Today consisted of (not including work) making arrangements for Joe’s stuff, kicking some leeches off my wifi and much pondering on the concept of “friends”.
I don’t think there is any denying that there is a difference between meat-space and virtual friends. No comments made in regard to the depths of either, but it is different. I contend that there is also a difference in how “friends” are treated from one online service to another.
For example, I don’t accept all Friend Requests on Myspace. Too many bands and wanna-be-porn stars trying to befriend anyone and everyone. So I look at all the profiles. If I don’t see an immediate connection with the requester and how they might know me, I deny the request.
On Digg, I’m even more prickish. Since I don’t have a profile to go off of, I rely on screen and “real” names. If I know you, groovy. You are in like Flynn. If not, well thanks for adding me.
Yet on Twitter, where there is no “accept friend or not” decision, I always add everyone who friends me to my friends list. Why? Hell if I know. Twitter stands the largest chance of being overly interruptive to my day, and the more folks I add as friends (doesn’t matter how many add me) the more interruptions I get. But for some strange reason, that’s OK.
And then there’s SecondLife, which I haven’t logged into in well over a month. I have only a handful of friends in there, and almost all of them were formed after speaking to someone in-world for some time.
Interesting how our notion of friendship changes to meet the environment.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Your facial hair is manly and wonderful; truly deserving of attention, if not outright celebration.
On the matter of friends in virtual spaces, I tend to be very picky about who gets to be my “friend”, be it on MySpace, LiveJournal, Twitter or anywhere else. Mostly, I add only people I know but occasionally I’ll add a friend-of-a-friend. As a result, I live a life of quiet solitude, surrounded by my Moat of Standoffishness.
I totally agree that the word “friend” has taken on a different meaning on-line. Still, when I see someone like Tina Tequila with 1.6 million friends on MySpace, I am somewhat saddened that the Internet has led to the dilution of the word.
Actually, the hair on my chinny-chin-chin exists in stark contrast to the mere wisps of facial hair that grows elsewhere on my cranium. Every winter I try again, hoping that the peer pressure might convince the follicles to put forth. No luck. Guess they don’t want that many friends, either.
That’s a familiar tune you’re singing. About once a year I participate in How Not to Grow a Beard Week (I am, as far as I know, the only participant), wherein I demonstrate to the world my complete inability to grow anything resembling a beard beyond the confines of my goatee. I thought about shaving off the goatee in order to start from scratch for HNtGaBW last year, but realized that doing so would probably give my year-old son nightmares.
This year, though, I think I’ll do How Not to Grow a Beard Month, perhaps in November or December. Consider this an open invitation to join in the fun. I’ll be providing dailyish photographic updates on my own blog.
This Five O’Clock Shadow project of yours is fun!
I totally hear ya on the “friends” thing. If I have a myspace request I’ll only approve it if I know who the person is either in real life or through a previous online relationship like Live Journal.
~Sharon