Socially Awkward
I was baking a few weekends ago when I heard something. Music playing on the tv in the other room. It was slow, strange version of "Creep" and it pulled me in like the goddamn pied piper. Like a moth to the flame, I wandered out of the kitchen, frosting covered spatula in hand, and stood blankly in front of the tv. I tilted my head, like some kind of confused animal. This was a movie preview... for... a movie... about FaceBook? What?
I didn't lose interest though, instead I was drawn in more, seeing the cast, buying into their cheap movie trailer tricks where they splice together bits and pieces of scenes to make it look like the entire movie goes at a balls to the wall pace the entire time. When the commercial was over, the spell was broken and I just stood there, snickering. "BRIAN! DID YOU JUST SEE THAT?" I yelled, thinking he had the same channel on in the bedroom. "WHHAAAT?" "THAT MOVIE! THEY'RE MAKING A FACEBOOK MOVIE!" "WHAAAT?" "Never mind."
I laughed about it and stated that I couldn't believe they were making a movie... about facebook. But part of me was completely captivated with the story.
I mean... come on. I'm a 90s kid. We grew up with the internet. Well, let me rephrase that. We grew up along side the internet. Think about what social networking meant to us. When I was young, we went to the library and used green screen internet. We knew html and could do anything. We created a world for ourselves using nothing but a keyboard. We'd punch out all the codes and lines and read it back to ourselves like we were gazing into the matrix itself.
We used the internet before there were even graphics lol.
Then the age of AOL arrived. You'd login and after 3 minutes of squealing and buzzing and hissing from the modem, you'd be greeted with your home screen. You'd hear "YOU GOT MAIL!" and click the little mailbox eagerly. Then you waited and waited and waited. About 5 minutes later, you'd have your email.
Some how we'd find people to talk to on this world wide web. We connected all over the world. I felt so interesting, having friends in places like India and Europe.
I remember makeoutclub.com, onlyundies.com, friendster.com
We had a place. A place we could post our little chunks of vanity for the world to see. I moved to Texas in 2002 and was able to meet people with common interests and make friends because of the internet.
Everyone wanted to be a part of something. Lots of websites popped up. Something had to stick eventually.
Friendster... it seemed so cool. Everyone had one. But then myspace came along. I resisted moving my profile to myspace. Eventually the allure got me. It was so much more customizable and isn't that, really, what we all wanted? Some thing to show people who we don't know who we are and show the people we do know how much cooler we could look when we used the internet lol.
I remember facebook being talked about, but it was a college thing. I didn't go to college. So I didn't care. In 2006, some people said I needed to get a facebook. I got one, I hated it. I deleted it.
I recently went back. As much as I wanted to hate the facebook... it really is a great way to keep in touch with people. All these people I've met on all these crazy sites over the years... they're ALL there. Even the boy from India on AOL back in 1999... they're all there. We can talk, share photos, links and videos... and as much as I wanted to just hate it... I kind of love it.
And as much as I wanted to hate this movie, it's got all the things I love. A genius writer, a brilliant director, a stellar cast... sex, drugs, violence. I mean... it's hard to see the previews and say "That's going to be a terrible movie."
Bravo if anyone is still reading this completely pointless rant about the internet btw.
The point is, I'm going to go see this movie tonight and it better not suck or I'm going to fight someone.
I didn't lose interest though, instead I was drawn in more, seeing the cast, buying into their cheap movie trailer tricks where they splice together bits and pieces of scenes to make it look like the entire movie goes at a balls to the wall pace the entire time. When the commercial was over, the spell was broken and I just stood there, snickering. "BRIAN! DID YOU JUST SEE THAT?" I yelled, thinking he had the same channel on in the bedroom. "WHHAAAT?" "THAT MOVIE! THEY'RE MAKING A FACEBOOK MOVIE!" "WHAAAT?" "Never mind."
I laughed about it and stated that I couldn't believe they were making a movie... about facebook. But part of me was completely captivated with the story.
I mean... come on. I'm a 90s kid. We grew up with the internet. Well, let me rephrase that. We grew up along side the internet. Think about what social networking meant to us. When I was young, we went to the library and used green screen internet. We knew html and could do anything. We created a world for ourselves using nothing but a keyboard. We'd punch out all the codes and lines and read it back to ourselves like we were gazing into the matrix itself.
We used the internet before there were even graphics lol.
Then the age of AOL arrived. You'd login and after 3 minutes of squealing and buzzing and hissing from the modem, you'd be greeted with your home screen. You'd hear "YOU GOT MAIL!" and click the little mailbox eagerly. Then you waited and waited and waited. About 5 minutes later, you'd have your email.
Some how we'd find people to talk to on this world wide web. We connected all over the world. I felt so interesting, having friends in places like India and Europe.
I remember makeoutclub.com, onlyundies.com, friendster.com
We had a place. A place we could post our little chunks of vanity for the world to see. I moved to Texas in 2002 and was able to meet people with common interests and make friends because of the internet.
Everyone wanted to be a part of something. Lots of websites popped up. Something had to stick eventually.
Friendster... it seemed so cool. Everyone had one. But then myspace came along. I resisted moving my profile to myspace. Eventually the allure got me. It was so much more customizable and isn't that, really, what we all wanted? Some thing to show people who we don't know who we are and show the people we do know how much cooler we could look when we used the internet lol.
I remember facebook being talked about, but it was a college thing. I didn't go to college. So I didn't care. In 2006, some people said I needed to get a facebook. I got one, I hated it. I deleted it.
I recently went back. As much as I wanted to hate the facebook... it really is a great way to keep in touch with people. All these people I've met on all these crazy sites over the years... they're ALL there. Even the boy from India on AOL back in 1999... they're all there. We can talk, share photos, links and videos... and as much as I wanted to just hate it... I kind of love it.
And as much as I wanted to hate this movie, it's got all the things I love. A genius writer, a brilliant director, a stellar cast... sex, drugs, violence. I mean... it's hard to see the previews and say "That's going to be a terrible movie."
Bravo if anyone is still reading this completely pointless rant about the internet btw.
The point is, I'm going to go see this movie tonight and it better not suck or I'm going to fight someone.