An interesting thought (to me, anyway)
I had dinner tonight with a great friend from long ago, Lisa L (now Y), and she brought up a point that inspired me to stay up past my bed time to share. Lisa, by the way, is in that picture a few posts back of the baseball team, summer of '82 - she lives out of state now and is in town for work. I am really glad to have met up with her tonight (thanks AGAIN to the magic of social networking sites), it was great fun catching up.
So anyway, she suggested that perhaps kids today, those graduating from high school or college and moving on, living in the era of social networking sites like Facebook or MySpace, won't actually lose touch with the people in their current circles. They might move out of state, or go away to school, but the internet goes with you. They are always going to know what their friends are doing right now, or what's on their mind, where they are living and what new friends they have made. They'll have pictures to view and birthday greetings to send and all kinds of good karma. They may never disconnect with most of their circle, and as their circles grow, so do their friends' circles, and so on and so on.
So if there is no disconnecting, then the opportunity to RE-connect will be lost on them.
What might it be like for this graduating generation to never wonder about an old friend, to never have the joy of getting a phone call from the past, to not look into the eyes of a person they knew 20 years ago and see the same eyes in a just slightly older, more experienced face? To hear the Readers Digest version of their life, and see the results of that life sitting across the table and feel genuine happiness for that person?
I think sometimes the best part of losing yourself is being found. If I didn't have the opportunity to tell stories about what I've done for the past 43 years, I wouldn't have a reason to speak.
posted by JJ @ 9:58 PM
3 comments
3 Comments:
Interesting thoughts. And they also can't reinvent themselves. One of the great things about going away to school is that you get a do over. You can stop being Suzy and become Suzanne or vice-versa. There are opportunities for growth that they will miss out on.
They may not make as many new friends because they are still in contact with the old ones and it's work keeping up with your social life if it's far away.
On the plus side they will have a support group no matter where they go.
regards,
Theresa
not sure if i'm a "kid" but am certainly the email and very globalized generation - friends all over the world. i hadn't really had anything else to compare it to but i think you're right, our friendship patterns are different. Not worse or better, just different.
The internet has absolutely changed the meaning of friendship. Some of my best friends are people I may only see once or twice a year but we are in constant contact on Facebook and email. My 35 year old daughter just got on FB last weekend after I gave her the mini laptop I bought her. I have enjoyed seeing her and her old childhood friends get back together in cyberspace. These are kids that I wondered what happened to them after Tara and they lost touch for whatever reason.
How many adults do we all know who met their partner or spouse on the internet? Life is so different than when I was young and dating.
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