I’m reading The Essays of Montaigne because, well, it’s there. In discussing friendship, ol’ Michel blockquotes Cicero: Those are only to be reputed friendships that are fortified and confirmed by judgment and length of time. Yeah, that’s totally not what happens now. If Facebook’s “friend” becomes the dominant definition of the word, we’re going to …
Tag Archive: Social media
Apr 27 2012
Introverts Defeat Geography
There is a tension that exists between introverts and the extroverts who love them. Extroverts feed off live, in-person human interaction — it refuels them and provides a spark that drives them. For introverts like myself, that spark is a rare, not-looked-for thing. Socializing exhausts us, drains us of energy, of emotion. It’s a necessary …
Dec 26 2011
Unsubscribed
Just as I don’t actually have meaningful relationships or friendships with my 700+ “friends” on Facebook, I also don’t need to feel obliged to give equal value to each of their postings, nor to I need to seek their approval of my own. One’s time and capacity of attention are short, and in regards to Twitter, …
Nov 17 2011
Those Delightful Social Media Squirts
Michael Erard tells the tale of his avoidance of indulging in the trope he calls the Social Media Exile Essay, a report never written of his exit from Facebook: … I wrote a draft of an essay about writing about why I quit Facebook, which was clever but did not contain any of the things I have already said I didn’t write …
Jun 06 2011
My Brilliant Wife Messes with a Facebook Scammer
If you’re on Facebook long enough, you’ll probably get a wall post, a message, or a chat request from someone who seems to be one of your contacts, but soon reveals themselves to be someone who has hijacked their account, and it trying to get something out of you. Or at least, that’s the hope: …
Dec 20 2010
Facebook Probation
I am flattered that over 850 people have considered me a “friend” on Facebook. The thing is, I don’t actually know the vast majority of them. There’s nothing wrong with this. Often, I’ve heard those who are more dubious of online social networks complain that the “friendship” connections made in these environments are shallow and primarily for show. …
Apr 12 2010
Justin Who-ber? Tweeps School Me on Pop Culture
Over the past couple of days, I kept seeing this name pop up in tweets and around the intertubes: “Justin Bieber.” Now, look. I opted out of popular culture pretty much entirely after college, so I have no idea who that is. (I think he may have been on SNL this week? See, no idea.) So I …
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