Social networking. It seems like overnight this radical new sensation has popped its head into all of our lives. Whether it be through Facebook, Twitter, or Myspace chances are you or someone you know is hooked on social networking. Ok, so I was kidding about Myspace. Who on earth uses Myspace?
Social Networking has truly revolutionized the way people interact with each other. Pretty soon things like email and calling friends on the telephone will be a thing of the past. Who needs to do something so personal when you can just look up their information on Facebook? Or you can just get a twitter message sent to your phone. That way you can know that Joe is at the grocery store buying milk and you won't even have to hear about Sue and the kids.
Someone recently told me they were Facebook holdouts until they were told Facebook is like People magazine, except with people you know. Sign me up! One of my favorite features about facebook is how it says right on your page how many friends you have. Someone found a way to stay popular when they got out of high school. "I am so much cooler than you because I have 459 friends and you only have 221." Nevermind that most of those friends are people they will never talk to again. It is all about the social status attached with the number.
It is for that reason you can never turn down a friend request. Just the other day a girl I have never met in my life requested me to be a friend. I thought to myself, "Sure, why not? Who could say no to a friend?" I clicked the accept button and I had just made a new "friend". The thought never entered my mind that this person would actually want to interact with me. A few hours later I had a note posted to my wall that read, "Charles, you are one hunk of a man. Here is my email address....Kiss."
Now, I would like to consider myself a fairly open person. I am not opposed to making new friends. However, when someone tries to get me to show p.d.a. on the internet they have crossed the line! Fortunately, on Facebook you have the option of removing such posts from your wall, which i quickly did. I mean, I don't want all of my friends thinking I am kissing people I don't even know.
When I told this story to my Mom*, she responded, "Well, why did you accept her friend request?" I was flabbergasted. Say no to a friend request? Was she out of her mind? Perhaps she doesn't realize we are in the age when saying no to a friend isn't an option. Not when everyone in the world can see how many friends you have.
I mean, I hadn't said no to someone wanting to be my friend since...Oh, that was a dark day. I still think about it often. I was back in high school then. Those were the days when bowl cuts were cool and Chumbawumba was still Tubthumping the night away.
In my high school there was two possible times during the day when you were assigned to eat lunch. They brilliantly labeled them as first and second lunch. My friend Nick and I were the only ones of our group of friends who had first lunch. One day, Nick was in line getting food at Taco Bell while I waited at the table with the lunch my Mom made me. Just when I was about to bite into a delicious peanut butter sandwich I was approached by two kids. They asked me if they could sit by me. I remember thinking to myself, "They think I am sitting here all by myself because I am a loser and I don't have any friends!" I didn't know how to react. I didn't really want to sit with them, but how do you get out of the situation? Well, I'll tell you how. You say no. That's what I did. They both had an astonished look on their faces as if they had reached an all time low. I mean, to be rejected by someone with apparently no friends is very degrading... And before you start judging me, I felt really bad about saying no. It was just a knee jerk reaction. If I could do it all over again I would let them sit with me.
Those days have long since passed, though. Now you don't have the luxury of saying no to someone who wants to be your friend. It's a dog eat dog world and if you don't have enough friends on Facebook to back you up, you will sooner or later get eaten.
*Yes, the great Charles DeMarr still talks to his mom.
