This article came at a great time for my essay.
It tells of a young suicide victim who left a message on Facebook on Christmas day and not one of her 1048 Facebook friends checked on her.
It came with a really fabulous range of replies from:
Facebook is just another one of life's "idiot detectors". If you wish to communicate with friends via a computer, then what is wrong with E-mail? If you have a Facebook account you really are a "loser". Society today is dominated by selfish, self-obsessed, fools who believe that whatever they read on the Internet is truth. With more technology, the human race becomes less able to look after itself, nor realise what is truly important.
Mitch | Sydney - January 13, 2011, 7:52AM
To:
The reality is that the existing communications and transport networks available in modern society have transformed the way we live.
Home telephones were a rarity when I was growing up, as were motor vehicles, so your social life was limited to those around you. That had good and bad implications. Realistically you had no choice but to follow the leader regardless of how poor a personality they had.
Facebook, e-mail, all modern communications, and modern transport has changed the social fabric of the world.
No longer do we face restrictions on who we can talk to, or the thoughts that we can express.
Dominant personalities can be ignored, or "blocked" if they overstep the mark, and we can choose to live where we want without worrying about whether we will be accepted in that community.
Sadly, the boost in technology has also changed the way some of us perceive ourselves. Sadly, some have become socially isolated because they don't have access to the technology and those they live around do.
Sadly, some people judge their self worth by the acceptance they receive on Facebook and other social networks.
Psychology needs to move with the times to understand the issues arising from this change in communication on people in our society.
Please don't blame Facebook for these issues. It is simply a technological advance that society needs to catch up with.
Persoanlly I am very sorry for the young person who announced their suicide on Facebook, and also to those they left behind.
Fairdinkum | NSW - January 13, 2011, 9:01AM
I agree with Fairdinkum. I think the newer tools of the internet like blogs and social networks give everyone a voice. Despite the advertising you have a great deal more control over what is there for you to read and interact with. It is less invasive than emails. Which is perhaps why ‘Mitch” objects to Facebook.
Facebook seems to me to be a microcosm of life. Bullying occurs in real life too. Facebook the tool can be used and misused.
The article talked about the concept of friendship being devalued in Facebook. That is perhaps more a language problem. If you haven’t experienced Facebook you couldn’t know the range of activities. A facebook friend could just be someone to transact with on ‘Farmville’ or any of the games played on Facebook. Or they could be family or friends that you meet with regularly and share with intimately. Yes a microcosm of life.
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