Feel Me, Touch Me, Don't Text Me

Joe Scarborough (MSNBC “Morning Joe” host) thinks "Facebook is cynically feeding the narcissistic appetites of a self-consumed culture that is populated by teenage vulgarians, desperate housewives and bored men." Rolling Stone recently said "technology is winning the battle against actual human contact, creating a nation of narcissists shaping their own reality like a Facebook page. If youth can’t see itself in this movie, it’s just not paying attention.” They're both right and, as Scarborough says, our humanity cannot be realized in 140 characters or less. That said, I suspect this a passing cultural phenomenon. In time, society will learn that "un-friending" intimacy is a certain road to profound unhappiness. But, alas, we are hardwired to do stuff the hard way. We have to touch the flame to discover it burns. Likewise, we'll further plumb the artificial depths of social networking before realizing our need for the oxygen of physical human bonding.