So there I am…on my couch, a good ol’ Monday night watching a fantastic show on TV. It’s beautifully written, you know, the kind of writing that taps deep into your soul, and touches you on so many levels. Once upon a time, I’d call a friend and say “you need to turn on the TV right now!”. Instead, I watch by myself. I empathize, I sympathize, the characters laugh and I laugh. Next thing you know, I pick up my Blackberry, point straight to my Facebook icon and get ready to post. I’d already thought of the one-liner, Vintage Sex and The City: just as poignant as ever. I think how clever, how perfect! All of my friends will totally get exactly what I mean. But what does ‘friends’ really mean these days anyway?
But, I stop typing. I promised myself that I would cut down, sort of like smoking, for you see I’m normally a pretty private person. At the turn of the century, you would not have received a mass email with vacation shots or an unsolicited update on ‘me’. I’ve always believed that one reaches out to enquire about others, and others reciprocate by asking about you, and not the other way around. That is why I am so gobsmacked and curious as to why I have acquired a need to share my feelings, as I feel them, immediately and instantly to a network of my closest friends—plus or minus a few people I don’t know at all (I just didn’t want to be rude by ignoring the random requests, so I accepted—sorry, shoot me).
Anyway, back to the enigma at hand. Why all the sharing and furthermore, why all of the over-sharing on Facebook? Who really cares? Who asked in the first place and who wants to know? I guess we all do. I too have also acquired a need to look, read, search and comment. What did we do with all this time before? People now spend more time on Facebook than Google. For God’s sake, 7% of the world’s population is on Facebook! Were we better off when we were Googling? What were we looking for anyway?
So here’s the thing. I think we’ve come to a place where we feel that each and every one of our thoughts, beliefs, moments, trips and general freeze-frames deserve a life of their own. I feel something or I have an opinion about something, therefore I should share it, RIGHT NOW. I’m important. I count. And whether or not you care, I have something to say, something to show you.
How did we develop this need and why? What happened to the days when discretion was a virtue? I don’t know, but I think I’m really on to something. Anyway, gotta go. I need to post this on Facebook. Surely, everyone will want to read this and think about it.
About the author:
Albina Oks is a marketing manager working for the corporate finance group of an LA based international investment bank. Albina has lived in New York, Paris and London and speaks 4 languages fluently and that’s in addition to including Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
