Internet Land and Familiarity

There was a woman on Facebook who posted some lines from a song, in such a way that it looked like she was contemplating suicide. Concerned commentators asked if it was real, but there was silence. It seems that the woman who posted the suicide-song-status at that point lost her internet connection, so there was no answer. Someone who was truly concerned called the police, and the police broke into her house. The next day, the woman who posted the suicide-note scolded those who were concerned for her safety, and said they were stupid for not knowing she was just sharing some words from a song. She invited those who “didn’t get it” to defriend her, which I did in an instant.

We don’t know just what the guidelines for Internet Familiarity are. Over the years, there are a precious few people whom I have never met in person, yet we are friends who know each other quite well. Then there is a big grey area. If you invite the whole world to know your troubles, if you invite a response, don’t be surprised if people you think you don’t know get concerned. You might have your internal guidelines and boundaries for how much other people may get involved in your calamities, but other people do not know them.