As some of you may know, I maintain a fairly transparent online presence - I blog with personal details, I keep my FaceBook NewsFeed set to publicize all my updates, and I use Twitter quite a bit. I enjoy the freedom it provides, the release of the pressure of hiding anything. It's not completely transparent, nor am I - there are certain bits of my life that I keep to myself (my SSN, my telephone number, my address, my habit of XXXXX in my sleep, whatever). But I put way more info out into the aether than I hide. And it's really quite liberating. Sorta like what it might feel like if streaking were legal.
Some of my other friends are also somewhat similarly open about their day-to-day activities. And this is where this post is headed - When you're friends with someone, and both of you share a solid chunk of your day-to-day stuff, you develop a different relationship. You become closer, you become more trusting, you become more intimate. It's an excellent feeling.
The NY Times Magazine published an exceptional essay that explains this concept and the phenomenon that has resulted - society is changing radically because of this ability (if chosen). Here's the link (requires free registration to NY Times) - I realize that this isn't for everyone, and for those who choose privacy, I don't raise an eyebrow - we all choose some level of privacy, how high the level is up to the individual. But for the folks who are part of this new wave of technology, this article is wonderful reading. And for those who enjoy sociology, this article is wonderful reading. And for those of you who are tired of reading, have you seen the new Microsoft commercial featuring Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld? It's awesome.
The Gift
-
[Christmas, 1965 or thereabout]
The boy was very young; perhaps 7 or 8 years old. He loved everything about
Christmas - the lights, the music, Santa ...
1 year ago
3 Comments:
They say that the internet is changing american society. It's probably encouraging people to communicate. What would Marshall McLuhan say? He'd say that this digital age is an evolutionary extension of the collective conscious that is both expanding the collectiveness of who participates, and as a result causing an implosion wherein the collective participation is de-evolving us back to our tribal past; we, the net, are one big tribe now. But where are the evening bonfires?
Evening bonfire is at my house, tonight!
An excellent article. Did you know that Aaron Sorkin, my favorite movie/TV writer, is hard at work on a movie about Facebook? My understanding is that it is a movie about the birth of the company, as opposed to a movie about the habit itself...
Thanks for the post Stu...
-- Dave
As you know, I'm utterly open concerning my personal details - even address (although I still keep the SSN a secret..)
Very interesting stuff.
I like that ad, too. I'm surprised at some of the negative responses it has received.
Post a Comment