A Note On Self-Indulgence

Kanye was the first to say we were all self-conscious, and I'm going on record as the first to be saying we're all self-indulgent.

Every single person who makes themselves a MySpace, Facebook, hosts a blog (or two (or three!)), Twitters, or whatever new form of mass-communication is on its way to inundating us, is self-indulgent. So don't act like this is some new development, don't write it off as a communication tool (because phones still exist) and don't say you only skim other people's profiles. You're assigning yourself importance.

You spend hours writing about your interests, your likes, your dislikes, what kind of socks you wear, what's going on with that zit you had on your face, everyone sees everything now. I'm like that too; I'm just not shy about it. I know what I am.

It's all about identity. An identity in the real world isn't enough. Online, you can change what you look like. You can emphathize the parts of you that you love, you can ignore the parts that don't, you can choose a completely new identity altogether! 

You know that inner-beauty thing? It used to be a running gag; something your mother told you when your outside started slacking. An excuse to not feel like a giant turd about your big nose or the large gut. A cop-out.

But I've seen brilliant poetry written by people I'd normally avoid on the street. I've seen the nastiest comments by people I've been attracted to. This is where the "real you" that was always promised comes through, for better or worse. This is pure personality. You can tell the depth of a person (or lack there-of) simply by perusing their profiles.

So if you have a MySpace, or a Facebook, gently remind yourself that it's not just a tool for keeping up with friends, it's also a little temple you've erected to yourself. Either get comfortable with that and start decorating it or delete the goddamn thing.

PS: Stacy Dash = mega-hot. And KEL MITCHELL WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN???