three hundred sixty five days ago
Posted by anya on June 18th, 2010 filed in Uncategorized
I am not usually very good at looking back, but I remember exactly where I was this time last year. I was on an airplane (one of three) going from St. Petersburg to Manila. Anna and I were just embarking on the trip that we had been planning (dreaming of?) since high school. We spent so many beautiful days on beaches and in the dots between them. We mingled, ate roti canai for breakfast, drank copious amounts of watermelon juice, and wandered through malls and street stalls. We saw the second tallest man in the world. We took pictures and made video blogs. We laughed. For me, the trip ended in September, while Anna’s continued. I went to Vancouver, filled out applications for grad school, and took off again. I saw New York. I went back to Ottawa. I spent precious time with Salima, time that there could never be enough of. I made my way back to the West, both earlier and later than I had hoped. I got a wonderful, challenging, rewarding job that I wish could have lasted longer. I decided to go (back, sort of) to Indonesia. I’m here now. I know where I will be in September. A big, beautiful world with so many colors. That’s how life feels and I’m so incredibly grateful.
June 20th, 2010 at 9:15 pm
i want this. i feel like i’m going somewhere. somewhere i want to be, somewhere i have wanted to be for a long time and i’m happy that i am getting there. but i never stop and just smile. or laugh. and cherish what i have now. thanks for the reminder! ;)
i miss you. and one day, in this big, beautiful world we shall meet again. and smile. and laugh…
June 24th, 2010 at 12:34 am
Hi Anya,
I am sorry you found my tweet “absurd” and chose to broadcast that on twitter.
I was trying to highlight fresh research by Women’s Aid in Ireland who have seen a rise in calls to their helpline regarding the control of womens lives through social media.
One woman a month is killed by their partner or a former partner in Ireland.
As you might know, one of the ways an abuser controls is through limiting and minimising social contact.
Women have contacted the helpline after being harassed by abusers on social media after they have had the courage to leave.
Womens Aid came to me to help put out some information about how you can still use social media, as is your right, without allowing an abuser access to your information.
Does that still sound absurd to you?
Amanda
June 24th, 2010 at 7:45 pm
Hi Amanda,
I appreciate your response to my tweet, and if broadcasting my opinion came off as rude then perhaps I need some tutoring on what is a social media faux pas ;)
I think you got me wrong, though – I wasn’t commenting on the absurdity of women’s safety online, but instead on the liberal stampage of ‘social media’ on any given topic. There is no denying that the Internet is a new dimension in public life, and it’s a pretty common point that it has implications for safety of its users (although I should add that this applies to men, women, and those who don’t see themselves on that binary). I can appreciate the particular relevance to women when it comes to research about domestic violence, although when it comes to an abuser’s access to information, there has been equally convincing research with respect to cyber-bullying of teenagers, marginalized groups, or, let’s face it, anyone unlucky enough to piss off a smart 4chan member. I don’t think your topic of discussion was either absurd or profound – it’s exactly the issue those currently criticizing Facebook are getting at.
What I meant by that tweet was instead that, in my opinion, ‘social media’ has become an absurdly convenient catchphrase for people who have made a career out of professing their expertise in it. I am not sure that I see the difference between “I’m on The Last Word tonight talking about how women can keep themselves safe on social media: hint – friends lists and blocking” and “I’m on The Last Word tonight talking about how women can keep themselves safe online: hint – friends lists and blocking.”. It’s just that stating the former has suddenly afforded people the moniker of ‘expert’ or ‘guru’ (or ‘agony aunt’). I see the liberal use of ‘social media’ in this case as gratuitous and a little gimmicky. I can appreciate it if you don’t agree and tell me that this is only a semantic debate, but this is the exact line being touted by anyone in the bubble. And that, to me, is absurd.
Finally, I hope my response has made it obvious that although you were on the receiving end of my cynicism, it wasn’t directed at you personally but on a growing industry that I treat with a healthy dose of skepticism.
Anya
September 7th, 2015 at 4:46 am
Well, I did what MC Lady did .basked in the beauty of David’s voice (and in the bifuteaul simplicity of the video). Great way to start my morning, went to his OS to watch first thing! David is so good in these videos. Great quality too and it is fabulous in HD and full screen. Very nice David!(love his lower register too)!