I've received flack from some of my 30-something friends who think MySpace is a networking site for those 20-somethings who believe people give a crap about their boring entry level jobs or frat party lifestyles. I disagree. My profile is set to private and I only accept people I actually know to be my "Friends." Secondly, I think it's fun to have a place to be completely narcissistic with 150 of your "Friends." Everyone wants to be famous, after all - even if it's just within a small circle. Lastly, because I've lived in 3 different states and attended 6 different schools, it's a good way to stay up-to-date with those you would have otherwise lost touch.
I will usually go into one of my friends profiles when I see they have posted a new picture. This signals that there has been some activity -- perhaps they added another friend with whom I'm also acquainted, maybe there are pictures of their children, their trip to New York, or....
Perhaps they are getting a divorce.
My first love is among my MySpace friends. We dated for over a year in high school, broke up for about two years, then dated again for about 4 months in college. He was the perfect first boyfriend, but it was clear being "high school sweethearts" was not in the cards. I went to college, he tried college but dropped out. I moved to California, he went into the Navy. He is living 30 minutes from where we went to high school, I'm never going to live there again.
I was VERY excited to find Q on MySpace 6 months ago; we hadn't spoken in 7 years. Seeing his face was a flush of excitement and brought back some great memories of times we shared. Q's profile picture was of he and his wife looking very happy at a Kansas City Chiefs game. He'd also posted pictures of his son, who's name is Q Jr. (Q was always very proud of his name. Even in high school he told me he wanted to name a son after himself.) Of course, number one in his Top 8 is his wife. So, I checked her out too. She seemed pretty cool too, almost like someone I'd like to hang out with. I was glad to see them happy.
Today I log in and see that Q's picture has changed, so I take a gander. Was there anything NEW? Well, there were NO more pictures of he and his wife. His wife seems no longer to be in his Top 8.
Every day I hear MySpace drama from college students. "OMG! He changed his status to 'In a Relationship', I'm so heartbroken." OR "OMG! The guy I'm dating just changed his 'orientation' to 'NOT SURE.' What does that mean?" (Yes, that actually happened.)
Unfortunately these simple profile changes become much more serious in your late 20's and beyond. What was once a little drama in your 20's now involves other people- including children. I think it's important when using MySpace, a dating website, or even a BLOG to remember that you are exposing yourself... you might even be exposing something that is "None of their business." If you're going to put your life out there - be prepared to expose yourself completely.
Again, not everything is as it seems. (God knows, I've recently been misunderstood by being online.) I hope this is true for Q and his wife, and especially Q Jr. I'm thinking positive thoughts for them.
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