• Who am I?
  • Creativity
  • IPv6
  • SDN
  • Security

Creative|Technologist

[email protected]
Login

Login
don't panic don't panic don't panic don't panic
  • Who am I?
  • Creativity
  • IPv6
  • SDN
  • Security

Has the Internet brought us closer to Immortality?

Home Internet Has the Internet brought us closer to Immortality?

Has the Internet brought us closer to Immortality?

Oct 26, 2010 | Posted by ~Chris | Internet, Miscellaneous, Philosophy, Technology |

I recently observed an interesting phenomenon.

About a week ago, I noticed an update in my Facebook ‘News Feed.’ The update was a post on my friend Nate Day’s ‘wall’ made by his wife, Joleen Day. What is most interesting about this is not that my friend’s wife left a note on her husband’s wall or that this note showed up in my own personal news feed. No, I found it interesting because my friend was buried 35 days before I played voyeur to this exchange between wife and husband.

Like over 500 million others to date, Nathan Day created a Facebook account for himself. Maybe he did it to find old friends or to stay in touch with current ones, perhaps to meet new people or maybe just to broadcast his own thoughts, ideas and achievements.  In any case, he did it. Created an online profile of himself. He uploaded words and images, shared thoughts, feelings, links, quotes and probably created some market data about 30 something Internet geeks along the way. And while this story is about Facebook specifically, this one website is not (and certainly would not remain) the sole repository of these online profiles – they are now found on almost all websites, in varying degrees of depth and complexity.

Regardless of where the information is uploaded to, the Internet (in this case through Facebook) remembers these things. Because of the data that Nate shared, the Internet knows Nate and is able to represent him, at least partially. What the Internet does not know – at least not in the way that we know it – is that Nate is dead.

The moment that my dear friend shuffled off this mortal coil I lost the ability to communicate with him directly. In the past this meant that I could only whisper to him silently and alone or talk about him with others.  This is where the current Internet – specifically social media – gets interesting.

Nate’s Facebook profile is unique to other, previous forms of communication in two ways: It’s public and it’s “free.”

Most communication through social media avenues is akin to sending messages to your friends via billboard or radio advertisement. Yes, they get the message but so does anyone else in the vicinity who cares to pay attention.This is the attribute that allowed me to see a message sent from wife to husband at all. My Facebook news feed contains plenty of this historically private chatter.

The other thing that sets most current Internet communication apart from the past is the fee structure. End users are actually not the customers in this model and as such are not expected to pay for their communication over these services (at least not in dollars). So, while a billboard announcing my love for my wife and children would soon be taken down if I didn’t keep coughing up money (assuming I could pay for it in the first place), I can announce the same (almost as publicly) online for no fee at all. The great thing about not having a fee is that there is no time limit – the message (or profile) can stay there forever.

And so it is that a month after his passing, I can still eavesdrop when my friends speak directly to Nate. I can still read his basic info, his likes and dislikes. I can read back through his updates and the updates left for him. I can interact with the online profiles that represent Nate, almost exactly as I did a few months ago.

This reminds me of the Sci-Fi I grew up with and the notion that we may someday upload our Selves into the cloud to live forever. It makes me wonder again at how possible that may be and about what immortality truly means…

Regardless, I know without wondering that Nate’s genius and love can not be easily duplicated and that he will live forever in the hearts of his family and his friends, among which I am proud to count myself.

Be at peace my friend.

Sharing is Caring!

  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)

Related

Share

About ~Chris

Creative|Technologist. Curious. Boisterous. Autotelic Autodidact. Heretic. Hacker. Rider of Boards. Writer of Words. ...Traveler of Time... Client Success VP @ Myriad360.

1 Comment

Leave your reply.
  • Jonathan Day
    · Reply

    November 2, 2010 at 10:53 AM

    Chris, thank you for your thoughts. I often find myself going to Nates page to read thru his and others thoughts. Somtimes I feel a though it is a curse. On the days I have classes that I know Nate would Love, I reach for the phone to banter over practices and theories. Instead I find myself looking over his facebook page. I loved debating with Nate even if he was wrong he would fight to the death.

    sincerely,
    Jon Day

Leave a Reply

Thanks for reaching out!
Cancel Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Reach Out

Hi! I'd love to hear from you. Send me an email and I'll get back to you, asap.

Send Message

Search this site!

IETF TechFieldDay Miscellaneous IPv6 Security Myths Update ARIN Internet Politics Juniper Happiness Technology Learning IPv6 Policy Creativity Tech Policy Networking SDN Security Philosophy ISOC Travel Colorado CircleID

Popular Posts:

  • 2021: Setting My Intention
  • NAT444 (CGN/LSN) and What it Breaks
  • Chris Grundemann
  • 100.64.0.0/10 - Shared Transition Space

Recent Posts:

  • 2021: Setting My Intention
  • 2020 in the Rear View
  • General McChrystal is Wrong
  • 2020: Six Down, Six To Go

Let’s Connect!

© 2021 · Chris Grundemann.

Prev Next
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.