Oldy Mc Oldsold

Apr 15, 2010 16:53

I've been wondering about something I've noticed in regards to LJ: when users leave school and essentially begin their adult lives, their posts gradually seem to receive fewer comments and become somewhat less interesting to others. This is likely because the vast majority of LJ's user base stagnantly remains young, as users begin keeping a journal ( Read more... )

internet, my feelings let me show you them

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shann April 16 2010, 00:51:37 UTC
Same... still have one year left of college (though I plan on probably going to grad school, I don't think I'll do it right afterward), I'm not completely financially independent from my family, and I don't think Sarah and I will be able to consistently live by ourselves for a little while longer. We are right now, but only because we are waiting on friends to move in with us, and it'll be a tremendous financial relief when that occurs. I can, however, see roommate conflict on the horizon as a result. It may be a few more years until I reach that point where I can finally say "I'm a full-fledged adult!"... but it is within my sights. Not something I could have said last year, even.

I'm worried, really, that the slim pickings of friends I have left on LJ that actually communicate with me on a more-than-rare basis will eventually up and leave... I'll have people left, sure, but they'll all be teenagers that I'll have nothing in common with. Already all of my rl friends left LJ for MySpace years ago and then migrated from there over to FB... at one time, LJ was how I kept in touch with everyone. I do see where the stigma of LJ being a place for immature nerds, kids, and general "weirdos" could combine with laziness associated with keeping an online journal active (and reading the long entries of others) and make the average joe move away from it after middle or high school. It is a shame though... I feel more connected to someone who shares more than a sentence-long update on their activities, actually baring their deepest fears, possibly controversial opinions, and excitement over things one would normally hide or be ashamed of. That, and reading generally more detailed updates on their lives than "omg just got out of the movies, blah was sooo good"... idk, WHY was it good, can I see a couple paragraphs plz??

Rambling now, lol.

But yeah, the "boring" thing... maybe you're not worring about finishing that English paper in two hours, or talking about your new crush, or bitching about your terrible parents/siblings or how ~kawaii~ your otp is, but talking about your fun day out with your s/o on your one day off work, all the errands you have to run, that upcoming promotion, your adventures in buying a new sofa set, or even how your child ate a whole roll of TP... the young'uns may not be able to relate, but... that wouldn't be boring to me!

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darkangel_wings April 16 2010, 05:35:20 UTC
I'm thinking about grad school. I want to do it, but the potential cost and eventual debt leaves me a little unsure. I'm not sure about financial independence or ability to live on our own. I'm hoping that comes relatively soon, but it may not. But I do agree with you as far as it being within my sights, as something I'm working towards. Which wasn't the case for me a while ago either... it's only relatively recently I've felt motivated to do so.

It seems like a good number (not all, but many) of the people I was friends with on LJ and in real life have left. Still a few people I met online that are active, though I wonder if that will change. In some cases I've made "more adult" friends, and I'm hoping they stick around, but it's hard to know.

And I completely agree - LJ is a much more personal way of knowing someone than Facebook. It can be nice to get just a little snip of what someone is doing, but it doesn't have nearly the same level of intimacy (which sounds kind of odd, but I think is what I'm going for.) LJ is more personal, as well as being more open as far as what you can talk about and what details you put in. It's more effort to keep up with people (reading entries, making entries) that way, but it's a lot deeper and more genuine too.

Haha, and I agree. The supposedly "mundane" parts of life can be just as interesting in a lot of cases. Getting to read someone's journal is like getting to see a piece of their life, and that's cool all on its own. And the events of adult life aren't necessarily boring at all.

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