confusion in advertisment and emotion

Howard says “Vanity pages are often placed on commercial servers that mix advertising with the personal content” (194). Earlier this week my professor made the statement “ ‘I’m devastated’ that’s not a Facebook post.”(S. Altschuler) I was funny when she made this comment but it is also true. If someone dies this is not the kind of thing that you post on Facebook. Commonly it would be a time of mourning but to place this statement on Facebook, does it give it a new meaning? As we were talking in class we questioned if this is to be taken as serious as it is or if one should comment asking what happened or are you ok. This broadcasting or advertisement of sacred inside emotions is part of this internet folklore.
The internet, even with its limitations, is a space where anyone can be who they want to and express themselves freely without anyone looking or immediately judging them. To me it is like a world that coexists with the actual world. With social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook you can set up a profile and just let your imagination go wild. Like others I have found these sites to be a way to keep in touch and have a relationship with other people that I would not have if it were in actual life. As I walk though campus I notice that many of these people- some time or another- I have had class with me and are my friend on Facebook. However, I have never exchanged phone numbers or talked to any of these people a day in my life. But as far as Face book is concerned, they are my friend. On these social networking sited you can control how popular you are and how people see you. If you do not like someone or if you want to send them a message to leave you alone all you have to do is delete them as a friend. When this happens it comes off as official that you don’t want them in your life. You do not have to say one word to them unless you chose to.
This informality is what is what seems to be the same thing that is going on with the comment “I’m devastated” but in a different way. Online I feel like, some extent, it is a portal to my mind at times. So things I don’t want to or don’t feel comfortable saying out loud I’ll but as my status. Though this is not the ideal or what these social networking site are for, you cannot help the urge for at least one other human being knowing or questioning your wellbeing or at minimum knowing how u are feeling. In this fast paced world we do not have time to sit down and discuss our day or our feeling to one another. And many of us do not really trust anyone to the point that we will tell then what is going on in our minds. So why not tell a complete stranger or test who really does care about you by just writing a status update.
By doing this it almost opens your life for interpretation and it is a form of entertainment in a weird and awkward way. After people comment you feel good about yourself or content. I would not go as far as to post that someone died and say that I am devastated, everyone does not have to know that. However, I still believe that some things should stay inside and some emotions or anxieties should not be soothed by the internet but the internet is a venue whether it be good or bad. Writing that you are devastated is one for of this blending of advertisement and personal content. You become so intertwined that this posting is an advertisement and you life is played for everyone to see by just the press of a button.