Here a Friend, There a Friend

I will admit; I am slightly obsessed with Facebook. That little blue and white world that caters to the voyeur in all of us, delivering a tantalizing supply of photos, conversations, witty banter, whereabouts and oh so much more. A bit reminiscent of my love affair with Starbucks, my journey into the Facebook world began with much trepidation and skepticism.

I remember my sister first telling me about the site, into which she and so many of her college age cronies were already embroiled. At the time, only people with valid college email addresses could join, and since mine was long defunct, I could only explore the site through my sister. I was not dazzled at first--it seemed a mere reincarnation of one of the first social networking sites--Friendster. But soon after, I kept getting wind of certain wall posts and Facebook camaraderie between my cousins--all younger than me and most of college age--and I started to feel left out. As a group, we are a mighty chatty and boisterous bunch and our get togethers are always lively and laughter filled. With a new virtual venue to bring us together even outside of our frequent family functions, things could only get more lively. So, with the intention of bolstering our cousinly bonds, I got myself a Facebook account and my 14 cousins as friends.

My initial vow was to remain friends with only my cousins, and use Facebook as a cyber watering hole for us--bridging the distances between schools and the times when we all get to be together. I only got a few friend requests myself--and most were from people I truly did not recognize. I wanted to keep my Facebook universe small. But then....

I started to get friend requests from people I absolutely recognized, and was admittedly curious as to their lives...I started to troll for classmates...took notice of who other people were friends with....my cast of friends began to grow...and before I knew it, Facebook had cast its spell on me and I was, and continue to be, captivated by the entertainment it provides. A sort of window into other worlds, comment on our culture, personal expression entertainment that has me captivated by profiles and my brain constantly commenting on its phenomenon.

Sometimes when I'm perusing profiles, I'm reminded of the days of decorating your room as a teenager, or your college dorm. Well thought out placements of pictures, quotes and posters that made your room your own and broadcast the person you knew yourself to be. I think what Facebook has essentially done is migrated this decorative form of self expression to the internet and given people a wider, more interactive forum for the exploration and showcasing of who they are. As an adult, I no longer have a million pictures scattered across bulletin boards or favorite quotes displayed on my wall--my tastes demand a bit more refined decorative sense. However, I have Facebook-- wherein I can be just as playful and witty as I'd like, and in the end have a satisfying little spot on the web that is uniquely me.

After my initial hesitations in the realm of requesting and accepting friends, I have wholly embraced both actions and love stumbling upon acquaintances from college or high school, or even middle school. There is something comforting, somehow, just getting these small glimpses into their lives. Gives you a sort of "we really ARE all connected feeling", and it's just nice to know that somewhere, this person is living their life, doing their own unique thing. It ocurred to me that Facebook also delivers to me, via its web interface, the one aspect of college that I loved most of all, and still miss dearly to this day---simply walking around campus. I just adored going from class to class and saying hello to all I'd pass along the way. I went to a small school, so there was something very special in knowing so many people--even if you didn't know their name but their face was a familiar part of the landscape. So here I am, removed quite significantly from the days of being surrounded by so many people you knew, and voila, here is Facebook, bringing me many of those same, familiar faces. And that is how I will explain to the naysayers, who can't understand why I am friends with someone on Facebook that I never talk to in "real life", why it really doesn't matter. Because seeing that this particular person changed their status or added some photos is just like walking past them on campus and saying hello. A nice little bright spot, a window into the life of someone you might now know all that well, but you just like their friendly face.

It is certainly a funny culture we live in where a site like Facebook has swept into the lives of people from several different generations and created its own little subculture, complete with vernacular and unspoken rules, etc. It's the power of technology that fuels it all--but I really believe at the heart of it is still that human need to put a little of yourself out there, and see what everyone else has to offer too.