So, I made a myspace page a few months ago at the request of my cousin who lives back in MD. I thought, sure, I'll create an account to hear how he is doing from time to time. My page is generic: it does not flash or flicker or play music. Next, our friend from grad school moves her livejournal to myspace, and I add her as a friend because I want to hear how her pregnancy is progressing. Next one of my oldest friends from home sends me a link to her page, and of course I add her immediately because she is one of my oldest & best friends. But I feel my grasp on the situation is lessening. Yesterday, I get a friend request from a girl I was friends with in highschool and college. And I do like this girl, but I haven't seen her for 5+ years. I'm torn because I do like her, but I don't really want to connect with her because I think it will lead me to other people from home who I don't really care to re-connect with. I know it is just a stupid myspace page, but it's some communication. And like I said before my myspace page doesn't glitter or dance or anything. It is really plain. "Tom" is still one of my friends! I feel like I should make my page do something cool, but I really don't want to, and I can't help but feel very teenagerish. I'd much rather edit my blog, where the eight people or so who read it actually care enough to read it, and not former highschool classmates who I never liked in highschool. But then, if I reject that friend's request, I look like an ass. I don't know how she found my page? Who am I connected with anyway? When I do look at these friends' pages, I find old boyfriends, former roommates, the sister of a guy I liked but never had the guts to ask out, etc. Old memories come flying back at me when I am unprepared for the assault. I wanted them to stay in the past, but there they are and everyone is older than they are in my memory, and this bothers me, too! Agh!!!
What a strange time to live. Jane Austen never had to deal with this stuff! I wish people still wrote letters.
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3 comments:
People do still write letters... just less and less frequently than before. Kind of sad, really... for multiple reasons.
Oddly enough, the timing of this entry is perfect. I visited myspace for the first time yesterday afternoon, and then was directed towards there later in the evening for another reason altogether. I thought of creating one, but the thing I don't like is also the thing that probably made it so easy for her to find you: that keen search function. All someone needs is the name of your high school; your name; or your e-mail address.
This is the reason I've avoided myspace (and friendster before it, though I think in a moment of weakness I set up a profile there). I was going to suggest you go to 'private' but then I realized that option is only available for teens. That's the option my kids use it under, and they're lucky that they're young enough there are no skeletons in the closet or other undesirables who can creep out to nail them.
I hear your agony, but being the bitch I am, I'd ignore the request and keep it 'your' space!
Oh dear, what have I started. Being the oldest friend, I feel the need to give my two cents. I was also recently contacted by someone from high school that I never had any desire to reconnect with either. This kind of bothers me, because we were kind of friendly in high school, but not close, and every time I've seen this person over the past several years she's ignored me. Why is it ok to pretend you don't know me in person but then request me as a friend online. Is it a deep-seated psychological need to have as many friends as possible, or just to look cool to all the people on your list? Who knows? I added her, but I'll probably never contact her. All the people I would like to be in contact with I can't find, probably because they have better things to do than to sit online all day. I started the myspace because of a request from my sister. Because I work with several people under 20 (and because of completely boring, useless days at work) I spent lots of time making it pretty and personalizing it. But, that's done now, and I'm kind of finished with it. So what to do now? Do I just wait and see if people find me. Do I waste hours like other people searching fruitlessly for people I'll never find. Nah. I have more important things to worry about. But, it was fun while it lasted. Now I've joined blogger, but nothing fun or interesting ever happens in my life, so I'll probably ignore this one as well. But, at least this way I can stay in contact with people who matter most.
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