Like it's my job

So for the past few months....well, that's not entirely accurate. I guess it's more accurate to say that my life has ALWAYS revolved around the internet. It's largely due to the fact that I am a part of Generation Y, Echo Boomers or Millenniums (whatever you want to call us, they're all accurate.) And the internet was something that was just starting to enter homes just as I was old enough to really understand what it was. In fact, I can clearly remember the first time I ever used the internet: to look up Princess Diana's death in 1997 (I was 10.)

And I remember ever since that day, the internet has been a big part of my life. It wasn't long after that when I discovered this nifty little community called LiveJournal. Now, I must remind you that this was back in the day when you had to get a code from someone who already had a LiveJournal to start your own. I received my code from the first person I ever told I was gay: my then best friend N. (But that's besides the point.)

Anyway, so I started to write in my LiveJournal as if that's what it actually was: a journal. This was also when I got my first realization that anything that's written on the internet is written in ink, not pencil. It doesn't just go away and can get you in loads of trouble. (See also: a few of my friends reading what I wrote about them and then never talking to me again.) Life on LiveJournal was short lived. Popularity quickly swung to a similar site called Xanga and then came the age of MySpace. And I'll admit, I had all of these sites but my MySpace was one of a very short life. I think I had it for a few weeks until I went to college, got my ".edu" e-mail address and was finally allowed onto Facebook.

Now, Facebook, like most people, has become a regularly visited site (in fact, it's one of my home pages.) And it's an integral part in connecting with people on a regular basis. But with the birth of Facebook, came the explosion of social networking. Suddenly, people could keep track of other people's every day lives. Some, many actually, have made careers out of this. And I think it was about two years ago that I dipped my big toe into the giant pool that is Social Networking.

I started making YouTube videos, posting about once a week. And then I started a Twitter account about 6 months after that. And about a year ago I began my dailybooth account and now I have not only this blog but also a venue where I sell t-shirts based on my YouTube account and a FourSquare account. I now tell people that I social network like it's my job and that I have a hard time unplugging. Because it's true!

While I might not hyperventilate because there's no wi-fi somewhere, I do feel a slight, but distinct, sense of panic when I realize that for whatever reason, I can't access the internet? It sounds like an addiction, but I promise you, it's not. It's more like taking a vacation at a higher climate: difficult at first, noticeable, and you know you'll get used to it but in the back of your mind, you really can't wait to get back to a normal altitude.

It's funny, with all of my social networking accounts and various ways to connect to absolute strangers all over the globe, I am still on the hunt for new and fun ways to make more connections to more people that I don't know. I can't explain it really......I'll just say that I'm comfortable at this climate and have no plans on taking a trip to the mountains.

-K

P.S. If you'd like some links to my social networking sites, start searching. I promised myself that this blog would remain anonymous and I plan to keep that promise. Kudos to you if you find me. You're probably a social networking freakshow like myself.