unpacking
I had an odd thought recently; how people my age often rely on their parents and other older relatives to not be net-savvey. What would happen if that crazy aunt of yours [1] started commenting in your LJ?
Teens today: how do they feel about their parents being internet savvey? I expect they have much less of the luxury of assumed anonymity. And it works both ways- how many teens have googled their families? Old usenet posts? Growing up with google is an odd thing. Imagine finding your 50-year-old uncle's angst-ridden poetry from when he was a teenager... (I mean, that's always happened, especially in close families or in smaller towns when everyone was in everyone else's business... but the potential seems much greater now). Weirdness.
At the same time, what about the relatives you get along with, but you're just not friends? The internet is a great leveler; after all. What about relatives who would probably be interested in your life to the extent you shared it with them; but there's this barrier. Partly due to the age difference; partly family dynamics, partly any number of other things.
On the positive side, I wonder how many people became better friends with family members via the internet. It's so great at joining people who are looking for friends/relationships/whatever. I wonder if it could make families have better connections too. Or it could be intensely awkward.
I'm also thinking about the families where there are fewer of the standard barriers; parents socializing with their kids at parties, talking about anything they'd talk about with friends... How that feels... inspiring, yet odd to me. I've got this strong default-assumption that people will want their privacy; it makes me less open than I might otherwise be. How do these families negotiate what feels appropriate or inappropriate to talk about? I suppose the same way any friends do..
Anyway, a few thoughts on this lazy Saturday afternoon. Whoop, evening.
[1] because everyone has a crazy aunt. Or uncle. Ask melted_snowball about the story; it's a really good one. :)
Also: unpacking: I found an unlabeled DVD in my bags from NYC and it took me a few minutes to realize it was made by my uncle Leon; it's an hour of my grandmother and her three elder sisters talking with each other about the old days. It's a real treasure, and I'm very happy he transferred the interview from video. (and it's really fun to watch my grandmother interact with her sisters as siblings; they bickered like teenagers, even though they were all well over 85 years old. :)
Teens today: how do they feel about their parents being internet savvey? I expect they have much less of the luxury of assumed anonymity. And it works both ways- how many teens have googled their families? Old usenet posts? Growing up with google is an odd thing. Imagine finding your 50-year-old uncle's angst-ridden poetry from when he was a teenager... (I mean, that's always happened, especially in close families or in smaller towns when everyone was in everyone else's business... but the potential seems much greater now). Weirdness.
At the same time, what about the relatives you get along with, but you're just not friends? The internet is a great leveler; after all. What about relatives who would probably be interested in your life to the extent you shared it with them; but there's this barrier. Partly due to the age difference; partly family dynamics, partly any number of other things.
On the positive side, I wonder how many people became better friends with family members via the internet. It's so great at joining people who are looking for friends/relationships/whatever. I wonder if it could make families have better connections too. Or it could be intensely awkward.
I'm also thinking about the families where there are fewer of the standard barriers; parents socializing with their kids at parties, talking about anything they'd talk about with friends... How that feels... inspiring, yet odd to me. I've got this strong default-assumption that people will want their privacy; it makes me less open than I might otherwise be. How do these families negotiate what feels appropriate or inappropriate to talk about? I suppose the same way any friends do..
Anyway, a few thoughts on this lazy Saturday afternoon. Whoop, evening.
[1] because everyone has a crazy aunt. Or uncle. Ask melted_snowball about the story; it's a really good one. :)
Also: unpacking: I found an unlabeled DVD in my bags from NYC and it took me a few minutes to realize it was made by my uncle Leon; it's an hour of my grandmother and her three elder sisters talking with each other about the old days. It's a real treasure, and I'm very happy he transferred the interview from video. (and it's really fun to watch my grandmother interact with her sisters as siblings; they bickered like teenagers, even though they were all well over 85 years old. :)