[LINK] "Facing my Facebook self"

[rfmcdonald]

In the latest issue of Now Toronto, Jacob Scheier writes ("Facing my Facebook self") writes about his discomfort with the malleability of Facebook profiles and the profiles' selective reproduction of only the good things about their writers.

Until recently, I thought the reason I was so reluctant to get laid or poked (a cute way of getting your friend’s attention when you are both online, which I have actually yet to experience) was that I was afraid of commitment.

But what I now realize is that the true source of my ambivalence isn’t fear of obligation to others, but of commitment to a consistent version of myself. Which brings me to Facebook--something that is more about me than I could ever be.

The fact is, Facebook offers the possibility of creating an endlessly better version of me. I am both medium and message. This is McLuhan on crystal meth; this is McLuhan on Facebook.

In my profile, I presented a smart and sexy self with very little effort. I chose the best photograph and added a witty little remark for my status. Then I noted my recent poetry book publication, as if this were the only thing my old high school friends needed to know about me ("I found Jacob on Facebook the other day and he’s a published author now") and filled in my favourite movies and books, selecting ones that were either canonical (showing that I’m well watched/read) or somewhat obscure (showing that I’m unique).

I topped these off with a couple, but only a couple, of light-hearted films and books, to show that I don’t take myself too seriously.

What else is there to know about me? Nothing. Nothing that I want my now 96 friends (and climbing) to know anyway.

It's well worth reading, almost as much for the humour as for the arguments.