I wrote a little article for KLue. Enjoy…
A year ago, if you’d have asked me what Oprah Winfrey was doing right now, or what Ashton Kutcher had for lunch, or even what some of my frien… err, acquaintances were up to, I’d have to admit that I had no clue. Worse, I’d probably give you a funny look for being so nosey, and mentally file you in my “weirdo” category. And try and move a few seats away from you in the train.
That was a year ago, however. If you asked me today, I could tell you that Oprah is currently in makeup while contemplating the injustices of African poverty, Ashton had a bagel and it “rocked,” and most of my frien… err, acquaintances are “recverng from all the partaying” they did last night. And they also can’t spell too well. And worse, I’d probably try and make you a frien… err, acquaintance.
The reason we now have privacy that’s about as effective as a piece of cling film is thanks to the trend that is growing like an avalanche and threatening to crush every closed door in its path—social networking. Sites like MySpace, Facebook, and now, Twitter are making everyone’s business everyone else’s, and turning us all into cyber-voyeurs, and cyber-life-advertisers.
What makes this phenomenon all the more funny is the extreme ends of the social view. If I were to go and ask a bunch of people if they use Twitter or if they update their Facebook status and photos page regularly, the answer would probably be a yes (and numerous invitations to join networks or become friends… and probably quite a few pokes… would ensue). But if I were to ask the same group whether they would be happy about wearing a government issued tag that automatically logs their movements, transactions and social interactions, they’d be aghast. They’d probably make little signboards and march about in coloured shirts (and take photos to be posted online later and maybe even videos). Or, for the vast majority of the more lazy Malaysians, just call into radio stations, grumble at the mamak, or, even better, blog about it.
But at the end of the day, it’s fun. It’s cool. People tend to go for it for three (not always so) noble reasons. Firstly, they may genuinely have great things to say and they’ve decided to use the web as a soapbox, a pulpit from which to preach, extol and inform and while it may be heavily opinionated, coloured and absolutely dripping with bias, we do need access to information in this of all times. When so much of what we read, watch and hear is first forced through the closely weaved filters of creed and culture, having undiluted streams of knowledge (or rather, a little fact and a lot of opinion) is a great boon and something people never used to have.
Secondly, so many people have such little time that socialising has become a luxury. In the same way that homecooked meals became fast food that one could eat on the go and payment can now be made with the swipe of a card and the flick of a pen, so too has socialising been revolutionised by technology to be faster, easier, and, unfortunately, less satisfying. With endless days of work, eternities spent commuting, and hours (hopefully) spent in the gym (or other physical bettering activity of choice), time left for socialising is scant. So why waste an evening going for dinner and drinks and catching up and sharing stories, when you can simply poke someone?
And lastly, let’s not forget that we are, each of us, deeply vain creatures. We are each the centre of our own universe and we like to imagine that everything revolves around us, that what we do must, simply must, be absolutely fascinating to all. Whether we are celebrities desperate for a bit more off-camera limelight or aspiring stars, writers or glamour pusses with big dreams, we all want people to remember our names, to tick our box, to make us the next American Idol. So we write about our lives as a necessary service to our countless legions of fans who will wither and die without our updates—even if they don’t realise it yet.
But regardless why people use sites like these, they’re here (for) now and perhaps to stay. And since the keyword in social networking is “social,” it’s hard not to get sucked in, whether through peer pressure, interest or a sheer bloody-minded desire to waste time at work. So tell us what you’re doing, where you’re going and what you had for lunch, because someone, somewhere, really really wants to know.
Really.
Will Quah is an avid occasional blogger, TV Host, and social trouble maker shooter. You can stalk him at www.willquah.com or feed his overwhelming ego by following his little bird at @willsquah.
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I’m honoured. I’m flattered. I’m flabbergasted.
It’s been a long time.
