Apparently this new Facebook business is all the rage nowadays. Apparently I have a lot to say about it, so, go get yourself a cup of tea or something to sip whilst reading/skimming.
I first heard about it a few weeks ago when going out for lunch in Victoria with some of Andy's friends. For those of you, like myself, who are no longer in university or high school, or are not between the ages 17-25 (which is users' average age), you may have never heard of Facebook. Well, I did a bit of "research" (thanks to Wikipedia and other sources) on the matter, and so allow me to give you a brief synopsis on the seventh most popular site in the U.S., with over 17 million members worldwide.
Basically, Facebook is a social networking service that allows you to stay in touch with all your friends through minimal effort. It acts as sort of a reference book. Your profile includes a picture of yourself (the "face" aspect) and a little bit of info, plus access to all of your photos (and you can choose WHO has access to them). Actually, Facebook is the number one site for photos (ahead of Flickr) because they allow you to upload sooooo many. You then basically subscribe to your friends, and can write little update notes and everyone can see them at the same time. It's apparently much easier to organize parties, share photos, and keep people updated on your life. Plus it involves far less writing (than, say, emails or blogs, or even msn), which appeals to many people. Currently 85% of college students in the U.S. have an account. Facebook actually began at Harvard and has since been predominantly available to college students, and has recently been opened up to high school kids.
But I don't want an account.
As far as websites go, this one seems pretty harmless, and it's well laid out, but I think my hesitation towards it concerns what the Facebook craze says about our culture and my own motivations for getting an account.
If we look into the history of media literacy, we can't help but bump into Marshall McLuhan. Marshall McLuhan is considered by some to be a forefather or prophet of the electronic age. He is most famous for his book, Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man, written way back in 1964. McLuhan was very interested in understanding the effects of technology and how they translated into our culture, and in turn affected us as human beings. I teach my Media 12 students about him every fall, and I can't help but have his words run through my head when I think about Facebook. I am called to practice what I preach.
McLuhan came up with a tool for approaching new technology called the tetrad. He basically had four questions we should pose whenever considering a new technology (and in our case, it is Facebook). The questions are: What does it (the medium or technology) extend? What does it make obsolete? What is retrieved? What does the technology reverse into if it is over-extended? After having these questions in my mind, I have come up with far more negative aspects than positive.
Before signing up for an account, I question my motivation. WHY do I need an account? Is it to simply see how many friends I have? Am I just curious? Is it to stay in touch with friends of old and far away? Is it for entertainment? Is it to meet new people? Is it to feel in the loop, part of the conversation? Will it help me save time and organize events more efficiently? Or, will it be yet another thing to feed my procrastination addiction? Will it distract me in class? Would I join because everyone else is -- to simply be part of Chomsky's bewildered herd? Will I fool myself into thinking I'm being social, while functioning through an anti-social medium? Will it really deepen and make a meaningful impact on my current relationships? Will it feed my already inflated ego? Will I use it to glorify God... or myself?
The answers to these questions definitely reinforce my decision NOT to get an account, but that's me. I already spend too much time on the internet when I should be marking (or teaching...) or going out for coffee. I guess I'm just encouraging you to question your motivation, too, and consider the impact the technology will have on your life, and if it checks out, give 'er -- it seems fun.
But for me, I am weary/leary of speed and ease being such a strong motivator and validator in our culture. I am tired of the idolatrous mores. I want deep, I want meaningful, I want shoulders, and unfortunately I just can't have that with 257 friends, sitting in front of a computer screen.
So, sorry, you will not be able to count me among your Facebook friends. From that book, I must turn my face away.
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3 comments:
a face like yours should appear in as many books as possible.
face it, you're beautiful. get in my book!
Cheryl- You couldn't be more right! I signed up for a facebook account about 3 weeks ago, knowing that it wasn't really my thing, and a sad excuse for socialization. I guess for some people it is a great way to connect with old friends and see who knows who in your social circle, but for me, it really isn't something I want or need in my life. Seriously- do I need to have everyone's social network broadcasted to me and visa-versa? The world is already a pretty superficial place, and I don't think that catalouging my friends is really a gesture of "friendship." I'm closing my account tonight.
ps- I LOVE McLuhan!! I studied "The Medium is the Massage" in my 1st year and was left with lots to chew on. And to think that he had his thoughts about the effects of mass communication in the 60s- you could read his stuff and swear he was talking about the internet! So strange!
Excellent post!!
Well said.
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