to be known

More than 750 millions regular users? Are you serious Facebook? What makes you so special? Why am I chronically checking it throughout the day? Why do we spend so much time and effort adding photos, posting, commenting, "liking" and everything else there is to do on this phenomenon?

Most likely, when future generations study our current culture Facebook will be a highlight of our age. When you think about it, it doesn't really make sense...or does it? Facebook creates an empty box...and the masses flock to spend hours populating it with content and updating it day after day creating one of the biggest pipelines for all things information. The concept is sometimes referred to as HTML 2.0. HTML 2.0 websites are frameworks created by web developers and users create and insert the content.

Somehow, Facebook has figured out how to get 23 hours a year from the average person for free...yes that's you. So what is driving this anomaly? I once read that society has created its culture around two things for generations and generations. 1. The desire to belong and 2. The desire to be significant. The simple fact is, Facebook hits these two things with chilling accuracy. Facebook ultimately is, an online tool for us to accomplish these two things.

Think about it, we use Facebook to publish our "stories" our lives to the masses. We send friend requests and create our "group." The acceptance of a friend request is someone saying "yes, I know you and you are part of my group." Then, we post photos and daily updates and other people "like" them and comment on them. Essentially telling us that "hey, I read that and I like it, I think your story is significant."

This concept taps into this deep desire we all have to be known. We want to scream to the world that we're different and unique. We try all the safe methods, dozens of unique shoes and clothes. The music we associate with. The way we talk. The blogs we write ;) We search high and low to find a safe way to be different...all the while staying safely within the box we call culture. Media screams at us to be "expressive"...so long as it falls within the guidelines of what is cool.

The burdens of what is acceptable and "hip" get heavier and heavier the older I get. Something inside me screams to leap into the unknown and discover who I really am and live it. I recently went to a music concert and lets just say I got really into the beats. In result I had people ask me if they could get some of my Ecstasy...I guess that's what I look like when my inhibitions are gone. I hate how society will box us up into pre-determined "people" based on how we express ourselves. When we see someone openly expressing what they feel we often attribute it to some drastic circumstance or drug.

Maybe someday I will gain the courage to say the true words on my heart and maybe someday I will learn how to tell the real story of my life...until then I'll attempt to reveal snippets in discreet corners and at dark concerts.