Where would we be without text messaging, skype calls, and facebook chats? People have become so dependent upon these pieces of media that without social networks we would all be lonesome! The reason I say this with such conviction is because the time spent texting, skyping, AIMing, and facebooking far outweighs the time spent actually interacting with one another face to face. We are losing our ability to initiate simple face to face contact. Introductions are now being executed via friend requests and wall posts.
It’s ridiculous how many friends I have on facebook that I have literally never talked to. I will admit that I am and will continue to be an offender of facebook friending colleagues that I have said fewer words to in person than the number of words in this blog. I have however become much more in tune with this habit so many of us have developed and am making a conscious effort to reduce this tendency. When I go to class now and when I go out at night, I have concentrated on meeting and learning about my classmates and peers by talking with them instead of effortlessly friending them on The Book.
I like to think that I would be fine without these pieces of media in my life. But I know at the end of the day I would be lost, disconnected, and feeling lonesome.
I totally agree Andrew. I have so many facebook friends that I don't know, only heard of and never actually met, or is my aquaintance that I literally never speak to. I am also a victim to constantly texting, bbming and internet chatting. I definitely talk to people via a medium a great deal more than I do in person. Although I have recognized this to be rediculous, I also know that I would have the same disconnected and incomplete feelings if i tried to give up all these different forms of media.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with Andrew. I mean I know that if all these media devices were to be taken away from me I would be able to function fine, in other words I have no completely lost my ability to interact with people face to face, but there would be a major degree of loneliness. One of my best friends goes to college in another state and without being able to text her and look at her facebook pictures and even skype I would feel very disconnected and sad.
ReplyDeleteAndrew, you raised some really good points in this blog and I am also an offender of the issues you discussed. I think that people should be more like you in trying to get to know people on a personal level rather than just through the different technological ways of "being friends". However, it is pretty obvious that in today's world it is very necessary for everyone to have things like Facebook, Skype, Twitter, and text messaging. They are so popular and widely used, that people without them will be at a disadvantage if they are one of the few who doesn't use them. I agree with you completely, but maybe this is how things will be from now on.
ReplyDeleteAndrew, I think you explained perfectly our habits with the media we use to interact with one another. I feel there are few people in this world that can go against the person you described in this blog. I too have many people on my facebook that I have never even seen face-to-face. What we have to take a look at is that our time requires us to live this way, to interact this way. If one was not to socially interact in the same manner most of us do, they would be considered an outsider. With every era there is a mean to interact. Unfortunately, our era does not require the communication to be face to face.
ReplyDeleteI agree. I think we have all seen how America's youth today has lost the ability to speak clearly and concisely. The word "like" is easily the most spoken word by America's youth. I think this is largely due to the use of Instant Messenger and the lack of face to face communication that exists today.
ReplyDeleteI think Andrew has perfectly touched upon how people tend to communicate using technology more as opposed to talking face to face. I feel like it can be seen when younger and younger children are exposed to technology and they struggle to communicate with others. I also agree with Daniel in that communication has evolved into the lack for a need of face to face communications due to technology
ReplyDeleteIt becomes pretty gloomy at the end of the essay... I like your self awareness about the negative side of facebook addiction and the recognition that there're something irreplacable about face-to-face interaction. The problem of social alienation/anomie has been said of the television as well since the 1950s. I would like to see you take a step further and analyze what about this new age of alienating devices, and how they bring a new level of alienation that is unprecedented? Or not?
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