Community. Identity. Stability.

… where brave new worlds collide

Is Facebook upsetting the natural balance of the universe?

So the other day, my husband Dave said, “Facebook is disturbing the natural order of the universe.”

I looked at him curiously, “How so?” I asked.

“Well because it’s causing all these social realms to collide… I left all these high school friends back in High School… It isn’t normal to be reconnecting with so many people.”

“Actually,” I said, “if you think about it… that is more the natural social order than the one we currently live in.”

“How so?” he asked

“Well before the global economic marketplace started dispersing people around the planet… it was more likely that you would have stayed in touch with those people you grew up with.  It’s more unnatural to have like 20 different social circles.  Not only that, but it could be beneficial to be reconnected to your past… it helps you create and form your own narrative.”

Dave rolled his eyes.  He hates it when I use jargon, “But these people don’t know who I am now… how can that be helpful? They only know what I used to be.”

“But that’s an important piece of who you are now.”

“Yeah but… I’m not the same person now.”

“But your not the same person ‘now’ than you were a year ago.  Perhaps you have friends in your social circle now who still remember you as the person you were a year ago rather than know you as the person you are now.”

“I suppose…” he hates it when I make a valid point.

April 15, 2007 Posted by charlenecroft | Culture, Facebook, Identity, Internet, Theory, Virtual Identity, Web 2.0 | | 1 Comment