Facebook: it's a noun and a verb. No one knew what it was 5 years ago, and now many people (me included) barely go a day without using it.
In "Why I Welcome the Decline of the Twittering Classes", a recent article in the Guardian, Jackie Ashley discussed social networking sites -- particularly Facebook and Twitter. According to an Ofcom report, young people -- ie. 15-24 year olds, which would take in many of us at uni -- are using Facebook and Twitter less, while 25-34 year olds are using it more. Ashley welcomed the decline of cyber culture among the young, and argued that social networking "friendships" were a poor substitute for a "real world" friendship, since:
"Reality takes second place to a life in which you become the star of your own dull movie, and the director too."
When everything you do is mediated by technology, are you living your life, or just commentating on it?
There are a MASS of comments on this article. Many of them are really hilarious (I recommend you have a skim), and most are negative, but I'm going to put it out there that some of what Ashley said struck true with me. While I am a Facebook tragic, I get uncomfortable with the idea of my entire life unfolding online, and with iPhones making updates even easier, I think everyone knows at least one person who seems to live only for updating their status. It's kind of a worry.
The publicity of Facebook can also be a worry, where "[i]f you are very unlucky, your worst moments, which would once have been private, told in whispers to a single best friend, can end up on YouTube". Recently, I had the experience of seeing a workmate's relationship break down ON Facebook, in a status update, with all my work colleagues there to read and comment. The potential for humiliation & too much information is always there.
On the other hand, Jackie Ashley is being very conservative on this issue, and also betrays a lack of understanding. While I know a few people who "meet" others through Facebook, the majority of my friends and acquaintances only "add" people who they know. For Ashley to criticize Facebook on the basis that it doesn't provide real relationships -- that "you cannot have a full human relationship without being in the presence of the other person" -- is silly to say the least.
For me, Facebook is a companion to my real-life relationships, not a substitute. I may see a friend at work or at church and can comment to them about a status update they made or a video they posted, and often this enhances and forwards the friendship. Facebook is also fantastic for long-distance friendships, where an email might be strained but contact can still be maintained in a less formal setting.
Communication is communication, whether it's on the Internet, through a letter or face-to-face. To say that interaction between people isn't genuine simply because it's online is pretty crazy.
What do you guys think? What do you use Facebook for? Do you think online relationships count as "real" relationships?
Hey!
ReplyDeleteThe media - in any which way you look at it has become a powerful means for creating and maintaining social relationships. Not only is the idea of ‘para-social’ relationships more common these days but the positive and negative aspects of social networking sites have been heavily discussed by many people in the media arena.
Despite these popular online social networking sites “providing greater benefits for Internet users experiencing low self-esteem and low life satisfaction”, they should not be a substitute for real-life encounters and face-to-face relationships. (Ellison et al, 2007, 1).
There are definitely both pros and cons of the Internet that gives users the opportunity to form and maintain relationships in the virtual world. I do not use facebook as a substitute for real life relationships - nor to initiate relationships. It is simply a tool which allows me to engage with friends and family if they are travelling the world, have no other way of being contacted or a way to organise the weekend as I see it as a central hub.
I certainly agree with your point that - Communication is communication, whether or not it's on the Internet. It is A FORM of communication and can not be discredited just because it is 'online' and not a traditional way of having contact with others - like back in the day where people would always meet face to face (and get around in a horse and cart :) )