This oft-delayed post came is finally coming to life (and
light) though it's still a work in progress. Input greatly appreciated. The
idea stems from a notion I have long-held that then was challenged/enhanced by
the exploration Jason is doing with his Social Surrogate Theory - especially
the concept of intimacy - and the likemind Seattle meeting in September.
Haven't we all been amazed/astounded at how the internet has
altered just about every conceivable aspect of our lives: personal,
professional, leisure, communication, education, etc. Via one outlet or other,
I've found my last six jobs, one apartment, clothes, long lost friends, beer
recipes, laughs, lusts, set lists of gigs I attended two months ago (and twelve
years ago), and on and on.
Amazing? No doubt. Life-changing? Absolutely. Scary? I
submit there is that element as well. Perhaps the two faces of Janus aren't
equal, but there is plenty rough to go along with the smooch online.
It's comforting to me that I can find a community around
some of my personal, nominally obscure, passions. And more comforting - or at
least reassuring to my inner insecure geek - to find someone even more hepped
up on goofballs about it.
But what to make of the security and anonymity that a
keyboard and monitor provides? As Mr. Gingold succinctly recognizes, "within
[the] mistaken fantasy that we've all got the same sized digital megaphone,
lies the difficulty that - with such ease of access comes an assumed closeness
where there probably isn't one." Words with sinister meanings that in an
offline context could be grounds for legal action, are part of internet
vernacular. In some instances, they are considered netiquette: "lurk" and
"follow" for example. Both contribute to a notion of acceptable voyeurism. We
think nothing of sending a LinkedIn request or a friendship "add" on Facebook
to modest acquaintances. Or even, say, creating a fake persona on Twitter. At
the risk of sounding schoolmarmish, it seems that another step or two beyond is
cyber-bullying - the most infamous example being the Megan Meier suicide - the
concept of which already has an extensive wikipedia entry.
Intimacy is hard enough offline. And I certainly can't
claim to know anyone with any level of depth with whom I only have an online
connection (pardon any puns in the last two sentences). While I do cop to a
certain affinity for those I find online who march to the same (different?)
drummer as me, it's an inward smile at most. I imagine my friends recognize me in
any of my online outlets: from what I post here or on Facebook or Twitter. I'm
fairly agnostic in terms of accepting new friends any of the usual online
forums though I know others parse their social networks for different levels of
friends...probably a topic for another post entirely. So in the modern parlance
of Janus as two-faced, perhaps I am being overly harsh. Though in keeping with
the purview of Janus according to mythology, it is fitting to begin, and now
end, invoking him.
