Jenny is... writing

Thanks to Stephanie Meyer, there have been more than a few discussions in our house recently about the relative merits of brain candy books. You know- the ones that aren’t necessarily profound or complex or even particularly well written, but are just a fun ride. My position has always been that just because a book is lacking in any real substance doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be read. In fact, ‘brain candy’ is probably not even the best metaphor, since it does inspire a certain negative connotation.

“Stop reading that garbage or you’ll rot your brain out!”

While I certainly don’t want to read anything I don’t enjoy, this is a determination I make based simply on personal taste, not out of some concern that reading said book would eat holes in my occipital cortex. No matter what you read- comic books or cosmological theories- you are still reading. Synapses are firing, cognition is engaged, information is gathered and opinions are formed. Whether you come away with the erudition that Charles Xavier represents the anthropomorphic embodiment of social justice and racial tolerance, or just end up thinking string theory is a crock of shit, you have been thinking.

With my recent foray into the world of social networking, I have been struck by a similar phenomenon in written correspondence. Criticisms of this type of interpersonal discourse abound, of course. Some people lament the final nail in the coffin of letter writing. Some disparage its intrusiveness. Some people are just annoyed by its banality. A web page whose sole purpose is to encourage every person you have ever known read about every mundane detail of your life? I understand why some might be concerned. Its narcissistic, presumptive, pointless, time consuming. We seem to have degraded from eloquently composed letters to abbreviated phone calls to a paragraph in an email to this, a single line on a web page:

Ellie is tired.

George is making soup.

Fred stubbed his toe.

But although I do acknowledge the danger of insipidness, ultimately I take the position that, like reading, talking to each other can never be a bad thing. Facebook is communication candy, true. But in the end, it’s really just another way of staying in touch with people. And let’s face it, most of us are pretty bad at staying in touch. As much as people profess nostalgia for the good ole’ days of letter writing, how many letters did any of us ever actually write? And while we’re being honest with ourselves, how often do we call people back in a timely manner, or respond to emails? Having another option for contact with friends and family really just increases the chances that we actually might. True, finding out that George is making soup is not exactly earthshaking news. But maybe I’ll ask him what kind of soup, and end up with a new recipe. Or who he is making it for, and find out he is having dinner with some mutual friends. Or why he is making it, and find out his kid has a cold. And I didn’t even know he had a kid! Ok, I admit the examples are a bit of a stretch, but you get the idea. Social networking sites certainly won’t replace a phone call or a chat over coffee when I want to really catch up with someone, but that is not their intention. With one click I can get a brief glimpse into everyone’s life- something I could never do even if I made phone calls all day long.

I am a newbie to this world, though, so I will admit that this all might just seem fun and not the least bit annoying because I haven’t been reading the same updates over and over for months.

Ellie is making soup and George is tired.

George is making soup for Ellie because she is tired.

Fred stubbed his other toe.

When I hit that status update tab, I confess I already scan down the list pretty quickly sometimes. And honestly, if this was all one used social networking sites for, they would certainly become as fervently ignored as our inboxes and voicemails often are. But it turns out that not everyone sticks to the routine conveyance of current activity when answering the ever present query “what are you doing right now?” There are a few friends on my list for whom the question is a catalyst for creativity. Their responses are often laconic little nuggets of insight or information; essentially, social aphorisms. Although I admittedly fall into the ‘Fritz stubbed his toe’ category, I greatly admire those who can communicate the essence of their mood or their day into one clever line. Being a great fan of the aphorism, this unexpected creative outlet is what really keeps me refreshing the page, as they say. (Ok, no one really says that. But they will…) It would seem that just as some people can discover the profound in even the most superficial books, some people can create the profound on even the most superficial websites. And that, truly, can never be a bad thing.

Because after all…

Words are the most powerful drugs used by mankind.

-Rudyard Kipling