Okay....so Walker's info on how many Facebook users die annually was disturbing. Not so much in that they die, but that their deaths are mourned via this site. I have a Facebook account, but I've always viewed it as a rather trivial tool. I know some people use it as a major source of communication in their lives but I have never been able to see it that way. It could be that I'm old-fashioned, or simply out-of-date, but for me communication and relationships are far deeper than what Facebook can provide. If I want to strengthen a relationship I will call and arrange a time to meet up with that friend, or if that's not possible, I will call and talk to them directly. Or I'll write them an email. It's digital, yes, but it's also private, and that's important to me. I certainly wouldn't want people mourning my death via Facebook. To me, that just seems to cheapen the experience of death.
Which brings up a point I have wrestled with a bit as a person and as an amateur writer: Does the internet and digital media cheapen the written word? A part of me says yes, because it is so easy for amateurs (such as myself) to flood the market. One has to wade through crap to get to the talent. On the other hand, people who have talent but were unable to be published before can get their work out fairly easily and inexpensively now. It's a question that perhaps has no black or white answer and like many things in life, can be debated until the debaters grow blue in the face and tired of the subject altogether.
For my part, I'm grateful and frustrated by the internet. It brings information on a scale that I'm fairly sure the world has never seen. It helps those in impoverished countries to get ahead and it enriches all of our lives. Of course, it also has the potential to cheapen our lives as well. And I suppose that brings us back to personal choice. We have a great tool in the internet and digital media. It's up to us to figure out how we are going to use that tool. For better or for worse, it's up to us.
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