E-Generation

Magical post number 29 right here, and it's got me thinking about the internet a bit.

Since the creation of my account in June 2009, I have tweeted well over 300 times.

Since receiving my Mizzou email account I have received over 1000 emails, and probably sent out as many.

On top of that, I have a yahoo email account and a very busy facebook, both of which I can't even begin to fathom numbers for.

I think it's a little crazy how much information we pour into the world electronically. I know I never would have written 1000 letters or made that many phone calls, nor would I have written a book or something instead of these 29 blog posts.

But what makes the internet such a blank canvas for our society? Why are we driven to throw as much information about ourselves as we can out into cyberspace? Often this has negative effects like cyber-stalking and employees checking out facebook to make hiring decisions, but we still post every little insignificant piece of our lives online.

I guess I'm just pondering a little bit because I'm currently reading the book all incoming freshman have to read for next year. It's called "Generation Me" and it's about the current generation aged between about 10-30, and it's already been enlightening to think about our culture in these terms.

One of the most powerful points the author makes is that we are fundamentally selfish people, and our society has taught us to put ourselves first with everything from songs and movies to books and parenting styles. And yet, my generation is the most depressed generation ever recorded.

Just something to ponder.