While I was reading the excerpts from the Die Botschaft paper in Fishman's I couldn't help but be reminded of Twitter and Facebook. With constant updates such as "doing laundry" or "riding the bus lol" the triviality is one of the main arguments against these social networks. However, I saw the same thing in the Amish newspaper. Some scribes contributions involving lines like "would write more but getting ready for church" or "didn't write last week, cleaning" (these are not exact quotes, just the gist). One man even complained that some scribes were writing information that no one really cared about. Reading these excerpts gave me an insight into what are lives would be like with out Twitter or Facebook status updates: the same. Even in these two radically different cultures, people still feel the need to inform others about their everyday chores. To me, this says a lot about human nature.
3 comments:
I laugh at people who post these boring statuses on Facebook that describe every detail of their lives. Do they really need to post stuff about what they are doing as if to validate their lives or get credit for doing it?
But, if they really bother me, why do I read them? I know which of my “friends” update the world on their not-so-exciting lives, and I could easily skip reading these people’s posts in my news feed; however, there is something that draws me to reading these posts by people who sometimes I barely even know. Perhaps I am nosey or like to roll my eyes at their need of validation, but maybe there is something more pulling at me under the surface. Maybe it is the need to commiserate with other humans about living. Sometimes I’ll read a post that corresponds with something in my day or something that I can relate to. It is then that I feel connected to that person, another human being on the planet doing similar stuff during the doldrums of the day.
All humans need to feel connected to others; perhaps this is why the Amish scribes write what they did that day that prevented them from writing. They write these tidbits to relieve their lives, and people will read these seemingly insignificant details and relate to them, and feel connected in some tiny way.
I completely agree, Meg. Facebook statuses look like Die Botschaft submissions on technology steroids. A technology, though, that is almost frightening at how quickly it can reach so many people--some you may not even know exist.
However in line with what Kelsi was saying about the necessity of human connection, I think the two types of excerpts exist as a sort of leisure writing that, correct me if I'm wrong, seems minimal or almost entirely absent from the Amish lifestyle. After reading the section of Fishman's observations at the Meadow Brook school, it seemed clear to me that all writing was devoid of any personal expression, and regularly discouraged.
Writing can only exist here if it serves a functional purpose, and while informing others in the community that you were doing your laundry isn't what I would think of as expressive, maybe it's the only way they could get away with making their writing personal in some way.
I too made the same connection to facebook statuses when reading Die Botschaft. I also agree with Kelsi, the only reason this daily dairy type writing is so popular is because others want to read it. I have no idea why we find another's log of their day, even the most mundane details as washing the dishes, so intriguing, but we do. Taking it a step further, I think this ties in with the obsession with Jersey Shore, and any other reality television show-people want to see others act in their everyday, unscripted environment. Sometimes episodes can be really boring, just like the newspaper submissions and facebook statuses, and yet the show, and writing style, remains popular. Again, I agree with Kelsi it all comes back to making connections and relating to others.
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