(Candid Opening: I've been negligent with this blog. I've started a Tumblr, which is what I call my "quick blog." Totally for people with attention span issues and time-poor audiences. However, all is not lost. I still have thoughts that are certainly blog-worthy).
So the internet is this super connected place where we can learn anything and talk to anyone all the time in real time (whoa...I know). It's a busy, vast, sometimes inconceivable beast that has completely changed our world- for better or for worse. And before anyone gets any ideas about this post inspiring some manifesto I'm going to write about the internet, let me be clear- I'm no techie. I can barely rifle my way through WordPress. However, I have studied some of the social outcomes of the internet's existence, and this post is dedicated to my most recent observation: the anonymity of it all makes people WEIRD.
Okay, not all people. And not the whole internet.
Let's talk Facebook. People who generally don't use pet names/don't say "I love you"/haven't talked to you in years/don't make eye contact/can't read/eat chalk/etc... are all of a sudden liberated to internet hug you whenever they see your name on a newsfeed. There are a few things at play with this: 1) usually, the receiving individual is far, far away. No messy responses. No tears, no follow up questions. It's one-and-done. 2) You don't have to say it out loud! Typing makes this pleasant little click noise, and before you know it, you're sending love through the airwaves. ("No one heard you, right?"). 3) You can delete it. Sometimes it gets to the recipient before you have the chance (darn internet...), but it sure beats saying the words and never being able to change your mind!
Alright, so I'm sassy today. Truly, I have no problem with throwing some fruity love on the interwebs. But if you don't (or can't) say it in person, it doesn't translate on the screen. Even worse, because I can't hear that person saying it, boy does it sound sugary. And by sugary, I mean insincere and - you guessed it- weird.
But hey, don't let me tell you what to write on your Faceplaces. Do what's in your heart. But if it's in your heart to be sweet, make sure you double that love that say it in person as well. It's worth it.
