Facebook: Why all the love?
Gone are the days of smoke signals, telegrams, typewriters and rotary dial phones. These forms of communication are practically prehistoric in comparison to the tools of communication defining this generation, namely Mark Zuckerberg’s little invention: Facebook.
In the four short years since it’s inception Facebook has taken over like the plague; it’s everywhere.
With 40 billion page views every single month, it’s undeniable that this social networking tool is insanely popular. And like anything that has its day in the sun, it’s both wildly loved and completely loathed. I wanted to figure out why. So after listening to some other people’s experiences, considering my own and exploring countless Facebook pages, I think I have some solid reasons for why this site is the social magnet it is.
REASON #1: Personal Celebrity
It gives us all our own little space of infamy, a tiny taste of celebrity. The mini-feed is like a personal US Weekly, documenting who’s going to what, who’s now friends with who, plus all the comings and goings, moods and attitudes, thoughts and quips of all of our ‘friends’. The mini-feed erases any need to ask questions because it’s stalking, gossiping and the answer to “how are you?” all rolled into one. You’re instantly updated.
REASON #2: Validation
This is one of those unacknowledged reasons nobodies ready to admit. It’s validating. Picture albums full of weddings, newborn babies, far-off travels and jaunts abroad, engagement parties, birthday bashes, reunions, bridal showers, road trips, graduations, honeymoons – it’s all there. Yes, we want our 300 closest friends to know we had fun camping or how hilarious we looked in our graduation cap. It’s the story of our lives.
But it is validating. It declares and confirms for everyone to see that our lives have our culture’s official markings, from the diamond ring to the white picket fence.
REASON #3: Represents our Best
We are addicted to putting our best face forward. No longer is that reserved for meeting the in-law’s, job interviews or first dates. With Facebook, everyone has a forum to post their most flattering profile picture, to document their growing intelligence with a log of their recent literature conquests, and to update everyone on their ever-evolving life on the status reel. It’s an easy way to shove all the great and impressive things to the forefront for all to see. Very rarely are relationship rejections, failed classes or lost jobs so eagerly broadcast.
REASON #4: Allows Social Laziness
It’s incredibly easy to jet someone a quick note about going for coffee, meeting up at a friends house or even just to say hello, but I wonder, if Facebook were revoked for a month, how many conversations wouldn’t happen? Would phone calls replace all those notes and comments? Often times, it seems to feed a social hole with very little interaction required. It can negate real conversation and true bonding, in turn lending to social laziness.
In the romantic relationship realm, it grants you the opportunity for cowardice. No bravery or mature relationship skills are actually required if communication is largely based on Facebook. This is so dangerous for a generation already growing up into staggering divorce rates. Who wants to have that hard break-up conversation or get up the courage to call when Facebook exists to do it for you? No wonder there are so many relationship debacle stories that play out over Facebook – it’s an easy out.
REASON #5: Sense of Community
There’s no denying that Facebook gives us a sense of community. With Facebook chat, event invites, groups (anything from memorial tributes to travel clubs) and communication with long-distance friends, we feel connected. But are we truly building healthy community when friends can be added and deleted friends out of our lives and there is a computer screen between us and everyone else?
Why do you love Facebook? Why do you loathe Facebook?
Maybe, like me, you’re on both sides of the fence. Or maybe you’ve never really thought about it. Which brings me to my big, fat point: The key to using Facebook, and social networking sites in general, in a healthy way is awareness. So many people follow trends and jump on bandwagons in a heartbeat, no questions asked.
Take five minutes and ask yourself:
How much time do I spend on Facebook? Are you comfortable with the amount or does the number look way too high?
What is it that I mostly do on Facebook? Message friends, make plans and log off? Or scroll down the news feed, flip through some pictures, check to see if your ex-boyfriend has written anyone and then wander around from page to page for awhile? Be honest.
Hint: What you do on Facebook is a giant clue as to why you love it.
What makes me feel good about being a part of Facebook? Is it that people see the best of you? That you feel validated? That you love being able to keep in touch with so many people? There’s no need to go back to the rotary phone, just acknowledge why you’re on it and what kind of fulfillment it gives you, good or bad.
In a certain light, Facebook is just another guilty pleasure. People moan and groan about how lame it can be; yet keep their profiles, still write on friend’s walls and check out acquaintances photo albums. It seems cool to boycott the big trends, but these same people check their walls before they go to sleep. Or most of them do anyways.
Regardless of what group you lean towards: the lovers or the loathers don’t be ashamed, just be aware.
Think you might be addicted to an online community? Find out if there’s more to life than MySpace.
Facebook has been a real boon for me. I have this weird phobia about phones, e-mail gets away from me really quickly, and I don’t always have time to post to all the message boards I like to visit. And my social life was pretty thin for awhile. Now I know what’s going on, I can keep track of a lot of the people I care about, and I’m back in touch with people I haven’t seen since high school. And it’s so easy to just invite a bunch of people somewhere.
I also find myself finishing more books, just so that I can add them to Visual Bookshelf–so it’s been good for me academically as well.
you need to put a link here that says “post to facebook”