One thing I read often about my generation and the ones following is that there is a deep longing for connection. This is usually followed by statements about how due to the fact that young people move a lot, don't know their neighbors, don't have smaller communities they gather with (like PTA or church groups), that young people seek ways to connect with each other outside traditional ways. And, because most of these observations are written by people of older generations, there is usually some sort of judgment about how bad these attempts at connection are.
I have to say that I have come to appreciate one of these ways of connecting with people a lot. I joined Facebook to have more ways to communicate with my friend Krista who is serving as a missionary in Germany. I also loved that I could connect with other friends on Facebook--and this has allowed me to have more communication with people I had not had that kind of connection with up to that point. I even recruited my husband Joel to facebook. (And because we run in clergy and teacher circles-- it seems like a lot of clergy and teachers are on Facebook!)
When I went into labor, it was pretty incredible to be sitting in the labor and delivery room updating our facebook status to let our friends know what was happening. We could ask for prayers and let a whole bunch of folks know without making a ton of phone calls. We even were able to post pictures of Kat quick-like so that our friends near and far could see our beautiful daughter not long after her birth.
I've joked with some friends and family that Kat was born via Facebook. I cannot tell you how much I appreciated and continue to appreciate that connection with friends. While I may not see them or talk with them, there is an intimate sense of connection I've enjoyed that's hard to explain. It is amazing to me how the internet can connect people in powerful ways. While it might not be the same thing as sitting across the table from someone in a PTA meeting or a Bible Study, likely drinking bad coffee, applications like Facebook have become a real "third place" for people like me.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
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4 comments:
It was at the convergence of three different things that I got on Facebook. One was my friend, who suggested it. Second was you, Erika. And third, it was the designated "meeting" place for the Lewis Fellows cohort. I was amazed. In the first 2-3 weeks, I have connected with people from high school, my college church, my home church, family members, and more, whom I hadn't talked to in years, though I had had many good intentions. You are right -- it's not the same as sitting down across the table from someone, but it's broadened my sense of connection greatly. I am even more intentional about praying for the people in my friend list -- even if it's just when I send a plant or other silly gift. And I keep trying to think of how to use this tool or one like it in a church setting (not just for the youth group). Any ideas?
I haven't started a facebook acct, yet....it's all I can do to manage a few blogs...but I get it...my kids love facebook.
I'm totally enjoying Facebook, too: never has it been so easy to make some kind of contact with people from all these varied parts of my life! I hadn't understood the appeal of Twitter-like communications--it seemed like a little too much information. But getting a one-line update on my friends everyday is totally rad!
It certainly would change pastoral caregiving, if the congregation was all on Facebook, letting me and the world know what's up...
thanks for trying to keep me in the loop. Man oh man, do I appreciate the various ways I feel connected to those "back home." Through Skype, Facebook email and blogs, I feel like I'm down the street and not across vast oceans.
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