Imported from MySpace blog
At last, I’ve put my finger on the inexplicable pull of Teh MySpace and Teh Facebook. It’s voyeurism, straight up. It gives us creepily intimate looks into the lives of others, be they friends, acquaintances or total strangers.
Pictures, likes and dislikes, employment and educational history, and entire personal conversations between friends can be viewed remotely at the click of a mouse. You can read about someone’s vacation, see pictures of the insides of their houses, find out what they did last weekend, where they like to shop and whether or not they believe in God. For people we’re not particularly close to, this information would likely never present itself unless we became creepy stalkers. It’s absolutley terrifying and undeniably wonderful.
And then there’s always the wonderful possibility of discovering the (preferably) awful fates of meanie-heads from the past, and the fun of daydreaming of what it would be like to be someone else for a day.
It’s addictive and it feels kind of dirty and wrong, so of course I love love love it.
Currently reading :
White Teeth: A Novel
(I know this is an old post, but hey it's new to me!) – Yes, I remember quite clearly the instantly gratifying realization when I became a Facebook member of being able to see what others were doing, thinking, and who they were without actually having to talk to them or engage with them in any way! It was wonderful…
Another thing I like about social networking sites (besides the obvious advantages of spying and avoiding actual human contact) is the fact that I get a chance to see unexpected sides of people. I have been surprised again and again at the amount of personal information people pour into their profiles, and often find myself questioning my assumptions about people I know only superficially – like it might turn out that one guy who always snapped his gum in high school turns out to have lots of deep thoughts. Just goes to show me to stop being so freakin' judgmental.