Generation Narcissism

I spent the better part of my day yesterday (while home with the flu) updating facebook with the status number game. I will never do that again. Not because it wasn't fun, I assure it was. I loved thinking about what I was going to say to each individual person but when I started checking the feed every chance to see what people were saying about me, I realized that we as a whole,care more about what people are saying about them on a facebook status then we care about what else was going on in the world. It wasn't until way later in the day that I saw people posting about Elizabeth Edwards passing away from cancer. How sad.

Is social networking helping us validate who we are? When we post something we deem witty and worthy, we get upset when our closest friends don't respond. We then text them or call and say "Did you see my tweet (status)?" I myself am totally guilty of this.

The evolution of the internet is something that happens at such a rapid pace that just as soon as you get used to one thing there it is...the NEW (again) facebook profile. Most of us remember actual chat rooms, then there was a migration to livejournal(no chatting but journaling and countless opportunities to meet like minded people) (something I still miss) and then myspace (less private than livejournal but a miracle for aspiring musicians, filmakers, entertainers and aspiring viral sensations), facebook (let us all reconnect in a major way and then let us all overshare with people we hated in high school and who secretly hate the fact that you are a queer mexican buddhist) and then twitter...140 characters to make an impression.

trust me I am all for all of this, and have been a part of it in some way or another, there hasn't been a trend that I haven't been a part of and sometimes get really sentimental about...(getting a paid acct at LJ so you could have more icons...I laugh now thinking about that) but I just think we have to stop worrying about those games that require other people to validate us (click like on my status and I'll write on your wall..blah blah blah) those can be fun but I would much prefer to learn about myself from me...not from you.

So this is my apology for filling your feed yesterday with all the status updates, I am thankful for the people that participated and for the people that wrote such amazing things about me. I truly am. I just want to make sure I believe them first.

I don't want to feel obligated to comment or like your status or reply to your tweet. And I don't want you to feel obligated to comment on my stuff either. I want us to enjoy the social end of social networking.

I miss it.