What can the word “friend” mean after Facebook, where it is really a synonym for “coincidence”?

Verlyn Klinkenborg’s recent editorial in the New York Times is necessary brilliance and should be required reading–only so that you can later meditate upon his very wise insights.

I’ve been battling my own inertia in killing off my Facebook and MySpace identities. I mean, do I really need to have people from middle school find me? I find it so disgusting in many ways when I see political or religious affiliations posted on their pages. They should be ashamed for aligning themselves with terrorists!

And the applications that allow me to peruse their virtual bookshelf makes me dream of a virtual library burning. I’ll gladly flick the virtual lighted match after dousing the area with a virtual can of gasoline. (Real gasoline is too precious!)

Seeing such titles reminds me of the already ancient truth of basic informatics and computer programming: GIGO, or garbage in, garbage out. No wonder these people are so intellectually and socially stunted! The key reason such people thrive in online communities.

Just so you know, I’ll gladly add you to my cadre of “friends” on Facebook or MySpace. But you have to send me your contact information first: I dare not post my real name here for fear my students find out what I really think of them.

What can the word “friend” mean after Facebook, where it is really a synonym for “coincidence”?

Verlyn Klinkenborg’s recent editorial in the New York Times is necessary brilliance and should be required reading–only so that you can later meditate upon his very wise insights.

I’ve been battling my own inertia in killing off my Facebook and MySpace identities. I mean, do I really need to have people from middle school find me? I find it so disgusting in many ways when I see political or religious affiliations posted on their pages. They should be ashamed for aligning themselves with terrorists!

And the applications that allow me to peruse their virtual bookshelf makes me dream of a virtual library burning. I’ll gladly flick the virtual lighted match after dousing the area with a virtual can of gasoline. (Real gasoline is too precious!)

Seeing such titles reminds me of the already ancient truth of basic informatics and computer programming: GIGO, or garbage in, garbage out. No wonder these people are so intellectually and socially stunted! The key reason such people thrive in online communities.

Just so you know, I’ll gladly add you to my cadre of “friends” on Facebook or MySpace. But you have to send me your contact information first: I dare not post my real name here for fear my students find out what I really think of them.