I just want to be "Facebook Friends"

You may not have the guts to talk to the girl you fancy at the office, the guy you met last week at a mixer or any number of acquaintance you collected. However you're connected with them through social media, is this connection valuable? The same social anxiety that kept us from calling these people in the past, keeps us from making use of new social technology now. In the world of social media we are constantly reminded of their existence and in turn, missed connection.


It seems that the discussion over facebook, its ubiquitousness and how it -- and other social networks -- have changed the social structure of a generation. Stephen Marce of the Atlantic asks the question “is facebook making us lonely?” The query goes against the primary focus of  social networks in general, which is connecting individuals . By connecting people, the dream is that we will never need to be lonesome again because a “friend / follower” is only keystrokes away. Human interaction is supposed to be the simplest thing in the world. 

We have access to a growing database of things people like, want, consume and create. It's unclear whether this information is simply creating a false hope or longing for meaningful relationships, rather than creating or maintaining them.  

Modern society has acquired a powerful form of communication. One that releases troves of information in an attempt to get to know each other more efficiently. Its use is easily misunderstood and etiquette is fragmented by definition. 

Social networks have put the power of mass communication into the hands of individuals that may not know how to wield its power. Many use language and behaviours that should be used for personal interactions rather than mass messaging such as the facebook news feed or twitter. It is as though the average social networker is behind a one way curtain shouting at an audience they can not see but who can view them ever so clearly.

This sense of disillusionment about the audience that individuals are talking too may make them feel as though their words bear little meaning. Lost in a sea of other blurbs, hyperlinks and shouts. For those who attempting to connect in meaningful ways are doings so with other users that consume more than they connect. 

There is a new culture of communication that has emerged which has changed the entire business of getting to know people. This especially rings true in the most delicate social structures of our extravehicular relationships. These volatile, yet potentially valuable connections with those outside of our immediate circle of confidants have become the most difficult to manage. There is a strange etiquette that varies between every individual that is essentially undefinable and increasingly harder to read. 

One facet that has become nearly obsolete, in the world of contact information swapping, is the phone number. Now it’s the full name, or whatever their handle is on facebook. This is the most casual form of communication. Yet the Facebook connection is much more revealing yet lacks directness. 

Numerous times the facebook friend request to a newly met interest has come in less than three minutes of introduction. This hyper active form of communication does create interesting dynamics. I meet host of new people or connect with acquaintances nearly everyday. I find that I am much more likely to talk  with them in greater length the next time I see them if I have some sort social media connection with them. Especially if an online correspondence has been established. 

Because let’s face it folks, it’s hard to connect with someone you barely know on such a personal level as a phone call or a text message. It’s much easier, albeit less personal to comment on facebook, twitter, instagram or some other social network. 

Yet these new relationships we collect may be leaving us with more longing, than with a group of people we can expect to share actual time with. The problem is not necessarily with the social networks but with the fumbling in the dark of its use that is creating social problems rather than creating better relationships.

KONY 2012, Cool Dads, pissed Ugandans, nervous breakdowns and want to be revolutionaries

If you have not seen, or at least heard of, KONY 2012 yet there is a very good chance that you have no accesses to the internet whatsoever. Kinda like a lot of people in Uganda ... 

After a screening of the, now wildly famous, KONY 2012 video a group of Ugandans, some victims of the Lords Republic Army  apparently got pretty damn angry. Many seemed to misunderstand the message or feel that this was the white man thinking he can come to Africa and solve their problems. Not really to surprising. That is what KONY 2012 was all about. 

Let's face it the video was not targeted to the people that it is trying to help. It's targeted to young, impressionable high school and collage students who want to make a difference somehow but have no clue how to do that, or really what that means. Young impressionable youths who really want to make a difference in the world already are on the road to doing so. In my time I have met a few of them. In fact one of my good friends went to Uganda in 2004. 

In much of my circle of friends, and colleges many of which are journalists, media critics, skeptics of society, nervy college kids and yes some impressionable youths that want to make a difference but don't know how feel the video has created a lot of stir. One thing that I have noticed is that a lot of people I know have not even watch the whole  film yet. 

I happend across it one night when I felt like drinking a beer, smoking some cigarettes and watching something on the internet. I took in the whole thing, it was pretty enchanting. This slick looking dude talking about revolution, his kid, his Ugandan friend as a teenager crying over the death of his brother and his call to action was really quite skillful. I really have no interest in starting a revolution but I thought it was a well made video even tough it left a lot of questions and really seemed over dramatic and did not explain much. 

I was especially not to fond of this cool dad, Jason Russel  talking like some want to be revolutionary. I understood what he was trying to do and what his cause was about but I still was not really sure what I was getting my self into when I hit the Like button on YouTube (for me it triggers a tweet and a Facebook status update saying that I liked that video). I knew that the film was going to blow up and fast. The fact that it asked viewers to pester taskmasters to repost it was quit simply a genus plan.

Turns out he had a nervous breakdown and was caught masturbating in the streets of San Diego. I at first thought this was a bunch of BS until I looked it up myself. He apparently is an evangelical christen which I can't say that I am happy about but makes a lot of sense and may or may not be  relavent. 

There has been quite a backlash against Russel and his NGO Invisible Children. Some fair, some not. Either way I feel this criticism is good. This film and the campaign behind it can be a good model for activist groups and seems to be attempting to do the right thing. 

As a media critic my self I can completely understand much of the backlash. The video was extremely vague in its explanation of what is going on in Uganda right now. Where the front lines are, what is being done on the ground and such. One major criticism is that Kony is not even in Uganda anymore. I can understand that because, after watching the video I figured he was still running rampant thought the streets. 

They also made it out to seem that little has been done to catch Kony, that was the message of the film. "Lets get together so that everyone knows that Kony is still out there and bring him down." Is the general mantra of the production. Oh yeah buy this T-Shirt and wrist band so your friends will ask questions about your cool new T-shirt and wristband. Oh and since you think your some sort of radical we are all going out on April 1st to "bomb the streets" with our posters like revolutionary street artists. The whole idea of this kinda just pisses me off, it's way too cool for it's own good. 

What did they do right? they brought this guy out ...

Invisible Children CEO Ben Keesy seems to be the adult in the room. Answering the questions that everyone is asking and attempting as he says"To be as transparent as possible." This is deferentially the best thing that he can do for his organization right now. IC has created a lot of buzz in a very short period of time. It may have gone a little rye with Russel's break down but they may be able to pull themselves back up if they play the game correctly. They seem to be responding to the criticism the best way they can. They have (what seems like) a real adult talking to other adults about some very interesting issues. 

I want to say that I am all for KONY being banished from the face of the earth. I'm not  real fan of people getting their arms chopped off or anything. I am happy that this video has made people so aware of the issue. I like that people are asking complex questions and trying to figure out what all this means. 

When something like this blows up like this it is important to understand what is really going on behind it. It's easy to take it at face value. If you really want to #StopKKONY  help others in need, I suggest you do your research, find a way to get involved, find the right NGO to get behind (weather it's IC or not is up to you) and do it. 

I also encourage you to be like me and pick it apart and stare at it, talk about it, and figure out the mechanics behind it. 

Or if you don't give a damn about it that's cool too. I don't know why you read all this tough, you should be watching Family Guy or something.