Interesting/Interested.

Let's talk about interesting people.

In High Fidelity, Rob Gordon says "what really matters is what you like, not what you are like..." Well said! But in this info-frenzied 21st Century, I think the irony of this sentiment has been lost; eroded and gentrified.

Think about it: on our various social-cyber networks we announce daily to the world what books we like, what bands we like, what movies we like, what social causes we endorse, what political parties we back... et cetera-et cetera. But why do we make such proclamations? What is there to gain? I'd say: attention.

When you tell the electronic void that you own a telescope, and that you really like Doolittle or love Marcel Duchamp, you present the cyber-electronic-social-networking community with a picture of yourself as a curious person who appreciates art and has a kick-ass taste in pop music. But in reality, this isn't the case. And you know it. And the cyber world knows it, too. What you really are is a self-conscious person who aims to define his-or-herself by their tastes and longs for acknowledgement and acceptance. Right? Am I being cruel? Maybe.

But even if this is the case, does it really matter now? Everybody (or nearly everybody) has a Facebook account, and nearly everybody uses it to shout into the void of uninterested listeners what Russian novel is their favourite. But the community is not paying attention because the community is busy announcing their own likes and dislikes. So, perhaps "community" is a misnomer.

And sure, maybe you seem interesting because of your tastes, but are you interested? Are you genuinely interested in the things that you say? Are you curious? Are you confused? Are you fascinated to the point of paralysis? Or, do you just like starting stories with "When I was at the Moma/in India/reading Tolstoy..." Because if you are interested, why announce it? Who has the time? But then again, who has the time for a blog?

... I guess that's something to think about... Interesting? Or interested? Until we answer that, I guess you should keep shouting out, into the electronic void that you got into Journalism school.

Congratulations.