ImageNever before has media and the internet played such strong roles in defining one's identity. We tweet, we blog, we e-mail, we google (ourselves) and constantly change our Facebook profile photos. Newscasts have become interactive, and any John or Jane Doe can get their 15 minutes fame by signing on to reality shows.
Politicians tweet their campaigns and have Facebook profiles. Business- and career oriented people go to LinkedIn. Going to college? The curriculum , the schedule and even the faculty is only a mouse click away. Professors launch podcasts for their students to download. Bands and musicians have fan pages with videos and mp3 files. Celebrities and wannabes create "LIKE" pages on Facebook. And who doesn't have a blog? If you have a question, a problem or a topic.. google it! Up comes video tutorials, instructions and definitions for almost ANYTHING.
Following the Baby Boomers there was Generation X, then along came Generation dot com. And what do we have now? Generation Me.
We are probably living in the most narcissistic decade of all times. With Twitter and Blogger, anyone can be a journalist. News spread fast, but what or who can we trust? If you want to know what your friend has been up to, nevermind a phone call. Facebook tells you who broke up with who, who's pregnant, sick, and who's eating what for dinner with whom and where. It's getting to be information overflow at times. Seriously, do you really need to know who's suffering from constipation? Do you need to see your friend flashing her boobs at some frat party? Do you really need to pinpoint every location you're at via iPhone? Thankfully we have to option to block, unfriend or hide what we don't need cluttering our feeds on Facebook. And yes, there's an app for that.
But I am wondering... what is behind this constant need for attention? Because, that's after all what this is, right? Or is it the need to share? Educate? Engage in conversations? Are we online narcissists or spies?
3 comments:
So much to think about :) You are a beautiful writer!!! I think we're maybe narcissists AND spies, though I wonder if it really is about "getting attention"—could it also be about having more freedom to focus on individual interests? I keep my FB art fan page because it allows me to collect and share things I make and things that make me happy with people who give good feedback and share a curiosity for the world. It's nice to be able to do that without the blessing of a publisher ;) But it can be a big pain when you start feeling like you HAVE to update or else you'll become obsolete.
I guess at its best Gen. Me is about people creating and sharing lives that are meaningful to them according to their respective talents and interests. Of course, when someone's interests don't go beyond their own boobs, well... that may be Gen. Me at its worst?
I love you Annie!!!!!
Good point! I love how you wrote about "having more freedom to focus on individual interests". I guess the upside of this constant interacting is the opportunity to take businesses to the next level. Without a publisher!! :)
I originally started my blog to let my family know I was doing okay while I lived in London. Now, I just write because I like to. I might be narcissistic but I also love reading updates from others.
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