What did we do before Facebook introduced the status bar and, with it, opened our eyes to a world of endless running self-commentary?
We sure as hell don’t use it as an opportunity to put a mirror up to ourselves, to contemplate our actions in a meaningful way:
I should’ve gotten up for that woman with crutches on the train.
I wish I wouldn’t have lost my temper in that meeting.
I could’ve made the time to go vote this afternoon…
Instead, it’s an ongoing, anytime/anywhere chance to shamelessly self-promote our work, lives, opinions, and values without consideration for those we’re connected to. And why should we care, since they’re doing the same thing?
I wonder how this paradigm shift in sharing has impacted the way we talk in person. Do we know what to talk about? Do we know how to ask questions, how to share meaningful news? Has the advent of social media standardized everything that we learn and make and think about so it’s all of equal value? A web comic may as well be a sonogram picture, or a complaint about Congress, or a check-in at a chain restaurant.
What makes people think this is relevant? What makes people think this is meaningful? Don’t get me wrong, I think having opinions and interests and babies and hobbies are all good things, but they’re also personal things. What compels us to share them? What did we do before we could?
My thought? We didn’t share these things, except with a handful of the most important people. With our acquaintances, coworkers, friends of friends, we did not share the intimate details of our days and nights: we shared common experiences, interesting news, talked about books and movies, or good places to eat dinner. But we said these things on a much smaller scale because we accepted that the quality of this conversation (and the fact that, walking away, parties felt enlightened or cared about) was more important than the number of people involved.
Most of all? We accepted that a conversation is best between a handful of people, because the more people you add, the more people will not give a SHIT what you’re saying.
Over the past few years, brands have increasingly figured this out. They’re all, one-to-one messages! Let’s have a conversation with users! Let’s hear them talk! Soooo, have the roles changed? Do people communicate like antiquated marketing messages? Do advertisers understand the true value of a conversation more than individuals?
Just something to think about.
Social Recess 