Social networking and our society

The last couple of days, I've been watching something play out on Facebook, and couldn't help but be struck by how it echoes the bigger picture of our society.

One of the dramas is a 20-something girl's ongoing saga. You can watch her involve herself with substances that every few days lead her to consternation and conflict. They're really just the trigger. But whether they lead to her battling other people, straining or even losing relationships or even getting arrested, it only takes her days to return to them and have negative results. But she doesn't admit to the cause and effect.

That's a serious situation. It's not up to the common observor to decide if she's addicted to something or not.

But it is interesting to watch the hue and cry that is always ongoing with her 20-something female friends, who feels slighted or wronged, who justifies and who swears off to only return almost as quickly as the page can refresh.

Although the substances may be reflective of some part of American life, it is the maelstrom that is always ongoing that is much more indicative of a dominating piece of our culture right now. It's like they've all watched too many episodes of The Hills and feel they have to make their own lives as "exciting," at least as gossipy. They would claim they hate the drama, but you can watch and see it gives them spark and energy. It is their cause for going on each day.

On the other side, I've watched a high school acquaintance learn of his cancer, reveal it to the world and deal. In contrast to the very public debacle of the young girls, his revelation was matter of fact. His internal consideration of what it means was a single sentence of how quickly he needs to ensure he's lived life. And his gratitude for the outpouring of attempted comfort from people he's barely crossed paths with for three decades was complete and compact.

Drama is an overused word in our society. I've used it too many times in this piece. Once there was melodrama used for the superficial and pointlessly public outcries that some love to draw attention. And there was drama for the true struggles of life. But we've lumped them all together under the simple smaller world anymore.

I don't think the gap between the two types justifies the compression of our language.