Social interaction in our generation has changed with the advent of new media. Communication used to be limited to the area in which you resided until the introduction of technologies that widened the circle of interaction. Now, one can log onto something like facebook and potentially chat with people in different countries.
What online communities are you involved with? Why? How do your interactions with this community affect your life?
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1. Facebook (and somewhat myspace too): I'm sure that everyone knows what facebook is. It's a social networking site, and that is precisely why I use it. The ability to message others, comment on other's statuses (while also being able to see what others say), and the ability to share photos and other information easily to those you choose to share it with is very useful. It recreates conversations to people one on one, conversations with many different people at once, and public advertisements and announcements all on one useful website. The most important attribute that makes this one of the most convenient is that it saves people time. Before the social networking site, there was email, but that is too limited and slow in features. Then before that was the actual meetings where multiple peoples convene. But in this day and age, this is not always possible, and thus facebook allows people to converse but still save time (saves on travelling, the act of planning and meeting, etc). Overall, it has allowed me to fit more activities on my schedule and complete more tasks.
ReplyDelete2. Online Gaming: okay, so I have to admit. I have probably only experienced this maybe once or twice. But I am surrounded by people who do this all the time. I would say that the benefits of online gaming would also be the same: communication, with anyone on the world who also play the same game. Plus it recreates a world, a story, so it's pretty chill.
3. The cellphone: well . . . this is definitely one of the most useful things ever invented! Before, there was the telephone, but that was limited to the landline that it was connected to. The cellphone solves this problem with its portability. It's usefulness is: allows us to talk to anyone anywhere (with a cellphone, of course), saves time (talking to a person without having to seek them out). Compared to facebook, it is less convenient in certain respects(you have to make sure the other person is available, and you have to allot enough time to carry a whole conversation versus only saying one comment, and texting isn't as potentially fast as email) but it's portability pushes it to be much more essential to our everyday lives.
When I hear the word online community, I immediately think of MySpace or Facebook. I used to have a MySpace. I liked MySpace because of the surveys, band profiles, and the ability to customize. It was definitely fun for awhile, but then it became too filled with drama. People would post nasty comments about others in blogs or comments, and there was always a lot of spam. So I deleted MySpace and adopted Facebook.
ReplyDeleteAt first I didn't really like Facebook because I didn't understand it, but I have come to love the clean, organized look and feel. It is very easy to communicate with friends and express my opinions. I use Facebook almost daily to keep in touch with people from my hometown. I'll write on their wall just to let them know I'm still thinking about them. Sometimes I even use the Facebook chat to have a quick conversation with my friends between classes and studying.
Having a Facebook definitely helps me to stay virtually and emotionally connected to people I would have trouble staying in touch with. It seems like everyone gets on at some point, and if you leave them a message, they'll respond. Although there are many good things about Facebook, I think that at times, it makes it more difficult to have personal contact with people. It seems like they would rather hide behind a computer than meet you face to face.
Like most others, I am an advocate of the facebook and myspace era. Both facebook and myspace provide opporunities to talk with relatives or friends who I otherwise may talk to so infrequently. I think facebook is interesting also in that is not stictly between the younger generation anymore. The middle-aged and older generations are now taking advantage of facebook to get into contact with people possibly from their highschool or college age. Despite not wanting my mother or father to get a facebook, out of embarresment, it is definitely becoming much more common for people of all ages to participate in facebook.
ReplyDeleteFacebook provides quite a distraction for most and they may be part of the reason why we all do it. Beyond that, facebook allows discussion and chatting to occur between all kinds of people. As human beings, most of us yearn for companionship and rather than being at home, possibly lonely, we would rather post a comment on someone's wall letting them know that we are thinking about them.
There are various other types of online communities, such as gaming communities, that I do not actively participate in. However, I think all of these communities are for the same reason, in one way or another. People want communication and it provides the easiest way of doing so. Despite one-on-one contact being perhaps a superior way of talking to your loved ones, facebook definitely has its advantages otherwise it would not be as largely popular as it is today.
-Allison R.
I, too, am partially involved in the Facebook community. I initially started Facebook because my cousin signed me up. I only use it to have a way to contact my friends and family, and to play the silly Apps. I haven’t been affected in any large way through facebook. I’ve chatted many times, uploaded several albums of photos, PM’d a couple of people, and poked a few more. Facebook has basically given me a way to remember people, and to let off a little steam via the silly applications and quizzes and such. Besides that, Facebook hasn’t really done much to affect me because I’m not very heavily involved with it.
ReplyDeleteMany years ago I was involved with the online community of RuneScape, an MMORPG. I joined it because I was bored one summer. Through it I was able to efficiently waste months and months of my time. It did positively affect me, though – through RuneScape I was able to relate to my little brother, who was also had a character in RuneScape. We’d spend hours making plans for Castle Wars expeditions, or ruminating over how to tackle a certain quest. It gave us something that we held in common, and thus brought us closer together. I don’t play anymore, but we sometimes still talk about it, reminiscing about the good old days, and in this way it still brings us together.
I think Gmail counts as an online community. I got my first gmail account in my sophomore year of highschool. An acquaintance sent me an invite, and I joined immediagely. I soon became hooked. I was completely dependent on my gmail account. I had to go on every day, chatting for hours and hours, sending emails inbetween. I had so much school work stress and other problems that I felt I needed an outlet, and so I talked to my friends constantly for support and encouragement. Through gmail, the person who originally invited me became my best friend, and still is today. We told eachother everything! This interaction helped keep me sane through the years, and even today when I'm feeling stressed I go IM one of my friends. Feeling the instant connection of IM is wonderful!
Well, along with everyone else, I am also very much involved with Facebook. I love Facebook; it is wonderful to be able to talk to people who, quite frankly, I don't always have time to call frequently. School and life keeps you busy, and it's great to be able to just write on someone's wall asking them what's new, how life is going, etc. It's also a good way to keep in touch with family; I know pretty much all of my extended family (aunts, uncles, and yes, my grandparents as well) all have Facebooks, so it's really easy to keep the up to date with what's going on in my life, and for me to be up to date on what's going on in their lives. Facebook has made it possible for me to still be involved in the lives of the people I care about.
ReplyDeleteAnother one of my favorite online communities is My Life is Average. I don't contribute anything to it, but I love reading the silly things that people post onto the website, and I enjoy voting for which MLIA's show up on the main page for the day. It may seem silly, but I haven't definitely spent a lot of time on MLIA since a friend showed it to me a couple of weeks ago. :) Whenever I'm feeling a little down, I can go on MLIA and be sure to find something to make me smile.
Really the only online communities I’m involved in now are Facebook and MySpace. Like many of you have said, Facebook is the site I predominately use. It keeps things a little more simplified than MySpace, which I like. Both sites use the same features for the most part, as they have been copying of each other for a while now. The biggest difference is really the user interface. This is the major reason I have one, and it also because the majority of my friends have it. I’m not a very active user of this though, mostly passive. I don’t constantly post status updates or new pictures; I just enjoy seeing what everyone else has to say about how things are going and such. If someone makes a point I have a comment about, I’ll say something, but other than that there isn’t much posting for me. There’s only a select few people that I really use it to constantly talk with, and that’s two friends back in Phoenix that I can’t really see.
ReplyDeleteThe only reason I still have a MySpace actually is because my brother is too insistent that MySpace is better than Facebook. Why? I have no idea. Can I play the “High School” card? However even though there is numerous other ways to contact him, he’s rarely at home/with his phone so it’s hard to contact him, hence MySpace. He can reply whenever he wants.
I’d say the biggest impact these communities have on my life is just the ability to share many aspects of my friends’ lives. Instead of going off their descriptions of what they did, I can just look at pictures, for example. I think, initially, social networking was a draw because it gave you a page you could personalize yourself and call your own. Eventually though, it has developed as more of a way to communicate than anything, which I appreciate, as that’s what I’ve always used it for; just another way to communicate.
I am involved in three online communities. The first, and my personal favorite, is Facebook. I originally joined Facebook just because everyone else had one. However, I find myself using it increasingly more and more each day as it allows me to keep in contact with my close friends with whom I do not have the luxury of seeing anymore; as they attend colleges across the country. I love it as it is an incredibly easy way to keep in contact with all my friends, near or far. I like being able to read other people's statuses, as it allows me to read little blurbs about what they are thinking. Facebook makes its easy to keep in contact with old acquaintances and communicate with everyone.
ReplyDeleteMy second favorite online community is Texts From Last Night. On this site I get to read some of the most ridiculous things that people text each other. It makes me think about my life in comparison to others, and makes me feel a little bit better as I know my life isn't quite so ridiculous.
My third online community is using AIM. This makes it easy to communicate again with other people, and is almost like talking on the phone. I find it easier because you can answer at your convenience and can talk to many people at a time. AIM is more intimate and personal in comparison to things like Facebook because only you and the other person can see your conversation and it is instant.
I am involved in Facebook. I originally joined Facebook in 10th grade because everyone had one and I felt left out. When I first made one I had no idea how to use it and hated it. I thought it was pointless and barley ever went on. As time passed I became used to it and began to become more obsessed with it. Today I use it multiple times a day. I use it to i-m friends, leave videos and wall posts. Facebook has become a great distraction in college. I am always on it when I should be doing my homework. I can stay in touch with my friends at different colleges and my family across the country.
ReplyDeleteI am also involved in an i-chat or aim community. I first made a screen name in early middle school and have had several since then. When I was younger I was constantly “on-line.” During high school I grew out of the aim phase and spent more time out of my house and with my friends. Today I go on it more, just to keep in touch with my family and friends. Aim does not affect my life as much as Facebook does because I do not use it nearly as much.
Like most college students (as shown in the posts above me), I have a facebook. I got it at some point during high school because it seemed fun, and I had never been allowed to have a myspace :) Over the years I gradually became more addicted as more and more of my friends and relatives joined facebook. It's an extremely convenient way for me to quickly see what all of the people in my life are up to. Most of my relatives live on the east coast, but I can keep in touch with them easily online. The only difficult part is making sure that none of my friends post anything on my wall that I don't want my mom, aunts, uncles, or parents of the kids I babysit to see :)
ReplyDeletePretty much like everyone else that is going to post a comment, I am an avid user of Facebook. I have to admit that I still have a Myspace and although I am very tempted to delete it, the only reason I still have it (silly as it is) is because I am on my favorite band’s top 8. Myspace was fun because of the time killing surveys (like anyone really read anyone else’s) and because you got to fully customize it. I resented Facebook at first because I wasn’t able to have an awesome profile page; instead it’s just a generic blue and white. I now only use Myspace for the music, other than that I use Facebook. Facebook is interesting because not only are my friends on it but my family is too (a rarity on Myspace). I like Facebook because I am able to keep in touch with so many people all at the same time.
ReplyDeleteTwitter. I have to admit I use Twitter. At first I thought it was senseless to say what you’re doing in 140 characters or less and then I looked at it as a puzzle, constantly trying to fit what I had to say into that little box. I finally accepted using Twitter when I saw that I could follow Ashton Kutcher, from that moment on I fell in love. In high school my friends and I weren’t allowed to use MSN Messenger on our laptops because it was blocked but we resorted to using Twitter to talk about our science teacher’s mustache instead. We all still have one now that we’re in college because it is an easier way to keep in touch. Instead of me calling my best friend at UCLA I just have to read and see what she’s up to. I especially love when she says she’s at the beach and then posts a picture because in a weird way it feels as though I am with her at that moment.
I am also a YouTube fan. I love film and film editing so I am also an avid YouTube user. I have posted and watched countless stupid videos.
Aside from Facebook, Myspace, MSN Messenger, Twitter, and YouTube, I also use e-mail. I realize that I use all of these communities not to meet new people but to strengthen the ties I have with people. The online communities are very time consuming but have kept me in touch with the people that matter to me most. Sometimes it is difficult to find time for a phone call but while you’re already online, it’s as simple as the click of a mouse to see what someone is doing.
I am involved with a lot of online communities!
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, Facebook, of course. Facebook is such a convenient way to keep in touch with friends and family that are far away. I think the largest reason for this is that so many people have Facebook accounts--it makes it easy to have all of these loved ones accessible in the same online community. I got a Facebook before my senior year in high school as a way to keep in touch with friends going off to college.
I have also had a LiveJournal since I was a freshman or sophomore in high school. I have maybe 5 close friends from growing up who also have LiveJournals, which is neat because it's another way for us to keep in touch. In addition to my friends, I belong to a few LiveJournal communities. One of these is 101 in 1001 days, a community that advocates for people to come up with a list of 101 goals and complete them in 1001 days. I've been a part of this community for less than a year, but I already feel as if it's helped me to reflect on my own life and self-improvement more often than I would have otherwise.
I have a Twitter. I know Twitter's fans are pretty divided (either you hate it, or you love it,) but I just do it because I think it's fun. A bunch of my friends have Twitter accounts, so if I find an interesting story or video online, I'll just tweet about it instead of having to post it on each of their Facebook walls. Also, I love being able to follow news sources (Time, SportsCenter, The Arizona Daily Wildcat) and celebrities (Jeremy Piven, Nastia Liukin, Mika). I think it's fun to be able to tweet from my phone, especially when silly things happen in life and I want to share them.
My latest favorite online community is Gives Me Hope. Like FML, Gives Me Hope are short stories, but instead of being about terrible occurrences, they focus on the kindness and beauty existing in the world. I generally go on the website every three days or so, and more often than not, I'm brought to tears by the genuine love present in our world.
Finally, I think blogs create online communities. I mean, the PostSecret blog alone has had 271,956,144 visitors (and Frank has over 207,000 followers on Twitter). Though the communication is sparse--either your secret is lucky enough to be posted, or a comment you emailed/tweeted in is displayed--I think PostSecret has a substantial community. Frank travels the country visiting colleges, has published several books, and still receives tons of postcards in the mail each week.
Oh, and I'm in a Snapfish community that shares photos. Snapfish allows you to create group rooms, which are essentially communities to share photos (e.g., people I went to France with, people from my high school marching band, etc.) And a Google group, which is sort of like a listserv but more connected. And AIM. And I'm sure I'm forgetting others!
I love to be in connection with people I care about and I'm over 2300 miles away from most of the people I knew for the first 18 years of my life, so I love being able to have so many means to stay in contact. It does get a little "bogged up" sometimes--having to hear about one instance from my friend for the first time via Twitter, then grab a few more details from Facebook, quickly question her on AIM, and finally read the whole account on LiveJournal--but I think it's worth it to stay in the know with the people I care about. Having true convergence and one means to stay up to date on everything would be more convenient, but I like the freedom of using so many online communities. Not to mention, not all of my friends use a certain one!
While everyone else is declaring their love for Facebook, I'll probably be the first to admit that I don't have one nor do I participate in any of the other social networking sites such as Myspace or Twitter. At the current moment, the reason why would probably be because I rarely have time to waste chatting with others, but even before college in high school, I've never found the need to establish relations with people in a manner other than face to face. However, I do use MSN occasionally in order to contact relatives too distant for me to talk to directly, and it serves that purpose well. Without that program, these connections would probably have been severed.
ReplyDeleteIn the past, I have participated in gaming communities before, and I have found those to build some of the strangest relationships. I've built some very strong friendships with some users, both of us working together toward some common goal. And then there are those who make you wonder... How could anyone possibly be so infuriatingly annoying? Each and every day you see some very interesting and strange people that you would never notice out in the real world.
Twitter- I got twitter because my friend got it last summer and reeled me into making one myself. Honestly, I don't really use it, I only appreciated it when I was extremely bored with only my internetless phone to utitlize. In theory, it keeps me up to date with all those I follow, but I rarely check it and never really get up to date.
ReplyDeleteMyspace- It was THE thing to get so I got one. It helped me stay in contact with people. I was able to keep tabs on my friends, talk with people i normally wouldn't "chat" with. It also helped me listen to and support aspiring music artists. What I loved about it is that you got more of a picture of someone when you added them as a friend. What they talk about, what kind of pictures they posted. Stalkerish? More like well researched. I appreciated the fact that I could get to know things about people that I normally wouldn't, or that would normally take forever to bring up in regular conversation.
Email- I just got a gmail account (kinda for this blog and just to get one), so I am not sure how it works, but utilizing the sharing documents has aided me in group projects and presentations. I also am on many listervs and email groups so I can stay up to date with information with all my communities. While away at college I still know what is going on back home because I get weekly emails updating on everything. Email has also helped me connect on the UA campus. Most communication is done through email so without it I'm not sure how I would know things about the school, jobs, and so much more.
D2L- This is crucial at UofA. I got one because I had to. Without this "online community" I wouldn't know about a lot of assignments and crucial classroom updates.
Facebook- I am not sure how, but every week I bring this site up! I got facebook my Jr year of high school I believe. I was waiting til I was in college, but that didn't work out that well. Facebook is my strongest online community. In my online friends I have (most) of my friends divided by how I know them. This helps me "organize" my friends and remember who I met certain people. Through facebook I can communicate about events happening now or reminisce about past events. Facebook links me to the world. I can chat with my friends who live in different countries and be able to see what's going on in their lives through status updates and pictures. I am also part of groups on facebook that show what I support and believe in. I am in a group that discusses my procrastination problems, and a group about a piece of legislation that will be on this year's ballot. Through facebook I learn about my friends and family. Facebook connects me to those I normally wouldn't be connected to. Due to facebook I still have relationships with certain people and it has helped me find people "I lost," and have now reconnected with.
Skype- I love Skype. I got skype right when I got my laptop(this summer) so I could SEE my friends who i was away from. Skype enables me to feel like I am talking to someone in person. I can see their facials and also hear their voice inflections. It is so comforting to see a friendly face that you haven't seen in awhile either. Skype not only keeps me connected to my friends, but keeps me connected on a deeper level with certain friends. Being on skype is just like going over to their house and conversing.
All of these I think are great networking tools. With facebook I can invite people to events with a click of a button instead of calling or texting them. It spreads messages easier and more efficiently. In the future I often wonder how facebook, or these online communities, will affect me. I think it will be interesting how growing up and staying in contact with those from your past will be. Not yet has a generation grown up "connected" the whole time. Will we not appreciate people as much because they never truly left us, so reunions and things of that nature will be pointless? I think that it's a great tool and hopefully will help me with my future career endeavors. Many jobs are all about who you know really!
First of all I have to say that I spend entirely too much of my time on Facebook. But while much of that time is a waste, some of it is time well spent. Facebook has allowed me to keep in touch with my friends from high school as well as some of my favorite teachers. I have also gotten closer to some of my cousins than I ever was in the past because of Facebook. Facebook allows for connections to be made with people you care about as well as people you need to keep in touch with. For example, Facebook has aided me in group communication when working on a project, or even class communication on things not well understood. Facebook is also my source for a lot of going-ons in the world. It’s almost sad, but true. In addition, Facebook has allowed me to share many of my experiences with those who I know would like to be a part of them but otherwise would not have the opportunity to learn about my life. Facebook also helps me keep track of events in my community, among friends and relatives. All in all, Facebook is my main form of communication with many people. It is easy and convenient.
ReplyDeleteEmail has also helped me keep in touch with important people. But most of my email communication is in regards to school or financial issues. I often communicate with my dad and grandparents via email, largely because neither of them has a Facebook though.
I have also been involved in an online gaming community or two. These have largely been a poor use of my time. Although in certain instances I made friends in them and thoroughly enjoyed the bonds we shared in sharing our adventures. It is amazing how things like that can bring people who know nothing about one another closer together.
I also love facebook. I was slower to get started because I didn't fully understand it and what I would need it for. Soon, my friends all had one and when someone would forget their camera to an event they kept saying, "Oh, I'll just tag you!" This is the feature that first got me hooked. I love the fact that you can share the experiences with loved ones. We are the only family in my extended family that lives in Arizona, so it's nice to talk to my aunt when she pops up on fb chat once in awhile. Just recently my grandma added an account--not sure if she totally understands it, but she wanted to see my pictures of my dorm when I moved in. In this aspect I think its great to keep in touch with those that you are distanced from. I'm not really one of those people that sit of facebook for hours, so personally I can't see why anyone would want updates about what people are doing all the time (twitter). I know my friend likes to hear about what her other friend (that moved away) is doing, but for me facebook is sufficient becuase I don't find it interesting to see what people are doing every second. Maybe one day I will find a use for it like I did for facebook...you never know!
ReplyDeleteTexing-People catch up wihout having to be available to have a continuous phone conversation, plan when to meet, or ask a question about what happened in class that day. The uses for texting are limitless and I would definitely say I rely on it!
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ReplyDeleteSimilar to Facebook, I have Classmates; it is a Chinese online community, in which you can find all you classmates, from kindergarten to college, if they are registered users, since everyone registers using their real name. Like Facebook, you are able to change your status to tell people what you are doing, or post photos, and write blogs. You are allowed to respond to other people’s status, and comment on their photos and blogs. There are also latest videos, news, and songs posted. Classmates allows me to keep in touch with my old classmates back in China, and know what is going on in my country. I have a strong feeling that I’m a part of the community, as I spend a lot of time on it everyday.
ReplyDeleteBlackboard is an online community for students who are taking business classes. Class information, assignments, and quizzes are posted on blackboard, so that students know what is going on with the class. They can also have discussion online within the online community and reach their professors as well.
-Duoduo
I use facebook, myspace and ventrillo (which is a program people use to talk to eachother using a microphone) to connect with people. This is especially useful for me as I am going to school out of state and online social networks allow me to stay in touch with people.
ReplyDeleteFor instance, I check up on my friends back home and make plans for when I get back through facebook and myspace. With ventrillo I am able to talk to my mother and friends without piling up a huge cellphone bill. Actually, I believe I use facebook and myspace much like I would use a cell phone to text as well so that helps keep my bill down too.
Though many of the people I know use Facebook for online games, I tend to use it more as a social networking tool. Like many other students, I am extremely busy, and I often do not have time to make phone calls to stay caught up with friends and acquaintances. Connecting with these people on Facebook gives me the ability to keep in touch with them when I otherwise would not have the time.
ReplyDeleteInstant messaging not only allows me to talk to friends without working up an expensive phone bill. On the other hand, I also use instant messaging at work to collaborate with coworkers.
I am not involved in too many online communities. I have a facebook, however I use it rarely and originally created one just so that I could remain in touch with my relatives who live in a different country. Obviously, online communities affect our lives tremendously, both positively and negatively. They provide us with an alternate source of entertainment and they connect us instantaneously to numerous people with whom we can share and expand our ideas. However, I think that the negative impact of these communities should be more closely looked at. No one really knows the identity of a person over the internet, and thus, individuals can be manipulated and exploited. Also, the increase in speedy communication over the web, has created a new genre of writing, one which is incredibly informal and lacks eloquence. These communities have played a huge role in shaping our social relationships outside of the internet, and it hasn't always been a positive change.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI am obviously a member of Facebook (I think I mention it everyday in class), and clearly according to this blog, everyone else belongs too. I originally joined Facebook due to the fact that I was "anti-Myspace," because I thought it was just a great way to start unnecessary drama (mind you, this was during high school). Once Fbook came out, I figured that since it was originally only available for college students with an official college e-mail address, that it was a much more legitimate social networking site. I told myself that it would be a great way for me to meet people at my school before I got there. While that's not exactly what I used it for, it did originate there. Now I have found that this is the best way for me to share pictures with my friends and family. Some things about Fbook really drive me nuts (Farmville, for example). However, I do find it to be a fun way to distract myself for some portion of my day. In terms of how this community affects my life, I hate that because I have it on my phone that I'm constantly attached to it. If I didn't have it readily available, I would want it readily available, so I don't think I would ever be completely satisfied with it.
ReplyDeleteI also have my own blog for a group of Honors students that I lead for a new Trad104 course. I made the blog just so that we could have our own way of communicating and being able to respond to each other. This helps my life, it makes things easier because I don't have to send e-mails and go through e-mails and then communicate that information with the whole group; rather, I can just post discussion topics and everyone can go after it.
I'm on Twitter as well, actually I have multiple accounts. One is strictly for a class, and my other one is my social one. I don't really update either of them much. I like Twitter, but it is essentially the same thing as Facebook status updates, so I'm still not sure why I do both. I do like being able to follow some of my favorite stars like Ellen Degeneres, so I do see that benefit in it. Twitter doesn't have too much affect on my life (negative or positive), it's just kind of there.
I lived abroad in high school because of my dad's career and as a way of keeping all of my friends up-to-date with my life (without having to tell them all of my stories individually), I created a blog. I used to write in it practically everyday with funny stories, ways in which I had butchered the language that day, and new words that I was learning. It was nice for me because I got to vent, and get responses, and it was great for my friends because they could keep up with my life without having to call/e-mail me everyday.
I’m a fairly new member of Facebook. My dormmates pressured me to get one and I figured I’d might as well because it’s a simple way to keep in touch with my family and friends back home, and people all over the country (and world) who are friends with me. Christoph lives in Berlin, but I can keep fairly regular correspondence with him via Facebook. I’ve also gotten to reconnect with people who have since left my life physically because they’ve moved.
ReplyDeleteIt's affected my life because I can maintain touch with others.
I also still have my MySpace page, although I never really go on there except to occasionally check on music. I used it much the same way I use FB now, but I met a lot of new people from all over the world, including someone in China who promised to help me learn Chinese if I would help him learn English. It was hard to be online at the same time he was, so that didn’t really work out, but MySpace affected my life because it helped me branch out to new people, people who were interested in the same things I was.