Facebook Thinks I'm Famous

Normally I don't pay attention to the people that Facebook suggests I should be friends with. But today I noticed something insane: on my home page, it was suggesting a Tony Award winning actress.

It sparked my interest. So I clicked the link to see who else it might be suggesting to me. And there I saw about 30 names that I recognized. Not people I've met, but rather people I've read about. One person I've seen perform on Broadway (I've never lived in NYC, so I haven't seen much out there). Several people I've seen on the Tony Awards. People whose voices I know from cast recordings of musicals. Composers, lyricists, directors, actors, and an iconic choreographer. Every person in the list has a Wikipedia page devoted to them.

These are the people that Facebook thinks should be my friends.

It's never been a goal of mine to be famous. And I've met famous people in the past without getting starstruck. And through my grad school years, plenty of famous people have come through the Asolo Repertory Theatre. I've met Tony Award winners, I've auditioned for a Tony Award winner, and a few Tony Award winners are working at my theatre this season (including on the pre-Broadway try-out of Bonnie & Clyde that just opened). And although it's neat, it's not something that shakes my world.

But somehow this Facebook thing kind of blew my mind.

I know it isn't a real thing. It's just a glamour. A little trick played on my by social networking and six degrees of separation. But apparently, my friends have really cool friends. I'm one or two degrees away from people I admire. And today, it made me feel like I've made progress in my networking.

Maybe someday, someone out there will be geeked when Facebook suggests they should be friends with me.

-- Angela Sauer

Comments

[Silverscrn]

That's so funny about Facebook....like six degrees of separation I guess. Anyway, I like how you said it's not a goal of yours to be famous. I'm the same way. I'm a wannabe screenwriter and novelist and I do it out of love for the craft. I'd be more excited about seeing my story title in print than seeing my name. Good luck with your career!