Are we Faceless without Facebook?
“Well, it’s about time! I was wondering how long you were going to be able to stand having no identity of your own.” ~ The First Comment on my New Facebook Account. ~Really, you think of me as a person without an identity, I thought? Does having your own Facebook account give one an identity? Is social networking what is required so that one can feel identified? Who were we all before Facebook?
Recently, I opened my own Facebook account. Previously, I had an account for this web site, and Kate has a personal account, with both of us pictured, that we both wrote on. I felt very connected. I decided to open the new account to facilitate communication with the contributors to these pages, as they are all on Facebook.
I was shocked to think that anyone, especially someone who knew me, would think of me as lacking an identity. Are social networks about communicating or are they about creating an identity? Must we tweet, my space, and join how many of the other hundreds of networks before we can feel safely identified. I just do not know. Is it all about validation? Do we not exist unless we are validated by others? What is the magic number, how many friends must we have before we count as real people – at the moment I have thirty-five. Are thirty-five friends enough for us to be a person? It must all matter, as one of the complaints about the old site was the lack of a Facebook connection, you can see that we are correcting that – I suppose hoping to improve our identity.
Last year, when my Mother was with me, in Florida, I signed her up for Facebook, mostly so she could share her grandchildren’s pictures. While here, most mornings, she would sit at the dinning room table, with her coffee, and check in on her Facebook friends. Her brother, my Uncle Gary, also joined Facebook, as did my Aunts Beverly and Roxanne, all who added her as friends, and now my Aunt Allie. Suddenly, her children, (well except me) grandchildren, everyone’s’ spouses, nieces and nephews, and family friends, were now in contact with my Mother, and allowing her to sit and look at their photographs, as she followed their lives. Facebook made her happy. Her being happy made me happy. But, was her identity somehow changed because she was suddenly on Facebook?
Having spent a lot of time with senior’s I know that embracing new technology is always empowering – I must say, still a few years shy of an AARP card, embracing new technology has been pretty empowering for me. Learning and expanding our field of knowledge and experience does enrich our lives, and I was very proud of myself when I first posted the photograph above, to my Mother’s Facebook page. However, I reject the notion that the use of technology alters anyone’s identity or much less provides us with an identity. I am not the sum total of my toys, or as Kate would say my tools.
I would not cease to exist if I suddenly lost access to my computer. I will admit that as we prepared to launch this site, and my computer access was altered, I did find it a bit of a challenge – technology is a part of our life, and being connected to the world, is one of the pleasures of my life; but it is not my life or my identity. I cannot accept such a limited definition of my existence.
I am many things, most of which do not easily fit in with a line of check mark craving boxes. For example, in attempting to fill in my Facebook profile, I tried to write fiscally conservative, but was not allowed to. After some frustration, I settled for Republican; but as I recently told the Party, at the moment, I am not all that pleased. For example, what was the Republican Party response to the way the President of the United States treated the Prime Minister of Israel? I did find the following video: http://politifi.com/news/The-House-Republican-Study-Committee-Issues-Response-To-Obama-And-His-Treatment-Of-Our-Ally-Israel-338708.html while worth a look, it is not enough.
I have been enjoying my new Facebook account, because it helps me to feel closer and more connected to the people I love. However, during the last few days I have not had a sudden epiphany, providing me with a clearer view of who I am. Personally, I think we are all much more complex than a list of likes and statistics; and I think that is a good thing. That is all for now.
