Future Archaeology

Like so many of my posts, this started as an idea for a Facebook status.

I had been looking through my facebook history for a status that I'd posted a week or so ago. In the process, I discovered pictures I'd been tagged in, videos I'd linked too, conversations I'd had, and status postings that I had forgotten I had written. Facebook is such a day by day (for some hour by hour) event. We forget what we posted on Facebook the same way we forget what we had for dinner yesterday.

But, unlike our dinner, our Facebook history never goes away.

I think that in the future, archaeologists will have to be computer scientists who dig through years worth of old facebook posts and pictures to discover the lives of people of the past.

Won't that be interesting? Imagine what they'll think, reading your comments on people's various walls, your inside jokes that you post via facebook, wondering what on earth a "poke" is, contemplating the different significances of "liking" someones status and generally trying to understand the part of our culture that is Facebook.

I wonder if they'll see the millions of groups protesting the changes Facebook made over the years. I wonder if they'll be able to dig deep enough to find old Facebook somewhere. How many of you remember the days before Facebook? your first status? your first wall post? the names of ALL your facebook friends?

The things we do on the internet we do without thinking. I think it would be fun to see people of the future trying to figure it out. It even goes beyond facebook to your email inbox, your blog, your class websites, EVERYTHING.

Two Men - Real or Fiction?

Sunday Night I was all alone in my dorm room and had done most of my homework. So I watched the Young Victoria and then I was enjoying netflix so much I watched Julie and Julia.

I recommend watching both of those movies, they are fun. But I found something really interesting while watching them. In each of the movies there was the female protagonist (Victoria and Julia) and each one had a husband (Albert and Paul). In both movies, the wife was generally more important and more successful than her husband. But, in spite of that, the husband is clearly the 'head' of the marriage because the wife looks up to him.

Example: Albert was far inferior to Victoria. He would never be a majesty, while she was one. However, he found ways to be useful in the palace, to protect her and, in one scene, chooses not to argue with her but instead leave the room. He wanted to be her hero instead of Lord Melbourne - and in the end, he was.

Example 2: At the beginning, Paul has a good job, but at the end of the movie he's lost it because of government problems. Julia's cookbook is far more successful than his job, but he still keeps her going and supports her through it all. He lets her go crazy with her book and helps her when it doesn't succeed.

Disclaimer: I realize that these were movies and not the real men. But I'd like to hope the movie men were based on the real men. And, real or fiction, both those husbands exhibited greatness, I think. They were the head, yes, but supporting, gracious heads who respected their wives and were in turn respected and loved. I think that's what people mean when they say a man should be the head of a marriage, and with that I wholeheartedly agree. What do you think?

Will you marry me (on Facebook)?

How many of your Facebook friends are listed as married?

Now, if you're in your teens, how many of them are ACTUALLY married?

That's what I thought.

Recently, I've been seeing a lot of "Facebook marriages" pop up. So-and-so is my wife on Facebook. After said relationship is made "Facebook official", a set of comments follow that include virtual marital fights, virtual pregnancies, virtual divorces, you name it. In fact, often times other sorts of relationships get involved as well, as the "couple" invites children into their family, setting up a whole web that covers all their friends.

I realize these marriages are meant to be harmless little games, just having fun and laughing together, or maybe making an artificial commitment to a real dating relationship. Regardless of what these marriages are meant to be, I think the subtle effect is making real marriage less powerful.

If you look at the things that generally occur in Facebook marriages, you see a pattern of fights and eventually, they change back to being single. Outside of Facebook, the two friends will probably be just fine. Even on Facebook, after their virtual divorce has gotten off the news feed, their relationship will go back to normal. However, I think treating online marriages like a joke will result in treating actual marriage like a joke. Which will result in a lot of the fake things happening on Facebook - marriage, adoption, divorce - happening in real life.

Am I right? (I could just be ranting about a personal pet peeve - but I think I'm right)