I find it amusing, personally, that I'm moved to post this on a forum I rarely if ever interact with anymore, frequented mostly by people I don't know. A bit of irony, no?
Just a comment that I find that online, people often have a tendency to treat others as either a souce of amusement or a resource to be called upon. I can't begin to say how many times I've had someone I used to talk to quite regularly pop up after a long silence and simply attempt to pick up a months-aged or even years-aged conversation as if it were just yesterday.
I personally find this perplexing and mildly insulting, though it's not important enough to me to get me unduly agitated. The basic attitude this seems to revolve around is that people you interact with online only exist for you when the mood strikes, or perhaps when they can do something for you. The fact that anyone who routinely behaved this way with people they see face to face regularly (and certainly don't mistake me, there are a lot of those folks too) would generally be seen as callow and disingenuous by anyone with a modicum of self respect.
But this is somehow acceptable when it takes place through another medium. I suppose this is because computers, after all, have off switches when not in use, and so should the people at the other end, no? Computers exist, after all, as electronic servants, so why shouldn't the people at the other end, at one's beck and call when one has time, then easily shelved when not needed.
Please don't misunderstand here, people grow apart, and stop interacting for a variety of reasons, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. I just have a hard time with people who identify themselves as friends of mine in this context. At best, they qualify as acquantances, and I've never felt much of a need to cultivate those.
At any rate, enough rambling. This is likely my sole post for the year, and I'm farily certain the only one I've ever made in General. Carry on, Forumites.
😉
Jason
Just a comment that I find that online, people often have a tendency to treat others as either a souce of amusement or a resource to be called upon. I can't begin to say how many times I've had someone I used to talk to quite regularly pop up after a long silence and simply attempt to pick up a months-aged or even years-aged conversation as if it were just yesterday.
I personally find this perplexing and mildly insulting, though it's not important enough to me to get me unduly agitated. The basic attitude this seems to revolve around is that people you interact with online only exist for you when the mood strikes, or perhaps when they can do something for you. The fact that anyone who routinely behaved this way with people they see face to face regularly (and certainly don't mistake me, there are a lot of those folks too) would generally be seen as callow and disingenuous by anyone with a modicum of self respect.
But this is somehow acceptable when it takes place through another medium. I suppose this is because computers, after all, have off switches when not in use, and so should the people at the other end, no? Computers exist, after all, as electronic servants, so why shouldn't the people at the other end, at one's beck and call when one has time, then easily shelved when not needed.
Please don't misunderstand here, people grow apart, and stop interacting for a variety of reasons, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. I just have a hard time with people who identify themselves as friends of mine in this context. At best, they qualify as acquantances, and I've never felt much of a need to cultivate those.
At any rate, enough rambling. This is likely my sole post for the year, and I'm farily certain the only one I've ever made in General. Carry on, Forumites.
😉
Jason
