As Far As You Know

A recent source of amusement around these parts has been the phenomenon of "un-friending" someone on Facebook. This has happened to me: one day you notice that a person who once asked you to approve his/her friendship request has since quietly dropped you from "friend" status. It's hard to take it too seriously, of course, but it begs the question why one would initiate the contact in the first place. Then there's a class of people who want me among their Facebook friends, but block me from seeing their messages, photos, etc. I guess some insecurity like this is to be expected from kids who worry about a faculty member seeing their "secrets"--though the vast majority of kids at Choate who have friended me apparently don't worry about it--but it's harder to explain when graduates do the same thing. What's the point?