Google announced yesterday that they are discontinuing the Dodgeball service, and to this I say: THANK FUCKING GOD.
Many of you probably aren't familiar with Dodgeball, a mobile social networking service that lets you share your location with friends via text message. And now that you know what it is, you're probably wondering why the hell anyone would ever use such a service. After all, we're grown-ups right? We don't need ALL of our friends to know where we are at any given time; rather, we like to focus on the people with whom we've made plans, enjoy the company of one or two, or maybe three other people. Right?
Yeah, uh, not-so-much in San Francisco. People here, for whatever reason, feel a bizarre need to broadcast where they are and who they're with constantly. This was facilitated by Dodgeball which would also include the address of their location and how many other Dodgeball users they were with. You might think you're enjoying your glass of wine with your BFF, but OMG, 15 other Dodgeball users are at Zeitgeist and they must be having the best time of their life. HURRY! Finish that wine. Let's get over there!!!!
In theory, Dodgeball is a decent idea. There are people who find re-living 6th grade and going to a movie with 14 of their closest friends to be enjoyable. Or people who want as many people around as possible on any given Friday night. For them, Dodgeball was a great tool. And I'm not going to lie, someone Twittered the other night that she was at a bar, and since I had no other plans and wanted to go out, I met up with her. But she was a close friend and I texted her first to make sure that was OK. Dodgeball would have also made this interaction possible.
Where Dodgeball went so horribly wrong, in my opinion (I had the word humble there, but then deleted it), is when people started using it for all the wrong reasons. A year or so ago, I had a friend who was dating a guy who then dated another friend of hers. Both of whom she was friends with on Dodgeball. Suddenly she was not using Dodgeball for its intended purpose, but rather to internet-stalk her ex and his new chick, the result of which just caused her pain and anxiety, rather than much-needed closure.
My other qualm with Dodgeball is that people use it to say where they are and basically ANYONE who has added them as a friend then feels he/she has the right to show up at that location. If you're having brunch with friends, what is the point of Dodgeballing where you are? Do you really want more people show up and make your wait for a table even longer? Are you just trying to let people know that you have a life? That you love pancakes? Why does everyone need to know where everyone else is at every moment in the day? Or if you're picnicking in the park with people you love, do you really want that girl who dates your ex to suddenly pop-in with homemade cupcakes and bed-head?
For me, the answer is clear. We put far too much information about ourselves on the internet, and I think we could all afford to take a step back and reassess what we put out there -- permanently -- that future employers, parents, exes, and strangers alike can access. Part of this, to me, is also making more time to live OFFLINE. Enjoy the brunch with your best friend and don't worry who knows about it. Have a picnic in the park with just a small group of close friends. Break up with someone and really end things. Don't check your Twitter stream when you're on a date. Go to the movies alone.
Connect by Disconnecting.
All of this being said, I do have one amazing story that would never have happened if not for Dodgeball. I was on a date with The Boy I'm Not Dating many months ago, and he Dodgeballed our location. Minutes later, who showed up? His stalker ex-girlfriend.
Fucking brilliant.
