January 16, 2011
Editor:
Dave Uphoff
The internet's most popular social networking web site, Facebook, is gradually transforming how we interact with each other. Our method of communication has morphed from face to face contact to the telephone, emails and now Facebook. In the process we have gained something and lost something along the way. Facebook enables instant communication among many people. Its ease of use encourages a fecundity of information, some important, some unimportant. From the few Facebook pages I have been exposed to, posts of common activities such as "I was late for work this morning" or "the dog crapped on the floor" suggests that some of the conversation on Facebook borders on gossip or ranting based on boredom.
Most of us are interested in what are friends are doing, but is there not a limit on what we need to know or even should know? In a way, the success of Facebook might suggest how lonely we are as a society. Many of us live away from our friends and family. Facebook brings people back into a network that reduces the emotional distance between each other. Its ease of communication becomes seductive and tends to keep us encapsulated in our own little world. It definitely serves a purpose in allowing us to stay in contact with our friends. On the other hand, it tends to isolate us by reducing the desire to cultivate new friendships among people locally. The effects of this new social communication are reflected in the decline of membership in fraternal organizations and social clubs, and attendance at public events and civic meetings. Even parties seem to have disappeared.
Because the dialog on Facebook approaches casual conversation, comments are made that might not have been said in a public context. These comments may come back to haunt users of Facebook if they are ever uncovered by a potential employer who may browse Facebook for unfavorable comments made by a job applicant.
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Once something is put on the internet, it stays there forever. Users of Facebook should keep this in mind when making comments. Facebook is an appropriate tool if used for exchanging useful information. It becomes inappropriate if used for killing time or spreading gossip or engaging in arguments. I am not a user of Facebook because it is too time consuming to correspond with numerous people on a casual basis. I prefer to interact in person, if possible. I want to learn of my friends' experiences on a face to face basis. Then I can better experience the emotion of the news and also gauge its significance by observing my friend's delivery. The exchange of information on Facebook is no substitute for the emotional interaction of face to face conversation at the coffee shop or at a luncheon with someone. The mystery of other people's lives is more interesting than the details of their lives. Knowing so much about other people's lives leads to cognitive overload and lessens our ability to absorb and discuss more important issues. The internet is making it easier for us to pay our bills, buy our merchandise, read the news and communicate with others. However, the price we pay is the loss of interpersonal skills as we sit isolated on our computer - lonely as can be.
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