In the past month or so I have journeyed into the world of cyber communication and networking. I have been doing websites for nearly ten years (gee wiz, has it been that long?) but, frankly, I went kicking and screaming into the world of blogging and networking sites.
I got my feet wet when I redesigned our family website and added the blog feature. We had an older blog, but it was limited in features, cumbersome, and was really just designed to fill an informational gap while we were constructing our home and had very limited internet and computer access. When I created the family blog as a possible portal into the newly designed website I realized just how much functionality was really available (update structuring and file hierarchy by date, the ability to add pictures and videos (easily), fun scripts and widgets, a way to track other blogs, add website links, AND people can sign up to receive updates via e-mail), and how fun it could be.
Yet really, it's a public diary on the internet. Who wants to know me *that* well? And why? Besides my immediate family, who cares if we went to Tae Kwon Do last night or if I had an epiphany this morning? Who has enough time in their own life to be reading about the routine and events of mine?
And then there's the whole world of network sites like MySpace, Facebook and countless others with their own unique spin (like the network sites catering to parents, and others like that). I tried MySpace since that seemed to be the most popular (based on what I hear in the media), but it is cumbersome and splashy and loaded with ad ribbons and commercials, and I found it visually unattractive, difficult to use and non-intuitive. So, my MySpace profile has a link that sends you to my Facebook profile.
A little history lesson: Facebook was developed by a kid; a university student (Harvard) named Mark Zuckerberg who wanted to connect his Harvard buddies. This networking platform was later expanded to other colleges in the Ivy League, then all university students, then high school students, and, finally, to anyone aged thirteen and over. At last report, the site had more than 100 million active users worldwide. I read an article about Mr. Zuckerberg in Fast Company after he turned down a multimillion dollar buyout offer (several actually). Imagine being a multimillionaire at the ripe old age of about twenty. Meanwhile, Facebook has met with some controversy over the past few years including being blocked intermittently in several countries and being banned at many places of work to increase productivity.
Now there's something I can understand. If you have never checked out Facebook I would encourage you to do so. In about twelve minutes you realize just how addictive this website can be. It's such a "problem" that Facebook users even poke fun at it. In one of the add-ons that I have called "flair" I found several pieces of flair (like buttons that politians hand out that you stick on your coat) that suggests that they will flunk out of college because of Facebook. I get it. I see how that can happen. And yet Facebook is just...well, it's fun. There, I said it. It's fun.
And therein lies the heart of my curiosity. What is it that makes blogging and networks such an attraction? Why are hundreds of millions of people joining the ranks of MySpace, Facebook, Blogger, WordPress, and others to share their personal lives with friends, family...and strangers?
When I set up my Facebook profile I went searching for friends to "connect" with. In no time at all (and I do mean NO TIME...we're talking less than twenty-four hours) I had connected with about five old high school classmates and my sister-in-law in Germany. Then came the folks from university. It was exciting to see the list of my "friends" grow and grow. The more people I add to my "friends" list the more connections are made because my friends have friends who can become my friends too. It's staggering how quickly my friend list grew. Soon I was getting requests from others asking that I be *their* friend. Now THAT was cool; others seeking connection with me. Somehow this seems to validate me, that indeed I am worth having as a friend.
Again, I ask, why? Why are so many people eager to connect this way? Aren't there enough local social groups, clubs, and pubs in the world to addequately connect people in the "real" world? Do we really need to connect in the virtual world too? Clearly the answer is yes.
As members of the human race we are social creatures. I undestand that. And, yes, tools like Facebook do allow us to connect with people outside of our physical location. I have friends in Vermont, but I also have friends all over the United States, the UK, and Germany; these are connections I would not necessarily make if it weren't for Facebook. But why is this kind of connecting so appealing? Do we not have enough in our lives that we have to go looking for friends in the rest of the world?
I consider myself to be adequately socially connected; I have friends with whom I go out, groups in which I participate, and regular interaction with family and friends. I serve in ministry, have family and household responsibilities, run a business, serve on boards and associations, and have personal interests that require time. Still, I am compelled by something to check my Facebook in the morning between Patrick getting on the bus and Katherine waking up; who is online? do I have any new friendship requests? has anyone "confirmed" me as a friend? do I have any e-mail? Still, I ask the question, Why? Why are we so compelled to connect in this way?
Is it simply because we are social creatures? Are we looking for something (gaps to be filled, knowledge to gain from others, the latest scoop)? Are we just being nosey? I'm sorry if you have read this far expecting that I will answer these questions. I don't really have any answer other than perhaps...it's fun. According to Ben and Jerry's (of Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream), "If it's not fun, why do it?" philosophy, since we keep doing it, it must be fun. So if you'll pardon me, I have to go check my Facebook.
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