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Let me start by saying that I have the same gut reaction that you do. On the other hand, isn't this position essentially saying that because the things in you

by GavinB 14y ago

Let me start by saying that I have the same gut reaction that you do. On the other hand, isn't this position essentially saying that because the things in your life are similar to others and not surprising, they aren't valuable and worthy of documentation? What's wrong with "look at me?" Am I not worthy of being looked at by my friends because I haven't done something remarkable? Just because my kid isn't really all that different from every other kid, or thousands of other people were also at that concert (and my photos are mediocre at best). . . And if I share something actually remarkable that I've done, it's just "bragging," right? I don't log in to facebook very often. But when I do, what else should I expect to see but what's going on in their lives? My instinct is the same as yours--to hold back and be private. To not share my life with others, because they might be bored. To not document my everyday triumphs and failures, because they're not really that different from anyone else's. But I have a sneaking feeling we might be wrong about this one. Maybe our boring human lives are worth documenting and sharing.

bjcy 14y ago
I agree with you in some regards and I think this is a great point (not because I agree with you, of course ;) .) However, I think jgrahamc and you are speaking to different things. There is documentation, much like our parents did when we went to the beach as a toddler and we took that picture with mom and the sandcastle, and then there is personal curation that lives in narcissism and strikes me as dishonest (or too honest, perhaps). There is sharing triumphs and failures, and then there is bounding triumph and failure with one's personal accounts as to make the world about the documenter instead of about the documenter as part of, well, the world. I'm not sure I have this idea completely worked out as this seems subjective and who can really judge another's motives with absolute certainty. All I know is there is a fine line and we would be careful to hold ourselves to a standard that encourages sharing life without making life about ourselves. After all, you can't be open source (which we LOVE) when you're all closed-sourcey yourself. Anyway, just a little food for thought that came into my head with your observations.

by GavinB 14y ago

bjcy 14y ago

I agree with you in some regards and I think this is a great point (not because I agree with you, of course ;) .) However, I think jgrahamc and you are speaking to different things. There is documentation, much like our parents did when we went to the beach as a toddler and we took that picture with mom and the sandcastle, and then there is personal curation that lives in narcissism and strikes me as dishonest (or too honest, perhaps). There is sharing triumphs and failures, and then there is bounding triumph and failure with one's personal accounts as to make the world about the documenter instead of about the documenter as part of, well, the world. I'm not sure I have this idea completely worked out as this seems subjective and who can really judge another's motives with absolute certainty. All I know is there is a fine line and we would be careful to hold ourselves to a standard that encourages sharing life without making life about ourselves. After all, you can't be open source (which we LOVE) when you're all closed-sourcey yourself. Anyway, just a little food for thought that came into my head with your observations.