We spoke in class on Friday about high school reunions and people's efforts to maintain or reconnect with their high school identity. Additionally, the lengths individuals will go to to protect themselves from the potential embarrassment that may be initiated at a high school reunion.
I was curious whether the fairly recent development of social networking sites like Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, etc. will change the climate of high school reunions. Will as many people even attend their reunions? Will we have the desire to catch up face to face with old classmates when we can simply "facebook stalk" their profiles?
What effect, if any, will the internet have on the future of high school reunions? Will people be more or less apt to attend? Will reunions be more or less a tradition of the past? Since we are the first generation to fully take advantage of facebook, I was thinking we might have thoughts about the future?
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As a recent graduate of high school, I feel that my 5, 10, and 20 year reunions may soon become non-existent. With the development of Facebook and other applications that make it easier to communicate with fellow classmates without the need to talk face-to-face, many people will probably be less attracted to the thought of going and seeing old friends when they can just chat or look at their profile online.
ReplyDeleteI know a few graduates who haven't gone to their reunions because they still keep in touch online. But does that even justify this new type of online "reunion"?
And as for future generations, I think that high school reunions will not even be a consideration. Because cellphones, computers, and other electronics have become our lifelines and have allowed people in society to communicate without actual face-to-face interaction, we may have to start thinking about what the new methods to keeping in touch will be. As talking on the phone has turned into mostly texting, and as myspace has slowly started to fade to facebook, will there become a less formal way of communication, or will something come that will help this change?
I completely agree with Ariele. It is so much easier for people to stay in contact via the internet, and is of course more convenient. There will soon be NO need for reunions, and generations from now, the high school grads may not even know what reunions are. It seems so pathetic because the whole idea of reunions are to reunite. Obviously. :). Facebook, Twitter, and Myspace are by no means ways of reuniting because there isn't any form of face-to-face contact. This gives people an even easier chance to lie, make things up to make themselves sound better, and hide from who they really are.
ReplyDeleteThe only advantage of Facebook and other networking sites is that it is so much easier to keep in contact with the people that we choose to. I can disregard all of the people, even from my graduating class last year, that I do not want to talk to, and can focus on my relationships with my good friends. In the instance where I didn't want to go to a reunion, or if, by chance, there wasn't one at all, I could set up personal meetings and trips with the people I would have been going to the reunion for in the first place.
I agree with both Ariele and Bryn. In addition, internet is much easier to stay in touch for people; high school reunion will still exist at some point, but will be less traditional like. One the one hand, high school reunions may be held more frequently by smaller groups of close friends who always keep in touch online, instead of the entire graduate class. One the other hand, it is easier to contact more people to catch up high school reunions, even those people who have changed living address or their phone numbers. Besides, internet is also an ice-breaker between old classmates. Because the updated online information could provide them more conversation topics to talk at high school reunion, people will not feel too embarrassed. Since people do not always completely trust the information from the internet, especially when the online information is inconsistent with our original memory or schema of impression. Therefore, people need to put more efforts to change pre-frame work. Consequently, people who decide to go to high school reunion would bring two goals: one comes to act, in order to prove they have changed and also prove their changes; the other comes to check validity of changes, in order to disconfirm the points of view they had. Further, the impression of oneself is built in an extended series of interaction: the expressiveness that one gives and expressiveness that one gives off. Face-to face communication is still important to understand what others and he himself expects and how to mobilize his activity more effective.
ReplyDeleteI am probably one of the few people who do not have a facebook, myspace, or twitter and have found no need for anything like that. I believe they will still keep reunions because there is something that you get out of seeing and talking to people face to face that is a lot more satisfying than text and pictures on a screen or even hearing a voice. Even with something like skype the closest someone can get to actually being there with someone is completely different. I can see them not being as often because people will have that communication and connection through the internet, but i hope that people still strive for getting together for old times sake. There are also more purposes to a reunion then just seeing people. People want to go back to the school where they spent a majority of their time as adolescents. Even though internet is so much easier, I believe people will still want to come together.
ReplyDeleteIt is hard to say whether facebook will actually have an effect on how many people will attend their high school graduations. It is easy to understand that if you are continually in touch with your old classmates and up to date on their lives, is there anything being gained from a formal reunion? The ease of exchanging pictures and memories online makes it hard to justify expensive trips to see old classmates. Though I almost think that Facebook sites might do the opposite of kill reunions. Reunions might be easier to organize and people might have more to talk about since they know more about each other through Facebook profiles than they may have known about each other when they attended high school. You might already have an idea of who you have more in common with now.
ReplyDeleteI have actually seen many reunion groups created on Facebook. People seem to use the site as a marketing tool and to get people excited to come back and see their classmates. The site makes it easier to keep track of graduates and get the word out about reunions.
Although social networking websites such as Facebook, make it easier to stay in contact with people, I think high school reunions will always still be around. The whole atmosphere of being together with fellow classmates in one room, at the same, after 10 years from graduating high school is not quite the same as keeping contact through Facebook. If anything, Facebook just made planning high school reunions a lot easier because whoever is in charge (usually the class president) of planning high school reunions doesn't have to go through the trouble of finding people and getting their addresses.
ReplyDeleteI agree with most of everyone that has commented on this blog. Listening to my parents talk about there reunions it sounds like, less and less people are attending as the years go by. My mom for example just recently got Facebook and is amazed by all her old friends she has connected with.
ReplyDeleteIt seems as though face to face connect is not always necessary now with technology increasing. As our younger generations start to graduate i feel that since we are already a technology savvy group that there will be no need for reunions.
I think that reunions will probably stick around if only because of the rooted tradition and nostalgic value our society places on them. It think that the kind of people that usually go to their reunions like the social face-to-face factor, many of them are probably on the planning committee or just want an excuse to get dressed up and flaunt themselves. I agree with Alex that the reunion is also an opportunity for alumni to see the changes in the school, teaching staff, athletic standing, etc. I think facebook will make it easier to spread the word about the reunion as well as mentally prepare people for the awkwardness that is usually associated with reunions. As creepy as it sounds, people will be able to do their homework on their old classmates and maybe get an idea of what sorts of subjects might be too sensitive to bring up (i.e. divorce).
ReplyDeleteI almost think that in some cases facebook might make people want to meet up with people more. I know from my own experiences with my dad having a facebook he has met up with a lot of people through facebook. He and some old friends from high school even had their own high school reunion this summer that they planned. It most likely depends on the school and they different type of people. Although I can also see how facebook can make you realize how much you wouldnt want to go back and meet up with your high school.
ReplyDeleteI'd predict that more people would show up to reunions. Since others can 'bug' or 'poke' them as a constant reminder, especially since people will becoem more connected. I believe the desire to see other people face-to-face will still play a large role in attending. Otherwise people might instead want to use their webcams and do one giant conference chat instead of an actual reunion...
ReplyDeleteOne note, I don't believe that our class meets on Fridays, just throwin' that out there... And this horse has been beat to death already but it would seem that people will use the internet as a more readily available resource with which to contact their fellow classmates from Highschool. But that certainly doesn't replace showing up and completely bullsh*tting about how successful you are (should you actually attend one). But nothing can replace actually conversation that takes place in real life. Humans are a social animal and I don't see the interenet as fulfilling this social need soon, so I do not think that class reunions will be too drastically effected by the interent. On this subject, watch the move "Grosse point blank". It touches on a few on these issues and has a decent plot to boot.
ReplyDeleteAlthough social networking such as myspace, facebook, and twitter can keep you in contact with your high school friends and see what they are up to, I think that there will always still be high school reunions. There is just something different about actually meeting up and seeing people face to face you normally wouldn't even connect with necessarily on facebook or myspace. Even though facebook is a good way for people to re-connect with friends, high school reunions will always be a tradition for classmates from all different former cliques to catch up. If anything, the internet will help you know what to expect when you get to the reunion.
ReplyDeletewith facebook, myspace, or twitter everyone becomes friends with a mass amount of people. For some people, just having the high school that they connect them. However I have Facebook and had myspace. I had a myspace for middle school and became with many people andwanted to stay in contact since only my elementarty school was the feeder to Hillsboro High school. I use to log on and chat with people from my middle school but I slowly grew apart from them because I had made need networks in high school. And even now I go on facbook I talk with people from my hometown but the people that i talk to are a selected few because They are the ones that I want to stay in cotact with. All the other people that I am friends with will probably just fad into the background, unless someone askes me if I know them or something along thoes lines. Because of that seperation, of talking only to the people that one is close to will cause me to lose intrest of the others. Which is why I think that renunions wont go out of style. It s always nice to see people in person and hear personally how they ae doing rather then hearing it over the internet. Also by my 10 or 20th reunion I highly doubt that I will still be facebooking. There will be some new trend and once again I ill only find te people that I feel comfortable talking to about anything and everything.
ReplyDeleteI believe that with Facebook, Twitter, and Myspace High School Reunions will become a lot less informal than they were. I think that the reunions will still happen, but less people will probably come and there will be less pretending about your lives. Because of the online social networking websites, people can stay more in contact with others than before and it is much easier to find out what is going on with your classmates now than it was even 5 or 10 years ago. I know personally that I am friends with people from my high school on Facebook that I would never even think to try to have active contact with in between reunions. Because of this, I know more about them and who they are now than I would have without Facebook. Along these lines, I still don't keep in contact with them, so the reunions will probably still hold a bit of a mystery for me if and when I go in the future. Hopefully they won't be completely extinct in the coming years because it would be interesting to see where everyone ends up and how Facebook and other social networking sites will actually change reunions.
ReplyDeleteI think that the social networking sites have made it possible for more people to reconnect and maintain contact with old classmates on their own time. These sites also provide topics for conversation, instead of the same old: “How’ve you been? How’s your family? Remember when . . .“ Even though I have yet to experience a high school reunion, I feel that I would be tired of being asked and asking these same questions. I don’t know if it would make more people want to attend their high school reunions, but I do think that people would be more inclined to meet up with each other on their own terms because there is only so much that can be done via Myspace, Facebook and Twitter. I feel that people will be less apt to attend high school reunions because they only want to meet up with the people that matter the most to them, which are the ones that they’ll reach out to through these sites, email and telephone.
ReplyDeleteI think reunions will still stay a tradition. My parents are both on facebook, and they just had a reunion with a big group from their high school youth group. Facebook actually halped them find and invite people that they hadn't stayed in contact with. Also, with having facebook, it doesn't allow people to lie about certain things like careers, marriage, etc. when they get to the reunions. People will already know most eerything about you through facebook, and a reunion just allows you to get caught up face-to-face.
ReplyDeleteThe internet is a great way to keep in touch (and get back in touch) with fellow classmates. Though I do not believe that it will replace reunions at all. People definately still want and need that physical connections of the actual reunion, to flaunt their potenial success.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that I really thought about this concept until now. My sister's 10 year High School Renunion will be next year and I know she's looking at it with dread. During her high school years I recall her being a jock. She was part of the basketball team and during her senior was always a starter. Looking at her now, you would never guess that about her. She still maintains the same weight but she has become part of the Psychobilly Subculture. She listens to music by The Horrorpops, The Nekromantix and want's to persue a career in film. I'm not sure what it is she's dreading but I do know that she is still in contact with some of her graduating classmates.
ReplyDeleteConsidering facebook and other social sites, I think Class Reunions will soon be done for. Although these sites could be used to contact classmates to invite them to the reunions, I think they have been used as device to stay in contact with those we consider our friends and to filter those we hope we never have to see again.
In the readings most of the reunion goers dreaded the event because they didn't want to talk to their prying classmates. Well, with the current social sites, we don't have to worry about that. All we have to do is press the "Block User" button on their profile and we can basically erase them from our memories. When it comes down to it, I think eventually, reunions will be for those who have been successful in life and basically would like to brag about their life.
I agree with everyone else for the most part, high school reunions will be around. I dont believe that people will be affected in attending their high school reunions with the result of our social networking like, facebook, twitter, myspace, and etc. I graduated a couple years ago from high school, and I have a myspace and facebook, however I hardly ever talk to my classmates from high school. In my opinion I feel that the social network is place to “stalk” and see how your classmates are doing, and/or a place to make new friends and communicate with the friends in college. Therefore, I dont see an effect with high school vs. social networking; if anything, it’ll help you know what to expect at your high school reunion, and how people have changed.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like the majority of the class thinks that these social networks will decrease the amount of reunion go-ers. I think that I will actually be more inclined to go because these social networks allow me to keep in touch with my past classmates. If I didn't have these I would not talk to any of my fellow graduates. When I graduated high school in 2007 I cut most of my ties with my friends. Thanks to these networks I have been able to reconnect with these people and I am actually really looking forward to seeing many of the people in person.
ReplyDeleteI think that being able to talk to your highschool friends on facebook, myspace, etc. allows you to keep in better touch with people and stay friends with them over the years. Personally I think I'd rather go to a highschool reunion after keeping in touch with people because it wouldn't be as awkward. You'd still know most of the people because you were able to keep in touch with them so easily. Instead of going and not knowing what any of these people have been doing with their lives, you'd know what your friends had been up to and it'd be more like old times when you used to hang out. I think that the better connected you stay with people, the more you'd actually want to see them in person.
ReplyDeleteI would most definitely rather go to a high school reunion than to just talk to someone on facebook or stalk their profile. Does this mean other people from my high school feel the same way and are going to attend our reunions? probably not. but when all fails and I really want to talk to someone who didnt go to the reunion or whatever, I can in these days talk to them on facebook when I want to now. So the networking we have today can be a good thing but also a bad thing.
ReplyDeleteI would think people would still want to attend high school reunions. Humans are social creatures and curious. Although we have facebook, myspace, blogs, twitter, ect. it doesn't replace face to face interaction. We can stalk or talk to people on facebook but everyone. Also, we all like to know what happen to people that we may not keep in touch with.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what Amy was saying. I think that everyone will still look forward to their high school reunion because people will want to see how others are doing (in person). The different social networks on the internet can only let you interact with people to a certain extent and someone could easily lie about their lives online. While I suppose they could lie to someone face-to-face, it is easier to do it on the internet. Also, like Alex was saying that he doesn't have a Facebook, or Myspace, I think a lot of people don't have one either. So it wouldn't be possible to get in touch with everyone from your high school graduating class. Along the lines of what Amy was saying, if anything these social networking sites will make it easier for the reunions to be planned.
ReplyDeleteI think reunions will stay a tradition even with facebook and myspace. I dont think facebook will change peoples minds about wanting to see their old high school peers because a reunion is actually meeting back up with them. I would think facebook would make you want to go to a reunion more because you can find out who is going, and maybe you can see people you haven't seen but just talked to on facebook, and just another opprotunity to see old friends.
ReplyDeleteI think that reunions will continue to stay around because they seem so traditional and many people like to participate in them. For me however I think I am less likely to go to my high school reunions because the people I really want to stay in touch with, I can do so easier with websites such as Facebook. It seems like this surge of social networking sights really allows us to be selective (if we choose) in who we want to stay in touch with. The main reason I would go to my high school reunions is to find people I have lost touch with, however if everyone I want to stay in touch with has a facebook it seems almost more convenient to talk to them through that. I guess it doesn't substitute the physical connection a high school reunion brings, but I think it is an easier way to stay in touch with people one a more frequent basis.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with Mariela because although Facebook and Myspace and the many other social networking exist. The everyone has one or doesn't check it as often as other might and therefore the line of communication isn't as strong or frequent. Plus like Mariela said there will be people who will want to go to their high school reunion because nothing will beat a face to face chat with high school buddies. Since I'm from this area I ran into my high school buddies often and it's such a great feeling to see them and see how different they maybe and how their lives have changes! I know that I will definitely look forward for my reunion because these are the people I grew up with :) It's a family for me so I would do anything to be able to see my 2008 Dayton family together in one place again!
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