[un] plugging [re] invention

"I need the me time,
I need to run away, run away,
Far away, far away, tonight...
Unlike the sun that shines through a crimson sky,
I have built these walls so you can't get by,
And its alright, tonight, tonight, its alright"

- kenna

Too often, we lose ourselves in this world of "social networking."

In this i-berry slave-phones age we are permanently plugged into this crazy system of control. Why must we share with the world our exact thoughts at every given moment of time? It's gotten to the point that people can know your EXACT location on the planet, along with your thoughts and feelings about that location and even a damn picture or video to wrap it all together.

Most of us are hiding behind the Twitter name or the AOL screen name or whatever it may be. I came across one tweet the other day that basically read that we don't tweet reality, just the good parts to show how great our lives are to those reading. I couldn't agree more, to the point that even I questioned myself based on what I was writing and what I was reading. We pick and choose exactly what we say or how we say it in order to get a rise, a laugh, etc, out of people, focusing on "I wonder what they will think" when we express ourselves.

That kind of expression comes at a cost sometimes; we start taking some statements as personal jabs (which they often are, no matter how much folks will deny it), offending people around us for no reason, even just seeming to become completely different people. We aren't bettering ourselves individually or collectively when this happens, and it usually makes the culprit look FAR younger and very immature.

For the longest I was thoroughly against Myspace, Twitter, and Facebook; it all seemed like a meaningless waste of technology and engery. Alas, somehow I got sucked into it all, and I had to take a minute to step back and look at how it was affecting me, my interpersonal communication, and most importantly my relationships with those around me. I hated the fact that I always seemed to have my head in my phone and it wasn't because of a conversation or business. So I stepped back for a minute and unplugged from Twitter and Facebook for a week or so to remember why I avoided those platforms for so long, and why they were issues in my life now.

In short, we all still worry too much about what the outside world thinks of us, what we're doing, and other people's activities. We judge ourselves and allow ourselves to be judged by an unspoken standard. Let's make an effort to communicate with each other the OLD FASHIONED way: phone calls, visits, and conversations BEING OURSELVES. Beyond that, examine your tweets and statuses and compare them to what people DON'T know. Is the "online personality" you've created require extra work to maintain and be accurate, and is it beneficial to yourself and those around you?

Reinvent yourself for your own comfort and pleasure, not to fit into another's box of approval...

rhodney
- (lol, how many of y'all really knew THAT moniker??)