In our quest to connect through wires, keyboards and screens I wonder if we are losing some of the opportunities for face to face interaction and old fashioned togetherness. The temptation to neglect physical interactions may take over for some, owing to a lack of necessity, if too much time is spent Internet sharing what was once saved for our get together conversations. So many of us over share to the point that when we do meet up there is little left to tell and what is left to say when all has been said. It becomes just a rehash of the news that was reported in an update an hour before we meet. And though it does give us a thrill that the other already knows about our news, it is like constantly feeding information into our own personal gossip rag while totally disregarding the virtues that come from keeping a little bit of mystery.

After a few years of passionate input and over sharing, I have found myself avoiding this medium in favour of internalized reflection. Maybe like others who I have heard are curbing these activities, my online presence is evolving. It is easy see how one can be seduced into the desire to over share when receiving the almost instant gratification of being noticed, liked and loved. I think back to words I have written and the words of others I have read and it becomes clear that some of our statements are deliberately reaction based. A rush of satisfaction that someone somewhere at any given time liked or commented on something we felt was in need of notice. It is indeed obvious that some are more addicted to this feedback than others. Everyone wants to be understood and we all have a yearning to belong to a group that shares our hopes and dreams while sharing togetherness.

We hear of the rules recommended with this sort of online interaction and some of us adhere to them and follow. I engaged in this world with a healthy dose of caution at first, but in time the waters felt safer. I dared to swim with little regard for the sharks that bite with lexicon and found that some of the followers were not really friends and are just there to feed off your story. It is indeed a dangerous endeavour to make public what in any other age would have been left unsaid unless in the audience of family and confidante close friends. In any arena it is wise to remember the pitfalls that can come from not guarding our private cards and keeping them close to the chest. Because honesty is good but not always your friend and though it can be fun, it is wise to remember that life online is also based on the game.


Copyright © Robyn Whittaker. 2012.