Join Us at the Parade!

Social media has been a part of my life for so long that it’s bizarre having removed myself from it.

Meeting people can be daunting. I remember that *who* I knew was often determined by factors of proximity. A friend from school, a friend from my baseball team, a friend from the house nearby in my neighborhood, or at the farmers market my dad would sell produce at. From this base I picked my friends, typically whether I liked them or not. What else is there to do while your dad is busy for 3 hours on a Saturday morning? Can’t watch cartoons or play video games away from home yet, it’s still the 90s. The only other option is asking the kid from the stall next door if they want to “play”.

Social media offered a panoply of choice. I remember considering who I wanted on my top friends for my Myspace account in middle school. Auditioning friends in my head, organizing them, moving old acquaintances off. Facebook introduced the idea of a “feed”, where your friend’s posts would be aggregated into a scrolling list. This was an innovation, but it introduced a new scenario where you could be presented with posts that you didn’t particularly care for. The next logical choice was then to filter and remove the posts. Unbeknownst to me, this was my first attempt of building an echo-chamber for myself.

One of the benefits of being around someone who is an abject shithead is that you learn patience and empathy. (Ideally.) You learn to deal with prickly people. You also learn how to look people in the eyes, which is already threatening enough, and the prevalence of social media has led to the “gen z stare” which a variety of sources have contributed to the isolation endured during the COVID pandemic.

Anyways… In honor of rediscovering the principals of human interaction, here’s some pictures of some of my new acquaintances that I met while walking in the Solvang Parade for the Santa Ynez Valley Humane Society:

The fine gentlemen in the red jacket is named Meeko, an 8 year old pug. He’s my favorite!