"What do people do without Facebook?" Had this question been asked six years ago, people would have responded with a supplemental question, "What is Facebook?" Facebook is a relatively new social networking site, having been started in 2004; however, I cannot imagine my life without it. Everyone has Facebook and if you are one of the few who does not, boy do you get weird looks! A National Survey was conducted in hopes of answering numerous questions concerning this highly visited site. What social, cultural, and political activities are young, college-educated Facebook users engaged in? Who are the individuals and communities being interacted with? What types of media and information are being shared and consumed? All of these are good questions and the survey itself resulted in many great answers, however, I found this question more interesting: What is social about social media?
Think of all the many new technologies today that we did not have 20 years ago. Laptops, cell phones, ipods, gaming devices--all of these devices play a major role in our everyday lives. I know I personally start to panic if my cell phone is not within a reachable distance. In light of all these new technologies and our society's dependence upon them, many people are compelled to argue that humans have become less social. I can recall numerous times when my grandparents were telling stories and commented, "People just don't visit like they used to." Is this really the case? Are all of these new technologies and websites made to keep us together or apart?
When I think about how many hours a day I spend logged in on Facebook it is kind of crazy! I have put off homework to "creep" on profiles and I have stayed awake into the wee hours of morning playing games and taking quizzes. This all sounds pretty bad written down and makes me lean toward the thought that maybe I have become less social, but the more I think about it the more I think about what I actually use Facebook for. While I do play an occasional game and take a quiz every now and again that is not what I primarily use it for. My brother has been living in Australia for the past five months and being that he does not have a cell phone there (Crazy, I know!) the only way I can really talk to him is via the internet. Email is great and dandy, but Facebook allows me to chat with him instantly. I probably talk to him once a week to once every two weeks, which is not really that different from when we only lived five hours apart. Without Facebook, I would not be able to do that! While sometimes Facebook is the reason I do not get my homework done, it is also a factor in why I do. I am friends with many of my classmates and a lot of the classes I am taking have a "Facebook Group". These groups are ways for classmates to coordinate study groups, ask questions, and post helpful and relevant information. I can log on, talk to my brother, and do my homework all at the same time. Without Facebook, I would not be able to do that! Some of my friends on Facebook do not like to update their status. This really bothers me! Their argument is that it is useless and a way to get negative attention, but if you think about it--it is informational. Take my aunt for example, she updated her status saying, "Connie thinks everyone should check out Market World!" Had she not posted that status I would have never clicked on her name, gone to her profile, and then found out that she started her own business. Then when I went home for Christmas Break, I would not have been able to ask her how her business was doing. Without Facebook, I would not not have known that! While Facebook status updates seem useless, they really are useful! They are ways to share information that otherwise would not be shared. If not for Facebook, those little tid bits of information would probably be left unsaid.
I think, after writing this, I have come to answer my own question. Have I become less social? The answer is no. I am able to chat with friends and family, share information about myself, and learn information about others. Without Facebook, I probably would not be able or as apt to do these things. I was thrust into thinking that my Facebook usage is bad, but really it allows me to stay connected. While I believe that the importance of visiting "face to face" is being lost, I think it has more to do with globalization and the fact that most people do not stay in their home towns and less to do with new technologies. With gas prices always on the rise, not everyone can afford to make a road trip. Facebook is a free way to stay connected with the people you care about--whether they are near or far.
For more information: http://www.scribd.com/doc/46059952/Got-Facebook-Investigating-What-s-Social-About-Social-Media
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