social media – Emilybook

You know, there’s a lot of discourse right now about Facebook and how ugly everything is and the Dead Internet and all of that.

And I definitely feel the pull to leave all the social media tools and stick to nothing but this geocities upgrade I find myself on right now. But I still stay on Facebook, because I genuinely *like* keeping in touch with people from high school.

And then today, one of them sends me this in the mail.

The most beautiful flame-colored scarf.

This is why I don’t leave. The people in my life make me who I am. And I’ll be sending them Christmas cards long after Facebook is consigned to the dust-heap of history; but I’m grateful to the thing Facebook briefly was, that let us get back in touch with each other.

Many years ago, I came across this poem on the Internet, by Tumblr user hersassyfras. They deleted the original post; but thanks to the magic of Tumblr, the text got reblogged a bunch of times, so it’s still around.

Here it is today.

“Your generation would probably ‘livetweet’ the apocalypse” you say, and you laugh
You mean it as an insult, and I understand,
Or you don’t
because the word lies awkwardly on you tongue, stumbles as it leaves your lips, air quotes visible
You meant it as an insult, so you don’t understand, when I look into your eyes and say “Yes”
Because we would.
It would be our duty, as citizens on this earth
to document it’s end the best way we know
and if that means a second by second update
of the world going up in flames, or down in rain, or crushed under the feet of invading monsters
so be it.
It would mean a second by second update of
“I love you”
“I’m scared”
“Are you all right?”
“Stay close”
“Be brave”
It would mean a second by second update of the humanity’s connection with one another,
Proof of empathy, love, and friendship between people who may have never met in the flesh.
So don’t throw the word ‘Livetweet’ at me like a dagger, meant to tear at my ‘teenage superiority’
Because if the citizens of Pompeii, before they were consumed by fire,
had a chance to tell their friends and family throughout Rome
“I love you”
“I’m scared”
“Don’t forget me”
Don’t you think they’d have taken the chance?