I believe most people in the western world – or at least those I’ve come to know – are so self-absorbed that they don’t really know how to be a friend or be empathetic in the truest sense of the word. Through life it’s seemed that I’ve always been the giver of emotions and care, but ever so rarely on the receiving end. I think this day of Facebook and Twittering personifies the general personality of today. It started with the MySpace mentality, which actually was such a success, I think, because it brought technology to the then-current intimacy level of society, rather than requiring people to adapt and assimilate a new mindset via technology. It was, and still is, a tool for spreading a social disease in which people befriend other people to build a faux network of friends that will go as deep as posting a thumbs up on your latest major accomplishment. Maybe it’s just me, but if someone I care about does something, or goes through something that’s fairly important to him or her, I’m going to have more energy to express interest, compassion and/or empathy than the energy it takes to click the ‘like’ button.
But that’s me. Surely there must be more ‘mes’ out there.
Naturally, I am ‘on’ facebook, and I can be followed on Twitter, but it’s unlikely I’ll post anything that is important enough to me to be diminished by asking for a ‘like’.