You can tell when my family is visiting me, because I don't write anything for a long time. Why would I? The true reason for this silly blog, in the first place, is to give my far-away family a slight glimpse into the mundane minutiae of our life. I think that one of the hardest things about living so far away is that you miss out on the everyday details of life.
I was trying to explain "Facebook" to a friend who doesn't do any of this internet stuff and thinks that it is very silly and a bit self-indulgent. "Why in the world do you care what someone is doing at 4 in the afternoon?, " she asked. I answered, "because I do." I love knowing that my sister is having a good day....or a bad day....or that my best friend from high school has a cold, or that my husband's brother is at a particular airport, waiting for a delayed flight. I love looking at all the photos of kids and pets and Christmas trees.
These are all people whom I love, and who live very, very far away from me. We communicate through email, letters, and holiday visits. But we never really communicate the run-of-the-mill boring, everyday stuff that we all do. Until now. These blogs, and facebook pages, (and dare-I-say "Twitter"?) give you a glimpse into the mundane.
Another friend mentioned that when her parents visit, it takes a good 3-4 days for them to connect with her kids. We don't have that problem. I swear it is partly because my parents are so tuned into the self-indulgant, boring details of our life....that they really only know about due to all of these silly Web tools.
As the kids get older, it gets more difficult. I won't be writing about anything even remotely personal when it comes to them. And most of the photos will be over on Facebook, where I can control who sees them. (in my mind, at least.)
But I still don't get Twitter. (sorry, dear husband....I just don't.)
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2 comments:
Glad it's not just me. I don't get Twitter either. It's like facebook minus the pictures, games, videos and chat... so what's the point?
It's the little life moments that, although mundane, make us feel connected. I love reading what appliance broke in your house, what airport Rachel is stranded in, where my parents are currently having dinner and see a picture of my nephew from my brother's iPhone all in a glimpse at my facebook status page.
(OK, and I like taking out my aggression attacking people in Mob Wars. More socially responsible than going postal in real life!)
Twitter is just an extension of the Facebook status line combined with text messaging. Instant communications with lots of people.
And yeah, I see a big difference between how family/friends who do social media "catch up" vs. those who don't. Less time required to catch up on both sides.
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