Facebook and Day 1: Optimism

I am starting an experiment with Facebook.

Recently it has occurred to me how prevalent social networking is in filmmaking. Who knows who got connected by this guy who knew her once at a party...

Personally, I tend to shy away from social networking, because I don't like relationships being based on a person we both know. It seems like a mutual bond, and it is, but it's a weak bond. Nevertheless, some would cry that that is how you make it in the real world, or something to that extend. I understand, and I have now started my compliance.

I decided to get a Facebook account, and I'm going to use it as an experiment. I will chronicle my Facebook interactions for the first 30 days. If I find that after 30 days my life was worse than when I started, I will get rid of it.

Here's my reasoning-I've not had a Facebook profile for over a year and a half. I've got to see life without the immediate interaction, without the constant updates, and without the missed opportunities that it brings. I think I can responsibly take an adventure into the jungle of Facebook and keep my head on my shoulders, avoiding trivial banter and worthless postings while discovering thought-worthy ideas and concepts and engaging in (hopefully) productive social interaction. I don't know how it will go. Let's find out.

........

Day 1

I created a Facebook account with ease. Props to Zuckerburg for making the process easy enough for anyone to create one (I, along with millions of others probably, would have had second-thoughts if the process were difficult). I added my favorite movies, music, TV shows, and books, a process that actually made me sad because I had a difficult time coming up with favorite books, revealing that I don't actually read that much. Need to get on that.

I tried to find my friend Cari to add her as my first friend, but I couldn't find her. I thought she had an account. "Oh well," I thought. "I'll find her through someone else" (that should be a slogan for Facebook). I searched for several friends without luck. Finally I found my friend Jake and added him. Suddenly, I had found a portal into my friends' world. I found friend after friend and easily added them with friend requests. I hesitated asking several people to be my "friend," because I didn't want them to see me with 5 friends and think I was a loser. I realize that train of thought is self-absorbed and shallow. That's how I think most of the time. It's constraining and frustrating, but I continue on with it for some reason.

I'm going to let it lie for right now. I can't decide if I want to make a rule for myself that I can only get on once a day. I have done that more or less by choosing to make myself blog about each Facebook encounter I have, so that should be fine.

My feelings towards Facebook (as of right now) are friendly. I see the benefit of having a profile through the connections I can make with my friends, with whom I have previously had no contact. But will the connections I'm going to make with my friends be genuine? Will we actually be communicating our true thoughts, ideas, and emotions, or will we merely be sending and receiving cardboard cutouts of ourselves; rigid, fake, static images of either who we are or who we want others to think we are. I don't know.

I wonder if I'll be able to refrain from posting pretentious, self-involved statuses about On The Road or all the films I watch that others consider elitist. Let's hope so.