Face to Facebook

I'm under increasing pressure to join Facebook, if only to keep up with the times. Part of me dreads being that connected to people. Another part is afraid that I'll get on there and nobody will even notice or care. It's a strange dichotomy of emotion. We, as a culture, seem to thrive on attention. Our egos need to be fed with the positive regard of others. I see nothing wrong with this, in and of itself. However, some of us are also deeply private people who don't necessary want to share our everyday lives with a broad swath of the public (note the irony of my posting this sentiment on a blog). The tug-of-war between the need for social popularity and the fear of public disdain is a long standing struggle. Granted, most peoples' opinions of me are not a matter that I place a great deal of importance on these days. I'm long past my "insecure adolescent" phase and I'm happy to tell any critics to piss off and have a nice day. Still, sometimes if feels like the horror I endured in middle and high school (and it was horrible, believe me) is still lurking out there, barely restrained by a thin veneer of maturity and civility. When we open ourselves up to the scrutiny of others, we risk breaking through that most feeble of shields and being subjected to ridicule and humiliation. But I've come to realize that the rewards are worth the risk. Life without risk is empty and droll, after all. So, you can pretty much count on my joining the Collective fairly soon. After all, resistance if futile.