There are so many facets of social media interactions that are intriguing. I like to think about how these might apply in the “real” world and how before web 2.0, these ways to interact with people never existed. And, there are so, so many . . . I have just chosen a few of my favorites.
The Poke!
Wouldn’t it be great if you were walking down the street (do people do THAT anymore?) and you saw someone you didn’t really want to talk to but you still wanted them to know that you are there. And, you could just POKE them. Just walk up, not say anything because that is a bit much, but instead just a gentle POKE. It’s an “I’d like to acknowledge your presence in a way that requires as few breaths as possible.” That could be useful in everyday life.
Offline/Online:
It is completely acceptable to just suddenly go offline during most types of IM chats. Where else can you just stop a conversation . . . for whatever reason? Most of the time it is legitimate, right? Opps, I have to take something out of the oven, or it is time for a meeting and you simply log out. If you are IMing with a close friend, you might receive a follow up text asking where you went or something to that effect BUT for about 80% of the people you would be IMing with, it is totally normal to just be there one minute and not the next. Mid real conversation . . . . DONE. Just turn around, walk away . . . would that ever be ok? I think not.
Notes/Useless Info:
I have never in real life sat down with a friend or acquaintance and said, let’s try to think of 25 ways to answer these questions using song titles from just one artist. Let’s see who can do a better job. Let’s Laugh Out Loud at ourselves. Perhaps we should because that sounds like fun. Or, let’s answer 40 questions about ourselves; delivering tiny bits of personal information yet not have to say anything else. It would be impossible to get away with this in a real conversation: “What is your favorite book?” and you simple answer. Discussion over. In person, someone would ask, why? Or when did you first read it? On Facebook, rarely. People just read and soak up the information and barely ever talk about it. And, that is just the tip of the iceberg because usually those questions are about relationships, love, etc.
I could go on and on about this stuff and its real life application. Some are just too silly to even mention (playing tag online, throwing animals at people, buying virtual drinks) but before long it will be completely normal to say in all circles of people . . . “Have you talked to Marge lately?” . . . “Nope, but she just poked me.”
Tags: facebook, non-technical, social media
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Cate, This was fun to read. Thanks.
The danger with in-person poking is that you can’t protect yourself from strangers. On FB, you’re only opening yourself up to pokes from people in your network. Imagine the scenario that you mistakenly recognize an old high school friend, go poke him or her, and get your lights punched out because you poked the wrong person!
I’d start with a less controversial approach, like my recent “Hello Project.” http://singleworkingmama.com/2009/08/04/the-hello-project/
Very thought provoking post!