Yesterday I was in a meeting where two new terms surfaced. The first I came up with, the other a peer of mine created:
Digital Vagabonds: This came up in a discussion about how many people don’t have a presence on specifically Facebook, but really this applies to anything online. That got me thinking – in rapid succession – about how we would never dream of not having a physical address. Where would our bills be mailed to? Where would grandma send the Christmas presents? How would the police know where to come when our child accidentally dials 911 (which has happened at our home). It is important to us to have a physical address so that others can find us, can come tee-pee our homes or just stop by with a jell-o and carrot dessert.
Yet many don’t give a thought that they should have a ‘home’ or at least some place to be found online. This online address (or plural) is shaping up to be just as important as a physical one. My physical address may change, but my blog will always be there, as will my Linkedin account, or my Facebook page (until the newest, better thing comes along – in which case you will know where to find me).
Vagabond: a person, usually without a permanent home, who wanders from place to place (in this case, maybe trying something new, but never really staying there). An idle wanderer without a permanent (virtual) home.
(OK, maybe not totally a new term after all, but new in this context.)
Digital Delinquents: This phrase was created in response to others in the meeting who have created accounts on Twitter, Facebook, who have created blogs, etc., yet never check nor update them. They are there to say, “I have an account” but don’t use them. Which is like saying, “I have a physical address, but I don’t live there. Nor do I check the mail. And if anyone stops by with a plate of cookies to welcome me to the neighborhood, I won’t be there to accept them nor to develop that neighborly relationship.”
I tried to find a picture that would depict either a digital vagabond or a digital delinquent, but failed. In reality, you can’t tell who they are in real life by physical appearance. But you can tell by their virtual appearance.
