I haven’t posted a new blog lately because I’m uncomfortable blasting my thoughts of frustration to the general public. Nobody wants to hear that depressing shit, anyway. Except.. maybe they do?
I read a Modern Love essay today about a woman Googling her ex and finding a gold mine of information via his personal blog. She hadn’t seen the guy in 20 years yet in a matter of a few seconds she had access to his daily frustrations, his dreams and even the details of his married life. After spending hours wrapped up in this ex’s life, the writer then realizes two things: first, that people post way too much private information on the internet and second, that she felt oddly and uncomfortably connected to the online version of her ex - “an intimacy that was unearned,” she explains.
I agree. And so, I’m not sure what the future of this blog is. It’s not that I worry that any of my exes will Google me and spend hours reading about my personal life - I’m sure they have neither the time or interest. It’s just unclear to me whether the internet is good for our personal relationships. “An intimacy that was unearned” is about as lucid of an explanation as I can think of for why we should spend less time wiggling our fingers in front of the computer.
It’s time to get old old fashioned.
Aug 7, 2011