Saturday, January 30, 2010

Solitary Confinement

Isolation is an interesting thing. Unless Robert or the dog happens to wander in, no one sees me as I sit here communing with hundreds of people online. I don’t feel isolated because the Internet is so public and immediate, to the point where reading conversations without commenting feels like hiding.

Being someplace where there are lots of people who can actually see me doesn’t compare with online exposure-- mainly because in real life, no one either cares or notices. Ironic that where there are people I’m innocuous yet when I type in solitude, my words are both public and permanent.

Please don’t say “Big deal!”! Sure, it’s obvious, but it’s more interesting than that. Think about it this way, you adorable cynic: it’s not our physical presence that matters. It’s what we have to say.

A body in a crowd goes unnoticed unless there’s something noteworthy about what it’s doing or wearing. A presence online is significant vis a vis the statements it makes. This means one thing: words matter.

Our world overflows with banality, so I find that enormously comforting. Meaning stands out more than an exceptionally ugly outfit. The outfit might be good for a single wisecrack to your companion, but an apt post gets passed on to a multitude. Think about that the next time you forward a link to someone.

No comments: