Many people have heard the saying, “you learn something new every day.” While Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking sites might not have been the outlets for information that people had in mind when this saying was created, social networking sites like these make it possible for people to learn many new things every day, often about things that don’t concern them. MySpace, created in 2003, attracts 57 million users. Facebook, created in 2004, attracts well over 500 million users. Twitter, created in 2006, attracts around 75 million users (WebStrategy). Many people use more than one social networking site, thereby providing more and more personal information for others to see. Social networking is defined as, “web-based services that allow individuals to construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system, articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection, and view and traverse their list of connections and those made by others within the system” (Boyd 1). The concept of social networking is changing our culture right before our eyes; it changes people’s interactions with each other, as well as how we communicate, share, and learn.
When you create an account on Facebook, you might as well just sign a release form for your personal life. Yes, information like your social security number and address might not be readily available, but your life is essentially online. People can see your status updates, pictures, and wall posts and determine what you did and where you are going. Your personal space is gone; you have no control over what others post on your wall, and what pictures they decide to upload of you. People become more worried about how they appear online than how they do in person, negatively affecting how we communicate. People communicate with others in the virtual world as if it was the real world, which poses a problem because many times these people forget how to effectively communicate face to face.
The motivation behind many Facebook accounts is the intention to easily keep in touch with family and friends. The intention is to communicate and update them on our lives through wall posts, messages, pictures, and videos. However, what many people fail to realize is the extent to which we lose our personal identity through these social networking sites. Instead of being an individual and staying true to oneself, people conform to the expectations of society. Instead of posting pictures and wall posts to inform others of various occurrences in their life, they post pictures and wall posts they think others would find acceptable. Before posting pictures, many people often wonder “what will people think of me based on these pictures?” We become so consumed with worrying about what others think, that we forget the original reason we created our Facebook account. We create new identities online, a different way to express ourselves. We might be reserved and introverted in person, but online, we find ourselves to be loud and extroverted. You start to wonder when is enough really enough? Who are you really, and how do you portray yourself to others? Many times the way we portray ourselves to others and how we really are vastly vary.
People are consumed with technology, many to the point of addiction. Facebook.com provides statistics about Facebook users, as well as their activity on Facebook. According to this press release, there are over 500 Facebook users. Well over 50 percent log onto Facebook every day, and people spend over 700 billion minutes on Facebook per month. Over 150 million users access Facebook through their cell phones. The average Facebook user creates 90 pieces of content a month (Facebook). These statistics are horrifying. People become anxious and uneasy when they do not have cell phone reception or internet access. If they need to communicate face to face, interactions become impersonal. Many find it hard to make eye contact and hold a legitimate conversation with others.
Aside from poor communication skills, there are other repercussions of using websites such as Facebook. Personal space, something people often take for granted, is compromised. People often feel invincible and have nonchalant attitudes towards privacy settings. This allows people to view what others are doing, regardless if they are “friends” or not. You have no idea who is looking at your profile and what information they know about you. Often times you can search for someone on Facebook, and they have not bothered to change their privacy settings, thereby allowing you to see everything about them. As a result, people don’t even need to take the time to get to know someone anymore. You have all the information you need at your fingertips. You might not be friends with “Joe”, but you might as well be best friends with the boy. You have never met him before, but you have seen him around campus. His Facebook is not private, so you learned that Joe’s favorite sport is football and he loves the Patriots. His status update informed you that he is going to the game this Sunday. You decide to look for him on TV, and you spot him in the crowds. You later see Joe’s Facebook status that he was at the game and he was on TV. You don’t even know Joe, but you already knew that. Essentially, you just experienced a day in Joe’s life. The situation with spotting Joe is not that big of a deal in the scheme of things, but you never know who is looking at your profile and what their motives are. You might have been creeping on Joe because you had a crush on him, but what if someone was creeping on his page with bad intentions? What if someone went to the Patriot’s game with a weapon with the intent of harming Joe?
Facebook and other social networking sites are slowly sucking out the individual in all of us. We are conforming, becoming one and the same. How do we differentiate ourselves anymore? Everyone has a Facebook and everyone is preoccupied with how others view them. We spend so much time on Facebook that we forget how to communicate effectively face to face. In the past, being an individual and “marching to one’s own drum” was a good thing. People wanted to be noticed and different. Today, people want to be noticed, but no one wants to be different. It is as if we are cookie cutter versions of each other, conforming to the standards of society. Is Facebook really that much of a good thing? It was created with good intentions, but are those intentions even important and relevant anymore? Do people even know who they are anymore? Facebook has taken the individuality out of the person, and it is important that people find ways to regain their individuality.
I agree with you, people spend so much time on Facebook it becomes their life. They worry so much about how they are being perceived in the virtual world, that they forget how actually interact with other people. I've had many people request me on Facebook that i've had class with and when I see them face to face it's like we don't even know each other. When signing up for Facebook i don't think people know what they're getting themselves into. Some people are very careless and post personal information up like their phone numbers. For example, a friend of mine had a party at her house and her address on her Facebook status. I couldn't believe it, anyone could've show up at her house. The "Joe" scenario is a common practice on Facebook. Users have access to other users full information without even knowing them. It's overwhelming how many people use Facebook, It's even more disturbing how reliant people are on technology. Facebook is a great innovation if moderately used. It's so easily accessible that moderate usage has become nearly impossible. It just shows how much self control we as a generation have. We care so much about how we're perceived on Facebook more so then we do in the real world. In my opinion Facebook has hurt communication. Why talk face to face when you can just comment someone on Facebook or Instant message them?
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, in a sense Facebook has stolen people's identities and taken over some their lives.
Hi Meg, I really like the points you bring up in your paper. Your use of statistics offers concrete evidence as to just how many facebook and twitter users there are, and, more frighteningly, how fast those numbers have multiplied over just a span of a few years. I like your hypothetical "Joe" scenario--I can tell you that this has happened for me on many occasions. When I do see someone I know was at a specific event because of facebook, I start to feel really guilty, because I know that I shouldn't know this information. However, because of social networking sites, I do. I also like that you looked at the more psychological aspects of the social networking sites, by looking into the fact that people DO often think what other people are going to say/think of them before posting pictures or comments.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting comments--I really agree with the points you make!
Rifayet- People really are careless as to what information they give out over the internet. Once its posted somewhere, anyone can see it. Even if they think its private, if people really want to find it, they will find a way. As much as technology is a time saver, part of me hates it. I see what it does to people (myself included) and you have to wonder why we let ourselves get to this point. Facebook really has hurt communication, and I'm curious to see how it will continue to affect communication in the future.
ReplyDeleteMeg- Thanks :) It really is scary how much the statistics have multiplied over the years. It makes you wonder what the statistics will be in 5 or 10 years. It's unfortunate that people are so preoccupied on what others think of them, because it is stripping us of our individuality. We might refrain from uploading certain things out of fear as to what others might say.
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