Baby Daddy
I found out recently that the girl I took to junior prom in high school is pregnant. Since, thanks to the collective efforts of Ari Savitsky and Sonia Gupta Inc., we're approaching our own senior prom, this feels particularly odd. I'm not ruminating on getting old just because a high school friend is pregnant, since there's too much chance involved. No, instead, I'm thinking about away message/AIM profile culture.
The pregnant girl, who will be referred to from this point forward as Preggers, has a poll in her away message about what she should name her baby. She also has numerous quotes from friends drunkenly IM'ing her about her upcoming child, and how she dislikes a lot of the side effects of pregnancy. No word on how much Preggers likes the prime effect of pregnancy; namely, bearing a child, but that's to be expected. It's a lot more personal. Morning sickness is funny, as is hating your dad for getting pissed off at you for being pregnant (I guess). But the real life-changing implications of becoming pregnant due to bad luck at age 21? That's a core issue, and one to be avoided in AIM away messages.
Avoided, for now at least. Progressive generations tend to get less prudish about posting personal information online, or at least less prudish about information in general. So will our kids poll their friends online as to whether or not they should abort or bear their child? All I know is, when I eventually think about a career change from hobo to writer, or something else really important, I hope that I don't make that information public to the entire online community. Let alone the name of my kid.
A girl I dated a few times when I was 19 had a line in her profile to the effect of, "When we're 45, will we have away messages like 'luv you johnny, 22 years, 3 kids and counting'? I hope so!" It's funny, but there really is something to be said about the obsession with AIM profiles and away message stalking. What that is, exactly, I don't know, because it's 2:20 AM right now. But it's something to think on.
Keep my friend Preggers in mind, and use two condoms or something. Maybe that's my point.
The pregnant girl, who will be referred to from this point forward as Preggers, has a poll in her away message about what she should name her baby. She also has numerous quotes from friends drunkenly IM'ing her about her upcoming child, and how she dislikes a lot of the side effects of pregnancy. No word on how much Preggers likes the prime effect of pregnancy; namely, bearing a child, but that's to be expected. It's a lot more personal. Morning sickness is funny, as is hating your dad for getting pissed off at you for being pregnant (I guess). But the real life-changing implications of becoming pregnant due to bad luck at age 21? That's a core issue, and one to be avoided in AIM away messages.
Avoided, for now at least. Progressive generations tend to get less prudish about posting personal information online, or at least less prudish about information in general. So will our kids poll their friends online as to whether or not they should abort or bear their child? All I know is, when I eventually think about a career change from hobo to writer, or something else really important, I hope that I don't make that information public to the entire online community. Let alone the name of my kid.
A girl I dated a few times when I was 19 had a line in her profile to the effect of, "When we're 45, will we have away messages like 'luv you johnny, 22 years, 3 kids and counting'? I hope so!" It's funny, but there really is something to be said about the obsession with AIM profiles and away message stalking. What that is, exactly, I don't know, because it's 2:20 AM right now. But it's something to think on.
Keep my friend Preggers in mind, and use two condoms or something. Maybe that's my point.
