Technology never ceases to amaze me.
Not only are we, a species that once amused itself by clubbingmembers of the opposite gender and dragging them back to the cave,now capable of transmitting messages instantly all over the globe,we also have the means to keep obsessive tabs on any number ofpeople without ever having to actually converse with them.
I am speaking specifically about AOL Instant Messenger: Proudlyshowcasing creepy poetry since you were 13 and old enough to usethe service legally.
For those who are not familiar with the program, AOL InstantMessenger, or AIM as it is called in the hip lingo of thecommunication-obsessed college student, is free Internet chatsoftware that enables a user to instantly send text messages toanyone else with the program. It has a lot of really neat-ofeatures, such as the user profile and the away message. Together,these two allow users to either provide, in less than 2000characters, a small window into their worlds or try really hard tofreak everyone out, the more popular trend.
Profiles often include quotes, cell-phone numbers and a closingstatement declaring endless love to a significant other. I have aninkling that the final statement is listed in the CompleteRelationship Handbook as a required addition to an AIM profile.It's just there to please said significant other when he or she isperusing profiles instead of writing a reflection paper.
The away message is a temporary profile of sorts that allowsusers to announce to the free world where they are if they are notavailable for comment. I don't think I would be ridiculously offbase if I ranked the away message in the top five causes of studentlack of productivity, right up there with the hangover and death.I've found that the average person, while doing homework, is moreconcerned about who is taking a shower, eating or simply "away fromthe computer right now" than pretty much anything in the whole wideworld.
I would even go as far as to say that it would rank fairly highin the top five unhealthiest addictions ever, along with narcoticsand the song "Senorita" by Justin Timberlake.
Bad pop music aside, I have noticed that my AIM buddy list isoddly extensive in relation to the number of people I actually talkto on it. I have a friend, Nick, whom I have not seen or spoken toin roughly six months; I guarantee, however, I could figure outexactly what his schedule is and recite the important detailsthereof.
For example, his profile says something about a girl namedLyndsey. I have a hunch that he is dating this girl because of thefinal declaration that says something along the lines of "I loveyou, Lyndsey." Call me presumptuous if you must.
I also know that he has a lot of homework, that he has recentlywatched Moulin Rouge and that right now he is playing "friggin'ninja racquetball." Whatever that means.
I don't know about you, but this phenomenon utterly astounds me.The AIM user profile has replaced conversation and the deepinterpersonal relationship. True, this is the age of communication,but if this is the way of the future, then the future is lookingpretty grim.
On the bright side, at least it's only a harmless profile. Wecould still be doing the club thing.
Write to Aleshia at aahaselden@bsu.edu
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