“Catch Your Dog” Responsibility and Social Networking

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“Catch Your Dog” Responsibility and Social Networking

The impact technology and, in particular, social networking technology has had on society is endlessly fascinating. Teske (2002) argued that,

There is much about our interconnectedness, our interdependence, and our relational lives that is important, even central, to our sense of ourselves as integral, living, whole persons that may become increasingly unavailable as we rely more heavily on electronically mediated communication (p. 679).

Looking at the graph to the right, it’s obvious how even this 2002 statement has become entirely outdated by the boom of online social networking. With the benefit of hindsight, we can see on the cusp of 2011 that while certain aspects of technology use may be isolating we are using it to an enormous degree for “social” interaction. Rather than take us away from each other, Skype, Facebook, Twitter, among many others have brought us back into each other’s homes so that we are more village-like now than we have been, arguably, since the dawn of the industrial revolution. As someone who works with middle and high school students, this made me wonder to what extent the cultural norms of people living in more intimate cultures could be useful as we re-learn how to be in each other’s spaces again. This quest brought my thinking to Mongolia…

Some Customs…

If you ever find yourself approaching a Mongolian yurt or ger make sure to use the most appropriate greeting which is “Catch Your Dog”. This alerts the residents that you have arrived. It allows them time to restrain the guard dogs they have protecting their home and to get ready for your arrival.

Once you are a guest in someone’s ger you do not need to knock before entering – just enter. On a related note, Mongolians do not stand on the threshold of the door or hold conversation across the threshold of the door. To me, this custom suggests either an implicit or explicit value on attention and intimacy.

Outside, however, if you see a lasso or a long wooden pole planted in a field do not approach. This has been placed as a request for privacy by the owner. In such cases you should take all precautions to honor this gesture and either walk back in the direction you came or take the long way around.

The Cyber-Lessons…

“Catch your dog” – Approach someone on-line with respect and the level of transparency appropriate for the environment. Request online friendship on facebook, for instance, from people you have met or, at least, really would be interested in being friends with.

“Don’t talk across the threshold” – join people authentically and with kindness on the web as if you really were entering their home because you are…

“Acknowledge a Pole Standing in a Field” – Just because it isn’t necessary to knock in Mongolia before entering someone else’s ger doesn’t mean that people don’t need privacy. While our lives are arguably more open now than they have ever been, we need to now more than ever look for the signs that someone may not want something shared and not share it. – AC

Adam Clark is a school counselor at Yokohama International School in Yokohama, Japan. Find out more at http://whoisadamclark.com/who-is

References

Mongolian Customs. (2007). Retrieved December 15, 2010 from Mongolian Ways: http://www.mongolian-ways.com/customs.htm.

Teske, J. A. (2002). Cyberpsychology, human relationships, and our viritual interiors. Zygon, 37, 677-700.