When I first made my Facebook account, I didn’t think much of it because I already had a MySpace account. At that time, MySpace was the most popular internet social networking site and I would browse it once in a while. Then suddenly, the entire MySpace community plus everyone else migrated to Facebook. I was heard from everybody around me, saying that “Facebook is so much better [than MySpace].” So, I ditched MySpace and started using my Facebook account. These people that added me (or I added them) were not really my “Friends”. These “Friends” were former classmates of mine, whom I hardly ever see in person. The first thing I noticed was the status updates. I became aware that most of my “Friends” were posting status updates, videos, and photos to express their large egos. In other words, they were showing off. Then I saw that most users had well over 500 “friends”. I only have a few close friends and I find it hard to imagine having 500 close friends.
I thought to myself, “What is the purpose of Facebook if these users aren’t really ‘Friends’ with one another?” To me, it appears that Facebook is a site where people put up illusions of themselves. Whenever you put any information on your Facebook page, that information is made public to all your “Friends”. When a user posts “last night was fun”, that user intends for all his or her “friends” to see it. And then I asked myself, “Why would this person want everybody to know that he or she had a great time last night?” Well, there’s always a reasonable answer. The most reasonable answer is probably because Facebook users wish to satisfy their need for attention. This becomes a “game” where Facebook users battle each other by comparing their self value against each other. Facebook is very much like the High School popularity contest, except without the “high school” part. I find Facebook as a flawed technological social medium because of its structure. It is structured in a format where the users may project “shadows” of their true identities.
I totally agree with you that people with more than 500 “friends” on Facebook, do not particularly know them all that well. Probably have seen their so called “friends” at a party or in class, but all they just did was greet each other for like a second. I assume that these people become “friends” because they want to get to know each other more. I actually catch myself doing this as well, accepting friend requests of those that I just barely met the other day. And I just leave them as friends on my Facebook for years. I actually keep them as friends and their status updates start to become annoying. They put their life on their Facebook profile with these status updates that do not pertain to me. I find it even funnier that they even put their “drunk” status updates and I can even tell that they are by the way they do not normally type their regular updates. What do you normally see on your news feed of your so called “friends” on their life/shadows?
ReplyDeleteHere are some News Feed I'm seeing right now:
ReplyDelete"Got a chrome cover for my iPhone. Looking sickkkkkkk!!!!"
"Had a great time last night.. thanks for coming out!"
"i don 't like to brag , so my bitches brag for me ;)"
When facebook first came out i felt the same way. I had previously been using myspace and it seemed that when i finally did transfer over to facebook my myspace became lost and forgotten. In my opinion myspace was more about expressing who you were and relating to your friends. With the introduction of facebook the virtual image i you convey on the internet became more of a show your putting on for your supposed 500 best friends. But if they were your friends couldnt you simply call or text them? whats the need to put on a show on facebook?
ReplyDeleteI have deleted my Facebook account, Yay!!! xD
ReplyDelete