Kicking and Screaming

People have been telling me to “make a MySpace page, make a MySpace page.” This is often followed by “get on Facebook, get on Facebook.” I’ve been working in Internet development for the past 12 years so there are times when the last thing I want to do is maintain yet another online property. If you drive a bus for a living, sometimes the last thing you want to do after a long day of driving a bus is go home and, well, drive a bus. But here I am. Behind the wheel. Pushing pixels again.

Something that I find interesting is the practice of making a MySpace page private. A walled garden where only the people you deem worthy can bask in the full glow of your online presence. Apparently, the web’s promise of a global village has been replaced by gated communities, personal networks. It’s kind of like a junior high dance where, although we’re given the opportunity to freely mingle, we all end up choosing to hang out with the same people, the same comfortable cliques. Given the choice, we end up going with what and who we know. Still weary of outsiders. Mocking the parade of freaks from within the relative safety of our inner circle. That is, until one of our own turns on us. Then, we banish them from our Friends list. They become persona non grata. Our flawed, lord-of-the-flies-human-nature kicking and screaming into overdrive.

Some people like to think that just becuase we're using the latest and greatest social networking technology we've somehow evolved and advanced as humans. Truth is, if you're unkind, disingenuous, and unforgiving in person you'll be that online as well. The web isn't that great at concealing character flaws. It amplifies them. But it goes the other way, too. If you're generous and giving in person you'll be that online. Only, now more people will know about it. As long as they're in your personal network.