Six words. One question. "What are you doing right now?" It's staring you in the face, almost mocking you. That's right, mocking the fact that it's been three days since you've updated your circle of friends with a catchy status.
They're dying to know what you're doing this very second. Maybe you're "going through pictures of a schizophrenic poet" or you "will not be taking up rollerskating as a back up profession anytime soon." And if nothing comes to you, there's the all encompassing "is." It's the postmodern take on "Cogito, ergo sum."
To find the origins of this microcosm of monologue, you have to reach way back. I'm talking old school...or at least high school. Back when you first discovered the instant messaging phenomenon.
You would run home from school in order to dial up America Online, wait for that annoying tone, and before you knew it you were conversing with the same friends you hung out with all day long...without even picking up a telephone.
Back then, status updates were known as Away Messages. You might be sitting three feet away from your computer, but you had to tell the world something clever to sustain them while you were taking a hiatus.
Flash forward back to today. Twitter, Facebook, SMS, FriendFeed, and yes IM. We have a nearly unlimited number of tools at our disposal to instantaneously apprise the world with our every thought or action.
This newfound freedom is a double-edged sword. If you're a very interesting person with a healthy dose of humor, the internet is your oyster. If however you lack either one of those. Don't fret. You too can have award winning status updates. It just means you have to work a bit harder.
What do you think...are status updates the greatest thing since AIM or a thorn in your side?
3 comments:
Back in the old days, some people would run home after school and play outside or pick up the phone to call a friend because the Internet didn't exist. Imagine the hardships friends had to go through to communicate back then...
I often wonder if status updates are a way for people to indulge in some type of celebrity want-to-be behavior. Back in the day, we didn't need to tell everyone what we were doing and most people didn't care anyway. Status updates are fun and can be conversation starters but the world will keep spinning with or without out them.
Thanks for the perspective. I remember those days too. I agree, for some people status updates, facebook, twitter, etc is some sort of egotistical indulgence.
But for some, it's a great way to keep up with their friends on the go. Are there people that don't care? Sure. But who cares. The truth is, there are plenty of people that do care. Either way, I think these tools are what you make of them.
i've been pwnd
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