4 ms·

The problem with posts like this, both pro- and anti-Facebook, is that they are just someone's experience and our experiences vary. If your personal use of Face

by graue 14y ago

The problem with posts like this, both pro- and anti-Facebook, is that they are just someone's experience and our experiences vary. If your personal use of Facebook had similar results to the author's, you nod your head, perhaps virtually applaud, and share the link. I know I'm tempted to do so here. But I also know that there are people who use Facebook in a way that strengthens, augments and reinforces real-life relationships. I've also read of studies that show a positive, not a negative, correlation between time spent on social media and how engaged people are with others in person. Some will say, "well, duh" to that, and will shake their heads at an article like this, which to them only shows that someone doesn't know how to use Facebook. Both experiences are valid. I follow a sociologist on Twitter who writes a lot of essays from the latter viewpoint. To him, it's a theoretical split. There is the "digital dualist" theory, that basically says online/offline is a zero sum game and social media makes friendships shallow and disposable, and there is the "augmented reality" theory that all is connected, that what we do online is real life and not something different. And he holds the latter theory to be correct while the former, he finds simplistic, sentimental and broken. (I'm thinking of @nathanjurgenson if anyone wants to follow along, have done my best to represent his views but obviously this summary is my own) I disagree with all of the above. It has become ever more clear to me that some people really do use and experience Facebook in a dualistic way while others do not. There is no one, unified, grand theory of Facebook that encompasses all experiences. Both camps would like to say, "This is how it is, period", but they are really saying, "This is how it is for me".

bittermang 14y ago
While I concede to your point that we should not allow isolated views of individuals to taint our overall purview of a given topic; that these are peoples opinions and that opinions are not finite or absolute. We must also realize that life is the shared experience and combined knowledge of humanity insofar. You pose that they "are just someone's experience and our experiences vary," and I would say that is the entire point of posts like these. Experiences do vary, and you cannot experience or test for them all. By sharing our experiences -- good or bad -- they present you with invaluable information. The proverbial mile in a man's shoes. A man who can feel like the Emperor has no clothes, and feels compelled to cry out against the social trend. Or a person who was empowered by social media, because of an unexpected exchange on a whim. Which brings me to my point. For the longest time, I didn't understand Twitter. There was a fundamental disconnect, and all the weird syntax and limits were off putting. Then one night, during a the intermission of a hockey game, a humorous moment happened between the analysts. In that moment, I recalled I was following Jeremy Roenick, one of the analysts involved in the exchange, on Twitter. So I pulled my phone, tweeted at him, "LOL. That was awesome." And slipped my phone back in to my pocket. Imagine my surprise when the intermission had concluded and the puck dropped for the third period when my phone buzzed. It was Jeremy Roenick on Twitter, just saying thanks. No, really, imagine my surprise. This is old hat to everyone already on the Twitter tip, but my mind had just been blown to pieces. Imagine trying to break that scenario down for anyone around the dawn of television? I used a device to talk to the man on the TV, and he talked back, in real time. Modern witchcraft. In that moment I switched from "Twitter is stupid," to, "Twitter is the single greatest thing since the last wild declaration I've made." I understood it finally, Twitter connects the world, directly. You can say that he "doesn't know how to use Facebook" and even be correct, but that doesn't matter. To him, until he gets new information or insight, his opinion and experience with the product is absolute. It happened and here's how he felt. There's valuable information about the human experience in why he feels that way, and discussion to be had about why people seem to experience this duality. And the discussion is only going to evolve and change as we both grow the web and social, as well as when more of the world's youth who have never lived without these tools continue to grow online; as more of the world's cultures begin to increase their presence online and inter-mingle. These posts, while agreeably fixated on the opinions of individuals, are part of the process for all of us as a whole. Also, ironically, the act of the post itself is sharing something socially, albeit not first party on Facebook.
paganel 14y ago
> But I also know that there are people who use Facebook in a way that strengthens, augments and reinforces real-life relationships. My mother, who lives in the countryside, no Internet, late 50s, first saw her 2-year old niece when I showed her the photos my cousin had posted on Facebook. She was amazed and happy at the same time. So yes, while for some Facebook may look like this juggernaut that tries to destroy everything on its path, for others is just a way to experience some emotions that otherwise wouldn't be possible.
- papsosouid 14y ago
  Sharing photos was very much possible before facebook, and is still possible without facebook. Quite contrary to your claim that facebook is making this possible that wouldn't be otherwise, they are actually limiting what most people think is possible, having convinced the world at large that they are the internet. Facebook is destined to continue following the same path as AOL.
acjohnson55 14y ago
I agree. I've experienced a wide range of reactions to Facebook. In the early days, when the info on your profile was the killer app, I closely curated mine as though it were my online representation of myself. When my college girlfriend broke up with me, it became a tool of obsession to desperately try to understand why it happened. Then I forced myself not to check her profile for almost a year, and it was a representation of my willpower and reconstructed self-esteem. When Facebook made all of your profile entries into linkable graph objects, among other changes that destroyed privacy, I rebelled and shut down my Facebook account. After leaving grad school, I eventually reactivated, because I realized that when I wanted to visit people, Facebook was by far the easiest way to get in touch. Nowadays, I have built a really strong circle of people I know from real life but keep in touch mostly on Facebook, and I can honestly say that it's been an intellectual revolution for me. I exchange ideas with people and have debates that I rarely have in person. It's absolutely broadened my horizons. It's made me a much better writer, debater, and communicator. Obviously, Facebook is what you make of it. Sure, you have to navigate the minefield of what Zuckerberg wants it to be, but for me, it's become indispensable as communication tool, and I pity people who let it be a source of negativity to them instead of taking the positive aspects of it for what it's worth. It's just a tool.
naner 14y ago
Maybe it is an extrovert/introvert split? e.g.: Extroverts use Facebook to enhance relationships while introverts rely on Facebook too much instead of interacting with people.

by graue 14y ago

bittermang 14y ago

While I concede to your point that we should not allow isolated views of individuals to taint our overall purview of a given topic; that these are peoples opinions and that opinions are not finite or absolute. We must also realize that life is the shared experience and combined knowledge of humanity insofar. You pose that they "are just someone's experience and our experiences vary," and I would say that is the entire point of posts like these. Experiences do vary, and you cannot experience or test for them all. By sharing our experiences -- good or bad -- they present you with invaluable information. The proverbial mile in a man's shoes. A man who can feel like the Emperor has no clothes, and feels compelled to cry out against the social trend. Or a person who was empowered by social media, because of an unexpected exchange on a whim. Which brings me to my point. For the longest time, I didn't understand Twitter. There was a fundamental disconnect, and all the weird syntax and limits were off putting. Then one night, during a the intermission of a hockey game, a humorous moment happened between the analysts. In that moment, I recalled I was following Jeremy Roenick, one of the analysts involved in the exchange, on Twitter. So I pulled my phone, tweeted at him, "LOL. That was awesome." And slipped my phone back in to my pocket. Imagine my surprise when the intermission had concluded and the puck dropped for the third period when my phone buzzed. It was Jeremy Roenick on Twitter, just saying thanks. No, really, imagine my surprise. This is old hat to everyone already on the Twitter tip, but my mind had just been blown to pieces. Imagine trying to break that scenario down for anyone around the dawn of television? I used a device to talk to the man on the TV, and he talked back, in real time. Modern witchcraft. In that moment I switched from "Twitter is stupid," to, "Twitter is the single greatest thing since the last wild declaration I've made." I understood it finally, Twitter connects the world, directly. You can say that he "doesn't know how to use Facebook" and even be correct, but that doesn't matter. To him, until he gets new information or insight, his opinion and experience with the product is absolute. It happened and here's how he felt. There's valuable information about the human experience in why he feels that way, and discussion to be had about why people seem to experience this duality. And the discussion is only going to evolve and change as we both grow the web and social, as well as when more of the world's youth who have never lived without these tools continue to grow online; as more of the world's cultures begin to increase their presence online and inter-mingle. These posts, while agreeably fixated on the opinions of individuals, are part of the process for all of us as a whole. Also, ironically, the act of the post itself is sharing something socially, albeit not first party on Facebook.

paganel 14y ago

> But I also know that there are people who use Facebook in a way that strengthens, augments and reinforces real-life relationships. My mother, who lives in the countryside, no Internet, late 50s, first saw her 2-year old niece when I showed her the photos my cousin had posted on Facebook. She was amazed and happy at the same time. So yes, while for some Facebook may look like this juggernaut that tries to destroy everything on its path, for others is just a way to experience some emotions that otherwise wouldn't be possible.

papsosouid 14y ago
Sharing photos was very much possible before facebook, and is still possible without facebook. Quite contrary to your claim that facebook is making this possible that wouldn't be otherwise, they are actually limiting what most people think is possible, having convinced the world at large that they are the internet. Facebook is destined to continue following the same path as AOL.

acjohnson55 14y ago

I agree. I've experienced a wide range of reactions to Facebook. In the early days, when the info on your profile was the killer app, I closely curated mine as though it were my online representation of myself. When my college girlfriend broke up with me, it became a tool of obsession to desperately try to understand why it happened. Then I forced myself not to check her profile for almost a year, and it was a representation of my willpower and reconstructed self-esteem. When Facebook made all of your profile entries into linkable graph objects, among other changes that destroyed privacy, I rebelled and shut down my Facebook account. After leaving grad school, I eventually reactivated, because I realized that when I wanted to visit people, Facebook was by far the easiest way to get in touch. Nowadays, I have built a really strong circle of people I know from real life but keep in touch mostly on Facebook, and I can honestly say that it's been an intellectual revolution for me. I exchange ideas with people and have debates that I rarely have in person. It's absolutely broadened my horizons. It's made me a much better writer, debater, and communicator. Obviously, Facebook is what you make of it. Sure, you have to navigate the minefield of what Zuckerberg wants it to be, but for me, it's become indispensable as communication tool, and I pity people who let it be a source of negativity to them instead of taking the positive aspects of it for what it's worth. It's just a tool.

naner 14y ago

Maybe it is an extrovert/introvert split? e.g.: Extroverts use Facebook to enhance relationships while introverts rely on Facebook too much instead of interacting with people.