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TheStar.com - Life - I use it to spy
I use it to spy
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Apr 03, 2007 04:30 AM
Jen Gerson
I found him on Facebook.
He's chubby now, sports a cubic zirconia in one ear and a thin beard trimmed tight around the jaw. For religious views, he writes: "SMOKE WEED EVERY DAY." Favourite books: "hahahahahahahahahaha. Who has time to read?" He says he's an exotic dancer at Chip & Dales where he works "as eye candy for money."
This is the guy who tormented me in high school.
He called me a dork. He reminded me daily of how few people liked me. He accused me of being a lesbian in biology class.
His Facebook profile has become a source of constant comfort. Whenever I feel disliked or dorky, I look at his page. His lack of success in life fills me with petty glee.
Unlike others in Generation Y, I use Facebook for more nefarious purposes than just keeping track of my acquaintances or inviting people to parties or sharing photos. I am a shameless snoop. I use it to spy and I'm not afraid to admit it.
Myspace, Facebook and now services such as Twitter are reconnecting us with every person we've met since childhood. I know where the person I hate most is working. I know who my Grade 4 choir rival is dating. I know that a high school friend with a baby is addicted to eBay.
I've looked up all of my exes.
Facebook claims more than 430,000 members in Toronto – a number that, following a Gladwellian Tipping Point, has almost doubled in the past month – it's a trend that's not likely to blow out. The Internet has made it easy to keep up and keep snooping. It's turning us – not just me – into a generation of voyeurs.
Facebook can act as a party planner, and then provide the virtual space to upload evidence of the debauchery. It allows for moment by moment updates with blog-like authority. The amount of detail on a Facebook page can be overwhelming.
"You can be a Facebook stalker," says Spencer Vaudry, 18. "It gets ridiculous."
Of course, the impulse to spy would be nothing without a cadre of bloggers, bookers and exhibitionists ready to sate the demand.
One of these is Justin Kan, 23. The San Franciscan attached a video camera to his head almost two weeks ago and has broadcast the minutia of his life in real time on Justin.tv. Initially he included his cellphone number so fans could call him, but eventually had to remove it.
"My cellphone has physically exploded because of call volume."
Kan also dealt with pranksters who called 9-1-1 on him, bringing armed officers into his home – one of the more dramatic moments of an Internet phenom that includes more mundane moments; such as Kan eating, Kan sleeping, Kan using the bathroom ...
"Why am I doing this? Because it's a lot of fun," he says. "I get to show people what it's like to live the life of Justin Kan. And people have liked it and that's a pretty good feeling."
Five hundred people watch Kan sleep.
Feeding the Internet the details of our lives is addictive. It makes every party we go to, every fight, every insight feel like they are worth publishing. It makes our lives seem grand and theatrical.
Break-ups between friends and lovers are no longer just gossip, they are sent via RSS feed to the inboxes of our followers, also known as friends.
I don't think any of us can make a clear distinction between the private and public spheres of our lives anymore. Is it okay to upload drunken photos of ourselves on the Internet if the album is private? Can we blog about our jobs if our Livejournal doesn't attach our name?
We understand anonymity and permissions and privacy settings, but know nothing about discretion.
Pundits have been warning us for years that these indiscretions will come back to haunt us; that our drunken rampages and open drug use will keep us from finding jobs; that our advertised one-night stands will scare away potential mates.
I'm less worried about this than I am about a generation that thinks nothing about putting video cameras on every street corner. I'm worried that we're making ourselves vulnerable to government and corporations who will use our indiscretion to quietly wrest our privacy from us.
Facebook makes me worried about a world in which no one needs to watch us, because we're all watching one another.
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