Why do social net working sites feed into the compulsive nature of all of us? In my free time I often find myself compelled to worship my computer. In fact, there exists such a magnetic pull between me and my computer screen, I often question whether the powers that be are placing some sort of mind control device within our Internet systems? Sometimes, I literally spend hours in front of my computer. One of the first domains I seek out, interestingly enough, is a site called Facebook. I should not even explain what Facebook is to those readers who do not know already. If you have not checked out this particular social networking site, please refrain from ever doing so only because it is highly addictive!
Of all the potentially educational and inspirational amount of information I could seek out on the world wide web, why oh why am I going directly to Facebook after I turn the computer button on? I could be studying the Constitution of the United States, reading up on the issues in the Middle East, studying the stars, or even get a degree online. Yet, I can not stay away from Facebook? I do get some useful information out of the forum, facts I did not know that are useful for my reasoning, useful for what is potentially progressive, and for what is right and good in the world. Hence, some of my friends are posting thought provoking videos, spiritual proverbs, scientific discoveries, etc. One of my Facebook friends even got me out to vote through her moving post about Voter's rights this year!
Yet, amongst all of the potentially enlightening, philosophical jargon out there, posts of the mundane seem to exist in cyber space in even more prevalence than the truly thought provoking ones. Not to insult any of my "Facebook friends", I mean it sure is good to keep up with all my old friends and know that their laundry is getting done, that they in a committed relationship, and that the tri-state area traffic jam sucks. I am the one with free will here, and I do not have to read all of this trivial sort of stuff. However, often times, I do!
Oh, and the other interesting part of Facebook is the profile stalking. For those who have not put a lock down on their personal information and photos, one can delve through their reality and get a sort of gist on how and who they are, as if reading some sort of novel and learning about a character. Just another player on the Facebook stage! Even the more casual updates, like "hanging out eating crabs and playing pool at Joey's Shawshack," for example, are somehow an integral part of the Facebook social network forum. I must admit, I also add my fair share of posts that qualify for the mundane level! I think that is just part of the Facebook phenomenon. The site covers a wide spectrum of insights.
Now, you could delete friends who do not post useful and insightful information on their walls but what is insightful and useful to one person may be completely meaningless to someone else? Not everyone is going to place utmost importance on politics, green policies, or the middle east agenda, like me. Plus, if you denied some of your "friends" friendship because you did not like what they had to say, you just might well be neglecting some of your elementary school mates or coworkers, for instance, and that is not a very friendly thing to do.
So, Facebook seems to be a addiction that lots of us suffer from. In the format of social media, *addiction* is a good thing, because if we are all logged on, we are more than likely expressing our thoughts in opinions in the form of posts and more posts makes all our walls all the more interesting. I think that is the main reason why I and so many other friends that I know can spend hours on Facebook. Facebook is a popular place. In the real world, away from cyber reality, when there is a restaurant or a local bar that lots of people frequent it becomes a hot spot. We go to hot spots to enjoy it up a bit and to see and be seen. Likewise, Facebook is an active social networking site, filled with available people who will post and who are available to chat live. Activity is attractive and being a part of a social media site as successful as Facebook is fun when so many people are logged on. Facebook is a hot spot! As long as so many folks stay actively involved in the phenomena that is Facebook, the addiction that so many of us have for it will not go away.
O.k. I am going to check my Facebook right now:)
Of all the potentially educational and inspirational amount of information I could seek out on the world wide web, why oh why am I going directly to Facebook after I turn the computer button on? I could be studying the Constitution of the United States, reading up on the issues in the Middle East, studying the stars, or even get a degree online. Yet, I can not stay away from Facebook? I do get some useful information out of the forum, facts I did not know that are useful for my reasoning, useful for what is potentially progressive, and for what is right and good in the world. Hence, some of my friends are posting thought provoking videos, spiritual proverbs, scientific discoveries, etc. One of my Facebook friends even got me out to vote through her moving post about Voter's rights this year!
Yet, amongst all of the potentially enlightening, philosophical jargon out there, posts of the mundane seem to exist in cyber space in even more prevalence than the truly thought provoking ones. Not to insult any of my "Facebook friends", I mean it sure is good to keep up with all my old friends and know that their laundry is getting done, that they in a committed relationship, and that the tri-state area traffic jam sucks. I am the one with free will here, and I do not have to read all of this trivial sort of stuff. However, often times, I do!
Oh, and the other interesting part of Facebook is the profile stalking. For those who have not put a lock down on their personal information and photos, one can delve through their reality and get a sort of gist on how and who they are, as if reading some sort of novel and learning about a character. Just another player on the Facebook stage! Even the more casual updates, like "hanging out eating crabs and playing pool at Joey's Shawshack," for example, are somehow an integral part of the Facebook social network forum. I must admit, I also add my fair share of posts that qualify for the mundane level! I think that is just part of the Facebook phenomenon. The site covers a wide spectrum of insights.
Now, you could delete friends who do not post useful and insightful information on their walls but what is insightful and useful to one person may be completely meaningless to someone else? Not everyone is going to place utmost importance on politics, green policies, or the middle east agenda, like me. Plus, if you denied some of your "friends" friendship because you did not like what they had to say, you just might well be neglecting some of your elementary school mates or coworkers, for instance, and that is not a very friendly thing to do.
So, Facebook seems to be a addiction that lots of us suffer from. In the format of social media, *addiction* is a good thing, because if we are all logged on, we are more than likely expressing our thoughts in opinions in the form of posts and more posts makes all our walls all the more interesting. I think that is the main reason why I and so many other friends that I know can spend hours on Facebook. Facebook is a popular place. In the real world, away from cyber reality, when there is a restaurant or a local bar that lots of people frequent it becomes a hot spot. We go to hot spots to enjoy it up a bit and to see and be seen. Likewise, Facebook is an active social networking site, filled with available people who will post and who are available to chat live. Activity is attractive and being a part of a social media site as successful as Facebook is fun when so many people are logged on. Facebook is a hot spot! As long as so many folks stay actively involved in the phenomena that is Facebook, the addiction that so many of us have for it will not go away.
O.k. I am going to check my Facebook right now:)
