My co-writer of this blog has some strong thoughts on how the emergence of Facebook as our single sign-on source for digital human connection can weaken our relationships. She makes some valid points about how we lazily make comments, “like” and blindly accept friend requests. She also worries about how the real you can dissolve into a watered down version as your army of friends and acquaintances balloon.
Lisa argues that the Facebook version of yourself becomes the “Stepford” you; an edited, apolitical, PG-13 version. I argue that we are always presenting a version of ourselves in both the real and digital world.
This morning as I was doing some much needed work around the house I decided to plug in the hands-free and make some calls to some friends I haven’t spoken to in awhile. That doesn’t mean I haven’t communicated with them, in fact, through Facebook I knew that one friend recently had dinner with two young men that he tutored while they were on suspension from school. Both boys were doing well and getting A’s. I knew this fact because I read it on his Facebook wall. Guess what we talked about?
Personally, my friend’s life-casting is a trigger for me to reach out and talk about those edited bits of their life they choose to share in Facebook-land.
As I see it, Facebook is no more to blame for our superficial relationships than the printing press is to blame for our inability to spin a good yarn around a campfire. Technology has for years fundamentally changed the way we relate to other people. Email, texting, tweeting, etc. – these are all inventions that were set before us to use or not use. Our choice was our vote. The medium dictates the version of ourselves we want to communicate.
People often talk about the romantic letters soldiers wrote to their wives during the great wars. Is it safe to say that those same soldiers spoke so eloquently to their brothers in arms while tossing back spirits? Not likely, I’m sure they versioned themselves based on the medium and audience.
My dad has taken to texting, in fact, he’s proven to be quite brief and poignant using this “fancy new” form of communication. He’s embraced a far less personal form of communication and it has been a welcome addition to our relationship. The technology has been a pleasant addition to our father-son dynamic.
With Facebook, we are learning more about ourselves than Zuckerberg probably intended. We are asking ourselves and others important questions about the human experience. Who qualifies as a friend? How many of these friends do I really care about? How does the community judge me? What is my stance on this topic? Am I interesting? Am I funny?
In end, the choice will always be ours whether we want to go down the rabbit hole or not. I will not judge anyone who chooses to disengage from The Social Network – at least not on Facebook – what would people think of me?
Lisa argues that the Facebook version of yourself becomes the “Stepford” you; an edited, apolitical, PG-13 version. I argue that we are always presenting a version of ourselves in both the real and digital world.
This morning as I was doing some much needed work around the house I decided to plug in the hands-free and make some calls to some friends I haven’t spoken to in awhile. That doesn’t mean I haven’t communicated with them, in fact, through Facebook I knew that one friend recently had dinner with two young men that he tutored while they were on suspension from school. Both boys were doing well and getting A’s. I knew this fact because I read it on his Facebook wall. Guess what we talked about?
Personally, my friend’s life-casting is a trigger for me to reach out and talk about those edited bits of their life they choose to share in Facebook-land.
As I see it, Facebook is no more to blame for our superficial relationships than the printing press is to blame for our inability to spin a good yarn around a campfire. Technology has for years fundamentally changed the way we relate to other people. Email, texting, tweeting, etc. – these are all inventions that were set before us to use or not use. Our choice was our vote. The medium dictates the version of ourselves we want to communicate.
People often talk about the romantic letters soldiers wrote to their wives during the great wars. Is it safe to say that those same soldiers spoke so eloquently to their brothers in arms while tossing back spirits? Not likely, I’m sure they versioned themselves based on the medium and audience.
My dad has taken to texting, in fact, he’s proven to be quite brief and poignant using this “fancy new” form of communication. He’s embraced a far less personal form of communication and it has been a welcome addition to our relationship. The technology has been a pleasant addition to our father-son dynamic.
With Facebook, we are learning more about ourselves than Zuckerberg probably intended. We are asking ourselves and others important questions about the human experience. Who qualifies as a friend? How many of these friends do I really care about? How does the community judge me? What is my stance on this topic? Am I interesting? Am I funny?
In end, the choice will always be ours whether we want to go down the rabbit hole or not. I will not judge anyone who chooses to disengage from The Social Network – at least not on Facebook – what would people think of me?
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