face(-to-face)book

the story: for the longest time, i wouldn’t accept friend requests on Facebook from people I did not know in real life. it seemed silly. over the years, my resolve wavered, at least partially due to the fact that I started using Facebook as much for professional reasons as for personal. which somehow equates to being “friends” with people you’ve not actually met.

the point: there are a handful of people with whom i am “friends” but not friends.

the plan: set up a series of friend dates with these people and document our adventures.

the reason: i could go into all the tired arguments about how we, as a civilization, are spending a rapidly increasing percentage of our lives online and how it’s leading to the complete de-evolution of personal social interactions, and how communicate more through Facebook, Twitter, et al, than they do in real life, and all the implications of that kind of impersonal social progression (de-humanization of other people, and ourselves, resulting in an increase in crime, depression, and Flesh Light production. shudder.) and how making a concerted attempt to reverse this trend by at least trying to develop 3-D relationships with our 2-D “friends” could possibly save us from the downfall of our very humanity—yes, I could go into all of that. but mostly, I’m just curious about some of these people.

the assignment: do the same thing. even if you don’t make the commitment to meeting all of your cyber-companions, pick at least one. go out, do something, communicate with actual words and facial expressions and gestures and see how much you might learn about someone in a few hours that years of online interaction wouldn’t have taught you. if you feel like snapping some pictures together or writing up an account of your adventures, bonus points.