Persistent presence: Twitter & your bedroom

"Persistent presence" (or "ambient itimacy") is something I talk about quite a bit at work. (Jeff makes me do it.) Basically, technology helps you feel as though you're more intimate with someone than you are-- for instance, I know what's going on in my friends' lives even if they live half a nation away because of Facebook or Twitter (or a combination of multiple technologies). There's more to this idea, but that's the basic gist.

I was describing to Jeff how persistent presence helps ground me during business trips. The way I explained it: when you're away from home, sometimes all you want is your own bed. Your favorite chair. Your bedroom, where you know where everything is. You yearn for that familiarity... you want to be home.

I get that sense of familiarity from sites that I frequent. I love going up to my hotel room and logging onto Twitter: no matter where I am (Omaha, Little Rock, NYC...), Twitter always looks the same. There's the bright teal that sets it apart, and my friends engaged in their @fest.

You probably have the same sites that you visit frequently enough that you would notice if anything moved (just like items in your bedroom or drawers in your kitchen). Maybe you freaked out a little bit when Facebook revamped (or rejoiced when Delicious did).

If I could pack up my bedroom and bring it with me on business trips, I would. For now I have to leverage the power of persistent presence and my sickening familiarity with social networks to make me feel at home.