What I found most intriguing about
Chuck Klosterman's newest book, was the manner in which character personality was progressively revealed through the detailed exploration of tangential story lines, and what it represents in the context of our global social networks.
In a time when web-based programs like
Facebook,
Gchat,
Twitter, and now
PeopleBrowsr, largely dictate how humans digitally interact, I can't help but wonder about the fate of non web-based, human interaction. Starting at birth, its no longer uncommon for children to become socially programed to communicate with others exclusively through technology, simply with the click of a mouse, or the snap of a picture. This of course should come as no surprise. With the advent and rapid evolution of the internet, social connectivity has increased exponentially, but at what expense?
Based in Los Angeles, I regularly communicate with family members in Maryland,
college friends scattered throughout the United States, and surfers in Australia, Ireland, and France. Like most humans we generally discuss such broad topics as friends, family, and work (In no particular order). If it weren't for the internet (in conjunction with social networking programs) majority of these conversations would never take place. Technology affords us the luxury of immediate global connection.
But how much is too much?
I recently witnessed a married couple (deduced by the fact that both the male and female party were wearing wedding bands) spend 68% of their restaurant dinner heavily invested in digital conversation, each of which glued to their respective
smartphones. Human conversation was at a minimum. Digitally based social connectivity has an apparent tendency to remove us from the here and now. Why conduct a single engaging conversation with someone you love, when you can instantaneously chit chat with ten casual friends? After all, the latter will ultimately help you grow your network of friends!
Chuck Klosterman's newest book proposes the intrinsic value of a single engaging conversation. Though the book doesn't literally follow a single conversation or even explicitly suggests this practice (it examines the 'normal' lives of multiple characters), it does however, explore the concept thematically. Set in a time and a town void of the internet and smartphones,
Downtown Owl: A Novel raises a social question relevant to all cyber-communication junkies;
How well can you come to know someone through electronic communication?
The tangential snippets of character back story, as fictitiously painted by Klosterman, allow the reader to gradually deduce a practical understanding for who these characters are and why they exist. As with most well written novels, this practice is not unusual. What's unique though, is the sub-textual message conveyed from the entirety of Klosterman's pages. In other words, Klosterman once again delivers an analysis of pop culture. Which world is better? The present, with instant digital communication and an elaborate network of 'friends,' but growing lack of social intimacy? Or the past, void of technology, but rich with genuine social interaction?
I don't have the answer and I imagine that both sides could be argued with countless counter points. But what I do know is, while its incredibly easy to get lost amidst the endless transmission of 1's and 0's, it's imperative to establish a foundation in reality. Find a love and pay it full attention. Define the boundaries and distinguish between the two. Social networks are here to stay, but genuine relationships are few and far between.
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