Spamming By "Friends"

After I had uploaded my first videos to YouTube...I received the first request from
someone...who wanted to be my "friend". I confess to being completely unprepared for
this cyber age request. Up to that point...I had felt that friendship was something that came about organically...in the fulness of time...accompanied by mutual respect
,,,some common ground...and some shared history. I was touched by the request...and
telling myself it can be a cold world sometimes...so try to be open...I agreed to this
sudden...and not very organic...21st century "relationship". This first safari into the unknown...hasn't really produced anything of note...but then again...friendship at its best...doesn't have to produce anything that can be measured...but you can still know it is in place...and that can give you at least a warm feeling. As time went by and more "friendship" requests came in...I saw that it was usually linked to someone wanting to send you a video...and that by agreeing to their request...that would make
them technically able to do so. Didn't see too much harm in that...so I agreed to
several more requests that came in. For some time now...I've been inundated with videos from online "friends"...in a way that in millitary circles would be called
"friendly fire". My own name for it is "spamming by friends"...with the spammers in question...at times sending several videos to me in a day...with no consideration for
the fact that I prefer smaller video doses...so that in my video viewing...I am not
looking at videos at an undignified...and grossly consumeristic rate. Perhaps...even
more important to me...is people keep sending me videos of cover songs...when my own
channel on YouTube features only original songs...poems...and talks. I would have
thought...that a real friend...would stop to consider whether the video they wanted
to send me...had a chance of fitting my area of interest. Anyway...I think I know
what I'm going to do...about the flood of video notices I have been receiving...but I
think I'll keep it to myself...and wish my online "friends"...a happy emergence
from "under the covers"...into the liberating land...of "creativity exercised"...
knowing we each have that potential inside of us...waiting to be unleashed.