Lovely paper on the importance of gatherings as sources of fatefulness: journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.117 (via … ironically published in '19!)
"Social occasions are more likely than other kinds of time to house events that unexpectedly shift the trajectory of individual lives."
Conversation
Replying to
I would like some more fatefulness in my life please!
I don't know how to square this with a strong sense of self-efficacy, etc: like, I don't exactly *want* to be tossed around by the winds of fate! And yet it's hard to sail a ship with just the wind from one's own lungs…
3
2
35
Interesting to consider why video hangouts don't produce the five effects the author describes.
1. "A special world set off from ordinary live": nope, still on my couch, looking at my laptop, but now it's showing a different rectangle.
(con't)
3
1
23
2. "The electrical charge… generated when people assemble together": video chat really doesn't generate that emotional spark for me—but I don't know why.
3. "Worlds colliding": harder to casually meet new people with typical limitations on polyphonic/spatial conversation
2
1
15
4. "Forced public rankings": video calls feel relatively low stakes; you're not offering up precious seats around the Saturday night dinner table.
5. "Complex choreography (while everyone is watching)": the medium distorts everyone's social grace in n-way chats, lowering stakes
1
18
Interesting to view this especially in light of the last year and the lack of social occasions. Certainly, despite all future historical records to come, I view this as one of the most boring periods of my life. (All things considered, it really shouldn't be.)
1
3
Apart from enjoying them for their own sake, this is how I’ve seen socializing with new people for the last few years - playing a near costless (other than opportunity cost of time) cosmic slot machine that potentially opens up new paths, friendships/partnerships, adventures
2
3
I agree on that! I met my wife on a party i was not planning to attend. I start my business after a meetting with a cousin. And many more.
1
1
I invited my friend to a gamejam last moment, and now he moved cities and got a job at the place that hosted the jam. Another person found love there and changed their life plans in a pretty big way.
Seems to be a thing
1
This Tweet was deleted by the Tweet author. Learn more
Reminds me of my trip to California last weekend. So many ideas and things came up in conversation and activities. Only two days but left a very different person
1
3