The Social Network

Last weekend, I convocated. For those who don't know that word, it means I graduated from university. I am now Amy Evans, B.Ed. I can officially teach your children from kindergarten to grade 6. It started with the induction ceremony on Friday morning, welcoming us to the teaching profession and the union. This was followed by the actual convocation ceremony itself. This is where we sat and wait for our names to be called for the 15 seconds that we're on stage and get our graduating hoods and diploma, aka the most expensive piece of paper we'll ever own. I had supper with my family that evening, which was great. Thanks again to my aunts and mom for planning this on short notice and for the presents. And yes, my family REALLY knows me: there was Caesar salad and garlic bread. Then there was the graduation gala Saturday night, complete with a delicious meal, a few speeches, mock awards and a dance. I won Best Techie and Lives in the CMC. The CMC is the education library, and yes, I lived there. I had a spot and everything. Guess what I was doing in there? On the laptop. So it just made sense, I guess.

It was great to see everyone, from the people I saw everyday for the past four months, to the girls I lived with and traveled with for four months, to the people I haven't seen in almost 2 years because they did French Immersion and thus went away. It really will be the last time we see each other, the last time all of us will be in the same room together. There could always be a reunion I guess, in say, 20 years, or some other milestone year, but with the advent of social media and networking, that seems like something that may soon become a thing of the past.

In the past, at least as TV and movies seem to portray, reunions were the best way to see old friends, catch up and see who has done what. But now, everyone has everyone and their mom on facebook. It's easier than ever to see what so-and-so has been doing, who so-and-so has been dating and if so-and-so has had their baby yet. All you have to do is type in their name. So, will there really be a need for reunions in the future when everyone's posting their business on facebook?

And is social networking really bringing people closer or are we just driving a wedge between interpersonal relationships? I have friends on facebook that I haven't seen in maybe 10 years, maybe longer! I have friends I haven't met because we're friends through games. Some people might be one of my closest friends. The point is, I don't need to meet them for coffee to see what's going on in their lives. I can keep up on just about anyone I want. And trust me, if I have you on Facebook, I have most likely Facebook-stalked you to some extent, whether it's going through old posts, pictures, whatever. If you don't do it, most of your friends do it. Don't judge me. So in that sense, we are closer.

But in the other way, we don't need to meet and talk to people to know what's going on. Even this blog is a way for people to get to know me without having a face-to-face conversation with me. With social networking, and the internet in general, we don't actually talk to people as much. My ex-boyfriend and I hardly had a telephone conversation unless it was like "I'm leaving to pick you up in about 5 minutes. I need to stop here first, but I'll be on my way after that." We did most of our talking on MSN. It was how we knew about each other's day, what plans were and sometimes just random talking. And it's not just friends. How many things can you do online now that you used to need to talk to someone to do? All my bills are now done online. I can even buy a movie ticket online!

Are we getting to the point where we no longer have any human contact at all? What's going to happen in the post-apocalyptic world when there is no computers? I guess we'll wait and see. But when that time comes, I won't be able to blog about it.