social networking

i think i may have a problem. i think i am addicted to social networking sites and i don't really care that i am. on average, i likely check facebook about 7-10 times per day...now, it's easier for me because i sit in front of a non-firewalled computer for 8 hours on a working day and use fb to take a break from tedious editing, or to vent about tedious co-workers. it's not that i really see this as a problem...modern gadgetry and the internet enable us, nay, encourage us to be plugged in at all times. while some seem to run away from tech, i embrace our new world order. my personal relationships don't suffer as a result of time spent on social networks, in fact they flourish. professionally, i don't have any difficulty meeting deadlines and accomplish more than any other colleague in the office. so what the what then?

i think the only area of social networking that i have the tiniest issue with is that every one of my 308 friends on fb, my 74 friends on myspace, and my 23 twitter followers (still growing) are aware of how much i use fb, twitter, etc.

i decided it was time to reevaluate my 'friends' list and purge those who i haven't spoken to in person, or really communicated with since first adding them to the list. i started to work through the list, trying to be diligent and cutthroat in my decisions. a former co-worker here, a high school friend there, an friend of a friend, someone who passed away and still has a fb account (a little creepy as its been updated recently) i was relentless, hacking and slashing through the list to clear the clutter from my pages. i compiled my list of 'removes' but just as i was about to start deleting them, i started to think about where i knew this person from and memories flashed in my mind. i moved to the next person, but the same happened again and again as i read through the list. if i cut them, this would be final. this would be the last time i contacted them, knew what they were up to, saw what they looked like, and a lot of other things that social networks allow us to do. in essence, i was saying goodbye. was i ready for such a bold move? i think i've reached a point in life that i will never know more people than i do now, sort of a relationship plateau. it's not that i won't meet more people, but you do start to lose people you know as you age (depressing as that is) i know i could always add them again, but how would i explain that?

yeah, sorry, i cut you out of my life but i've changed my mind. please add me again! cheers. ryan

in the end, i didn't have the heart to cut these people out...at some point and time, these people were part of my life. whether it be a reason, a season, or a lifetime i stand by the people i know and if they get to see what i'm up to 7-10 times per day, it's only because i'm actually interested in how and what they are doing as well. overall, the list is pretty selective as i've never been a friend collector (some of my friends have 4,000+ "friends" on their lists) i mean, if i didn't talk to you in high school or when we worked together, do you honestly think i would want to know what you are up to now?

someday i might be able to harden my heart and cut out the riff raff, but today is not that day. for now, i'm just going to enjoy social networking for what it is; a means to creep on everyone i know and shamelessly self-promote every part of my life in excruciating detail. ahhh...sharing is fun.