My Real Life

June 24, 2012

Facebook – Collective Memory

Filed under: Uncategorized — Amy @ 6:00 am
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So, I was on Facebook the other night (the other morning, the other afternoon, the other 3 hours a day I spend there) and I came across a picture posted by someone I am not Facebook friends with, but that tagged my friend, Shane.

It was a Little League picture from our childhood, (1984 National All-Star Team) and I smiled, looking at all the faces and remembering all the boys, now men, on the team.

What struck me most, though, were the comments.

The guys on the team started commenting about how many games they had won, who they defeated, who defeated them, certain players on other teams, from other towns, remember who kids were on the team, etc.

Each man had a different piece of the puzzle, and from reading all of the comments, you got a true feeling for the whole season.

I know that there are pits and traps with Facebook.

Particularly for younger people who don’t think before they post.

However, I think that Facebook can also serve as a collective memory for us all.

If the man who had posted the picture had simply found the picture in a drawer and looked at it, he may have remembered some of the kids on the team, and some of the info, but by posting it, he now gets to remember all of it, and everyone else who was tagged also gets to remember it, as well.

That’s what I love about Facebook.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the silly and the mundane stuff, as well, but this…this remembering…this sharing of lives…this collective memory…that’s what gets me.

Right. Here.

March 31, 2010

It’s a Small World, After All

Filed under: Uncategorized — Amy @ 8:07 am
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I can’t believe I’m about to tell a Facebook story, but I am.

I’m in total disbelief over this, but I think it is the coolest thing to happen to me in quite some time.

Well, except for the whole novel thing, but still…

It’s pretty darn cool!

Our story begins when I was three years old.

We were living in a small town in upstate New York, where my Dad was the minister.

My Dad was offered a pulpit in northern New Jersey, and so off we went.

We lived in that town until I was just 8 years old.

We moved a day or two after my 8th birthday.

So, I went to Kindergarten, First, and half of Second grade in that town.

I made some very good friends.

One of them was a tall girl named Adrianne.

We were very good friends and I liked her a lot.

She was quiet, but a lot of fun.

We played together in school and went to each others birthday parties and just enjoyed being kids.

Then, I moved.

Moving in second grade, it was hard to stay in touch with kids from my old town, because I was 8.  I didn’t make phone calls or anything like that.  Also, it was 1980…no internet, texting, etc.

When you moved, you moved.

Flash forward to high school.

I was at a party and met up with a guy, Scott, that had been in my K-2 classes in my old town.  We stayed “satellite friends” and bumped into each other every now and then, and had some mutual friends in my new town.

With the advent of Facebook, as adults, we became Facebook friends.

This morning, I woke up and had a friend request from Matthew, who is friends with Scott.  Matthew also went to K-2 with me in the old school.

I accepted and then went looking through his photos. 

I found a class picture from 5th grade.

I was long gone by 5th grade, but I still knew most of the kids in the picture.

And, in the picture, there was Adrianne!

So, I clicked on her name, where she was tagged below the photo and was taken to her page. 

When I looked at her profile picture, I couldn’t believe it!

Adrianne is the mother of one of Baby Monkey’s friends from school!

I’ve known her, through daycare, for about 3 years now!

I couldn’t believe it! 

They were at Baby Monkey’s first birthday party this year and I see her, almost, every day.

…and neither of us had any idea who the other was!

(Or, she knew exactly who I was and decided not to say so…I’ll pretend she didn’t know me.)

I’m just blown away by what a small world it has truly become. 

Say what you want about technology and social networking, etc…

It’s a pretty powerful tool!

(Just a reminder…please download (for free!) my novel excerpt from Amazon, read and leave a review!)

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