A Take On Trendy Add-Ons

Have you been given a chance to grow a virtual garden? Do you wish you could be referred to in the real world by the knight name you’ve been issued? Are you tired of your friends sending you virtual pets? Do you often have the urge, in the real world, to throw food at a stranger? If you answered "yes" to any or all of these questions, you more than likely have a Facebook and/or Myspace account. However, if you don’t and you answered "yes" to the last question, you’re not alone, buddy. If only I had a sack of meatballs to throw at the people who try to cut me in line, I’d be a calmer person.

I infrequently sign into my Facebook or Myspace accounts. When I do, I’m inundated with offers to add add-ons to my account. While some of them are cute, (Who doesn’t like receiving a flower on a bad day?) there are many that are bizarre (Do I really need to tell the web community what fungus I am?). It is amazing how many people jump at the chance to add yet one more piece of useless information to their account. It is more amazing still that people are paid to create these add-ons. Talk about a nice gig!

Our profiles are meant to be an extension of ourselves. We are showing our community what matters to us, what makes us who we are. I applaud people for being unique, broadcasting their uniqueness to anyone who will listen. Still, returning to the fungus add-on, have we gone too far? Do we really need to know everything about each other? Could it be that by adding each add-on we’re losing a piece of ourselves/our original intention in getting the profile?

Years from now, after our virtual gardens have been overgrown with weeds because a virtual garden alone can't hold a candle to a virtual peninsula, will we even still fill in the boxes that ask for information? Or will we simply assume people will get a total picture of who we are by what add-ons we have? It's a scary thought, but not too far off.