Facebook for Kindergardeners

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I was recently pointed to an article about social networking that appeared in the New York Times in September of 2008. The author’s focus was the meaning and effect of the new sorts of relationships built via services such as Facebook and Twitter. The whole article is worth a read, but I was particularly intrigued by some of its concluding thoughts:

Yet Ahan knows that she cannot simply walk away from her online life, because the people she knows online won’t stop talking about her, or posting unflattering photos. She needs to stay on Facebook just to monitor what’s being said about her. This is a common complaint I heard, particularly from people in their 20s who were in college when Facebook appeared and have never lived as adults without online awareness. For them, participation isn’t optional. If you don’t dive in, other people will define who you are.
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This is the ultimate effect of the new awareness: It brings back the dynamics of small-town life, where everybody knows your business… “It’s just like living in a village, where it’s actually hard to lie because everybody knows the truth already,” Tufekci said. “The current generation is never unconnected. They’re never losing touch with their friends. So we’re going back to a more normal place, historically. If you look at human history, the idea that you would drift through life, going from new relation to new relation, that’s very new. It’s just the 20th century.”
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Psychologists and sociologists spent years wondering how humanity would adjust to the anonymity of life in the city, the wrenching upheavals of mobile immigrant labor — a world of lonely people ripped from their social ties. We now have precisely the opposite problem. Indeed, our modern awareness tools reverse the original conceit of the Internet. When cyberspace came along in the early ’90s, it was celebrated as a place where you could reinvent your identity — become someone new.

“If anything, it’s identity-constraining now,” Tufekci told me. “You can’t play with your identity if your audience is always checking up on you… She laughed. “You know that old cartoon? ‘On the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog’? On the Internet today, everybody knows you’re a dog! If you don’t want people to know you’re a dog, you’d better stay away from a keyboard.”

Still a dog,
~WD

Change, 140 Characters or Less

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So many interesting things going on in the world.

First, there have been major protests in Chisinau, Moldova. When I was in Romania, I had a good friend from Uzbekistan who was stationed in Chisinau. I was lucky enough to be able to visit him, and I can tell you that Moldova is not a place that has been going in the right direction as of late. Many, if not most Romanians believe that Moldova is rightly a part of Romania. The official language of Moldova (Moldovan) is nearly identical to Romanian. The interesting part about the protests is that word of them was distributed by cell phone, facebook, twitter and other social networking tools. With all the hype about technology and it is good to see it being used to help individuals come together against oppressive regimes. I wonder if this unrest will continue and the people of Moldova might one day be allowed to join their more forward-thinking neighbors, and perhaps even the EU…

FMI/Video: http://tvr.ro/articol.php?id=60799&c=47

Two interesting stories from the Times.

Gays in Iraq are becoming more visible as the levels of violence abate. The article surveys some young gay males, all of whom have seen many of their friends killed. Interestingly, most of the killings appear to be “honor killings” by family members seeking to redress the shame that these gays have brought upon the family name. I was honestly quite surprised to hear that there were individuals who would dare to be so open in Iraq at all. While there are certainly gays in all cultures, including oppressive ones such as Uzbekistan, most keep their private lives strictly private. It will be interesting to see what becomes of this subculture in Iraq.

The Last Jew in Afghanistan is a touching video op-ed. This man’s fate is like the that of Jews in so many parts of the world. I will never forget the small community of older Jews I met in Romania. Most of them were survivors whose children were pursuing lives either in Israel or the United States. Whether those who stayed did so by choice or necessity, it was an honor to celebrate some of the Sacred Jewish traditions with them. As we approach Passover, I’ll think of them as they gather for a communal feast, a bright moment in what is otherwise a rather lonely existence.

Getting the Shot

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I’ve spent most of the afternoon sleeping as a treat for completing a very hectic few days. As you may be aware, Tulane Law is well known for its environmental law program, and each year the school is host to a student-planned conference. This year’s Environmental Law Summit was entitled: “Defining Green in Times of Change,” and featured a range of speakers and panels centered around the theme of change in the environmental movement as reflected by both our new administration and the current economic crisis. Early in the year I got involved in the environmental law society and have held the title of Summit Technology Chair. Up until a few weeks ago, my main task was to develop the Summit’s website (summit.law.tulane.edu). As the Summit neared, however, I became responsible for making sure that all the panels were filmed, the speakers’ PowerPoint presentations worked, and the rooms were properly amplified.

Oh, and then there’s the play. For the fourth year running, a ragtag group of law students assembled to present an environmentally themed play as evening entertainment during the Summit. This year’s play was called MisLEAD and was a dark comedy about an old lead mining town that had run afoul of the EPA. I auditioned for a promptly received some small roles (EPA Man, Nurse and Attorney…) Though I didn’t have many lines, it was really great fun to be a part of the production. Come opening/closing night, we got our audience all liquored up and and suffice to say that it went over quite well.

Adding to the drama, as it were, was the fact that I had to make an oral argument for my legal research and writing class the following morning (alas, celebration was to be delayed for a day…) The oral argument was an extension of a major assignment I had completed before spring break, an appellate brief. Basically my ‘client’ was arrested at the threshold of his home without a warrant by police officers acting on an anonymous tip. This led to an analysis of both the Fourth Amendment and probable cause. The way the oral argument worked was that four of my classmates entered a classroom and took seats on opposite sides of the room. In the center isle, a podium was set up, and in the front of the classroom sat the judges (our professor and some senior fellows.) Each of was was alloted eight minutes to make our case. While eight minutes may not seem like a lot, it certainly felt like a long time while preparing my remarks. However, once I got up to the podium, that eight minutes just flew by. I was asked some tough questions, including some hypotheticals, but I think I handled them well and was able to cover the most important points of my argument.

Later that day that Summit continued with some great panels and our number one keynote speaker, author Bill McKibben. If you have not read any McKibben, I strongly encourage you to do so. Bill is a brilliant author who has written about the environment and the economy from a philosophical point of view that is a brand in and of itself. Before the presentation I got to meet Mr. McKibben and during his presentation I assisted him with his tech needs. It was a great thrill and honor to meet one of my favorite authors who is a genuinely kind and brilliant man. Following Bill’s address, a select group of us assembled at a fancy restaurant in the Warehouse District where we were feted with a six course meal, drinks and fine music. All in all, it was a fantastic conference and I look forward to being a part of it again next year! We’ll have video of the Summit panels and keynote addresses on the website soon.