FYI: Digitized Narcissism

[Portia]

I heard the phrase this morning and it currently has only 2 Google results. Hot! Here's one: http://www.sltrib.com/ci_6213810?source=rss

The increasing popularity of YouTube and such sites as MySpace, Facebook and Bebo evidence societal obsession with self-broadcasting in which the Internet as the mirror for projecting personal images and views.

[teartracks]

Portia,

Very interesting.  From what I'm seeing in cyberspace, the observation is right on.

tt

[SilverLining]

It's an interesting point of view.  I suspect the blogging may taper off when 99% of the writers figure out no one is reading their stuff.  I watched the evolution of one blog by a rather N-ish acquaintance of mine.  He started out with daily updates, but after about a year with no almost no responses he eventually lost interest. 



 

[Portia]

TT and Tjr
It's interesting alright. One helpful aspect is that there is so much stuff out here now, that I see it as being safety in numbers. I was reticent at first about 'talking' here but with the explosion since then of personal web spaces, well, who's going to shoot one fish in a school of millions? In a way it increases anonymity.

Not sure some web talkers need responses as such (being radios on transmit only). But I guess if they look at their web stats and see nobody is visiting, that might cause them to stop? Sam the Man is interesting: i see him doing a great service, while getting the pay-off he presumably needs, which works all round.

It's amazing what people put out in cyberspace though. i was idly reading a blog of a local person (in real life, local to me) and they'd inserted a scan of their birth certificate in celebration of getting hold of it. Seems odd to me but then I'm odd too.

[Overcomer]

I am just happy you are posting.  I miss you when you are gone.

[Portia]

Oh kelly! Thank you. It's good to be missed...
(((((((((Kelly)))))))))
I'm reminded of ((((((Anansi))))))

[Hopalong]

P...
I missed you too.
Feel sad when you go away.

Hops

[Portia]

Come on Hops, I'll short-out the old notebook if this carries on.....<sniff, blow nose>...
I promise, i don't take time out specifically to cause you to feel sad. But you know that to the nth (not that nth, the other nth) degree  ((((((Hops)))))) hope you feel better than bloo soon
P

[teartracks]

Hi Portia,

Sam.  He and the people he has working for him are Master Botters.  I believe he has such a big cyber machine going now that he has sublets working for him.  Kind of a pyramid thing.  I believe he has them harvest every word that has N in it, then puts it to his narcissism rap tune.   I'm not denying that he puts out some good information, some of it, having been harvested by his sublets, directly from VESMB.  Just my opinion. 

I don't think it's all good (I mean all the stuff that is published), but no one has asked me to be in charge - YET!

tt

tt

[Portia]

Hops,
i came back for you because I had second thoughts about what I said up thar. Would it have been a bit more outward of me to ask: "Why do you feel sad when i go away?"
and wouldn't it have been a bit more mmmmm polite? probably. Sorry for not being polite.

TT, "harvested by his sublets" big smile here. I think most probably too, my opinion of course, it's good to have an opinion and not care.

"but no one has asked me to be in charge - YET!" <chuckle chuckle guffaw> <wipes spit off screen and retires for the day>
P
"I honor my personality flaws, for without them I would have no personality at all."

[Hopalong]

Aww, thanks, P.
You're pure gold.

I just missed you because when I was here at first it was a pretty dark time for me and you kept talking to me (to everybody...even when some weren't being responsive) and splattering my monitor with emoticons and being so smart and alert and good humored and never being defensive no matter what was going on and I felt so safe every time I realized you too were here.

I love people somewhat like a starving beagle loves a hunk of limburger. In the past it made me CoD, etc. Nowadays I don't fight it...I just really love my friends. And when there's a voice as special as yours has been to me, and it sort of goes away...eureka, I feel sad. (I'm sure I had an abandonment button go a little zingy too, because I didn't know why you'd left and all. But I took that for what it was, me and my buttons, nothing to really worry about.)

It's all okay. Sad is occasionally the ticket price. I'm not looking for a life with no sad. Prolly sounding a little pitiful today because of the bloooo, but it seems to have some pink around the edges. By tonight I may be fuschia!

The upside? I feel joyful about loving so many amazing people.
I'm very happy to hear you!

 

Hugs
Hops

[CB123]

Portia,

I really wanted to get back to this thread because I think it is so interesting.  I wonder if there is a relationship between the proliferation of blogs and the near blanketing of TV with reality shows?  There is very little fantasy it seems--everything from blogs to myspace to Survivor to talk shows (lots and lots of them!) seem to be about "real" people talking and talking and talking.  I have wondered what it says about our culture and the way we think these days. 

It also seems that normal and mediocre is more prized.  We don't have a lot of hero stories.  That's interesting too.  I think you can tell a lot about a culture when you know its stories.

Have you read any conclusions about what sociologists think is fueling this self-revelation?  I havent done much looking about it, but it sounds like it would make a really good paper.

CB