Well, I’m more rested. I guess there’s that. I’m also scatterbrained. And full of avocado and cheese whiz, but that shouldn’t affect my writing. enough with the short sentences: let us begin the ramble. Tonight’s topic is Social media! We’re in a distinctly different phase of human conversation and communication then we were just a decade ago. None of the popular social media technologies are absolutely novel and brand new to this age. They build on the history of bulletin board systems (BBS), internet relay chat (irc) and probably dozens of other technologies that I don’t remember. Nerds have been using these methods of building alternate communities for a long time, but the difference is mainstream adoption. When your mom has a facebook page and chats with you and your friends, you’re mainstream. And it doesn’t get more mainstream than the inevitable flood of businesses trying to leverage social media to sell their wares. What’s really interesting about Facebook’s popularity is the perception that is somehow is a private place, when it’s much more like a virtual public commons. We saw a small group of very dumb and sad young men learn that people pay attention to Facebook. People like police officers. These foolish lads thought that the rules of society were relaxed during the riot, and so they smiled widely for the many cameras present. Imagine their forlorn surprise when those same pictures were circling the world and bringing the brunt of societal disapproval and legal ramifications home to roost. They really didn’t think that you could be held accountable for the things posted to Facebook. Oops. You could choose to focus on the dumb young men who were at the centre of the Vancouver riot, but the more compelling outcome of the riot was the almost immediate community response. Through Facebook, local Vancouverites were able to voice their outrage, and more importantly, come together to plan a cleanup effort for the very next day. The message sent from those concerned citizens was one of cooperation and community spirit, and it was an uplifting event. There will always be people who seek out opportunity to make a mess and create chaos: you can mitigate their actions, but dummies will be dummies. But, we’re reaching a point where the digital community is wide-spread enough and cohesive enough that they have a clear voice. I think that’s an exciting development. We have to hold each other accountable for our actions, and these citizens did just that. Important proviso: I do not in any way support harassment or persecution. The rioters should feel the collective scorn of the community, but they should still enjoy the rights and privileges afforded to every Canadian by the charter of rights and freedoms and our laws. Rules are rules.

After a terrible night of sleep (thank you, too much coffee and hyperactive imagination) and a long day with the little dude, I am barely able to recognize simple colours and shapes, let alone whip up a cohesive blog post. But, it’s been several days and I don’t like leaving you faithful readers unattended for so long. So, as a compromise, I will both promise you a post tomorrow (unless my head falls off) AND offer you a poll. Participation!

“Might paint something I might want to hang here someday,
Might write something I might want to say to you someday,
Might do something I’d be proud of someday.
Mark my words, I might be something someday.”

– Tegan and Sara, “Someday”

What I love about this song is the optimism it exudes. The claim of potential greatness isn’t a desperate plea for more time, it’s a confident statement of what might lie ahead. And it doesn’t mean that you’re unhappy with who you are currently, or that you don’t feel proud of your accomplishments to date. Real faith in your potential comes from a strong sense of self-confidence.
For years, my mother has told me that  I have potential.( Of course she usually follows that positive statement with a ‘but’ clause and goes into how I’ve squandered that potential, but that’s a story for another day. ) Every time she would say that, I would feel mildly panicked. I did not believe that I had any real potential, and any that I may have had I was locked out of by my anxieties and general shortcomings. Really, I would feel a wave of guilt as if I was deceptively presenting myself as a talented individual. I can say now, clearly and confidently, that I do have potential. Reams of it. Giant, terrifying piles of potential, growing bigger and badder every day.
And I don’t see the optimism as being tied to achieving the promised greatness. My only hope is that I can keep improving, and if I do something fantastic, then great. But, if I never reach the dizzying heights of astounding success, I will have the satisfaction of having met a parade of interesting people, and I will have a lifetime full of wonderful experiences. The best part of the whole deal is that  Max is going to watch me on this journey and learn from my both my triumphs and my astounding mistakes, cheering for me along the way. Mark my words, I might be something someday 🙂