mall rat.

i've just realized that i have become the cyber-generation's version of what my generation called "the mall rat." for the past two days, i've been hanging around my computer, jumping back and forth from website to website in much the same manner that a mall rat would make the rounds from store to store. a sad situation. i've been mostly waiting for one particular site to fix their stupid server, but that's no real excuse. i feel really dumb every time i log into myspace and see that the same people that were logged in an hour ago are still logged in. if they see me here, they'll know i'm a loser. wait a minute! they've been online this whole time, too. it's somewhat like not wanting to go to the mall because you don't want your friends to see that you're a mall rat. if your friends are also at the mall, there's not much room for them to launch ridicule. let he who is without constant mall attendance cast the first stone.
but there is a question of ettiquette: do i message these people everytime i see them? is it rude to pass by without a comment? these are questions that someone from my generation is ill-equipped to answer. ... i would know what to do, were i but at the mall instead of at my computer desk...