Just think of someone clicking LIKE on Facebook. What does that mean? What does it truly do? Do you have to repay them back with a LIKE or will they be upset and think you don't care? What if you miss a post and don't LIKE it, will it hurt their feelings, will they feel neglected?
To me, the entire social networking structure is fake at best and inauthentic at worst. Sure, I know there are some great things that come out of it, long lost friends being reunited, less spammed email being forwarded in the email inbox and a chance to see photos that you would not otherwise get to see.
However, as the old dude on Pawn Stars said one time, how can you have 4000 friends? There is no way you can catch up with 4000 supposed friends on Facebook. It becomes an exercise in illusions, make believe and fairy land tales.
Don't get me started on the games and the applications that want to give you a free cow, or show you pictures of their cars. I even get a laugh when I see gift cards in Walmart for Farmville! Really, that's the best thing we can spend our money on these days, while people go hungry? Or how about those events for things going on in places of the country far away from where you live? Do you RSVP with a NO or a MAYBE or just a YES to be polite?
Yes, I know that you make of it what you will, but that is giving lip speak to words that mean little in the online world these days. I'm sure that many who spends their life on Facebook would agree with me, as they scamper back to Facebook and read the next reminder that just popped up.
Instead of picking up a phone and saying "hello" to a true friend, or writing a letter like we once did, we write these brief 400 character cryptic messages as if to say we care. It makes us feel good. We've shown our Facebook friend that we are thinking about them, or so we tell ourselves. Of course, that leaves us with a quandary because are we supposed to reply back which means they will be obliged to reply back or are we just to LIKE the message?
I do believe there is a place for Facebook in our lives but I also believe that 99.999% of the people on Facebook live in the make believe illusions of connecting with friends. We spend our countless hours doing nothing more than staring at a computer screen while we wonder why life is passing us by. Will we wake up before it is too late and the only posture we have come to understand is a hunched over person typing rapid 400 character or less messages to the new notifications?
Maybe Facebook and social networking is all we have in this world. Maybe the human connection is no longer needed and being human is just a slogan of the past. Maybe we can think all kinds of thoughts about the messages we read and that's enough for us, but is it enough to continue the civilization of mankind?
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WOW..the absolute truth and nothing but the truth.. Sadly the way so many people communicate is in these superficial ways of connecting, whether it through texts,emails,facebooking, and other multitude ways. I really think people don't further their social skills and it is much easier to sit on a computer all day and click away, than to make and allow time to sit and call a friend..however, now the question is honestly how many people have true friends and how many people have dozens of acquaintances? To make friends, you have to be a friend...and this takes time, love and care. This reminds me of my girlfriend who has MS and when the time came she was immobile and could not drive, and used a wheelchair ...whom she thought friends dropped out of the scene slowly but surely..but, you know few of us who are still friends..were the real friends anyway..so, truly..do you have friends or do you have a fan club to read your facebook blogs? Something to think about.. eh?
ReplyDelete@Anonymous - Very true! I love what you stated here and it really pushes the "open your eyes and think more" concept. In difficult times, you do truly find out who your friends are and what family will stay or run. I can so relate with your friend that went through MS. I saw family and friends run, while I saw others step up the plate and help me out with unconditional love and acceptance. Thanks for sharing what you did because I could not agree more!
ReplyDeleteokey, another facebook example... I just wished a happy birthday to a friend...the reply I got was a clikc by him to say he "liked" what I wrote..Instead of saying Thank you and I wish you and your family are well also...liked was my message.. the reason for that is when 30 people are wishing you a happy birthday it becomes a bit superficial and phony so you really don't have the energy to write a meaningful thank you to more dear friends..
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