Digital Footprints

There’s something distinctly unfriendly in requiring people to participate in your chosen broadcast forum in order to participate in your life, rather than reaching out to them individually. It’s like that older aunt who sends out a form letter once a year to tell you all about that family vacation and their kids’ successful lives and the new car they bought, with the only personal touch being the signature at the end: she isn’t interested in you or your path through life, she’s just proudly announcing her own satisfaction at you. Which is great—I’m glad that people are happy and want to share that—but that’s not a friendship.

That bit about the older aunt stings. When I first sent a holiday message, after a stroke, there was a great deal of self-satisfaction in the act. I've been seeing the issue as a matter of widening my digital footprint. This shows there's more involved.

via Explore