Facebook -- Good or Bad?

[Neo-Logic]

It's the thought that counts -- those are the first words that comes to mind when I try to characterize the impact and influence of Facebook.

For every area that Facebook has supposedly 'revolutionized' or 'redefined', it comes with negative externalities that makes me wonder if its impacts are potentially more negative than positive.

Socially and psychologically, I think it does more bad than good. I do not doubt that Facebook is a great networking tool and helps keep in touch, especially with friends that have moved away or with relatives in far away places. However, I fear that many use Facebook beyond these limited scopes and relies on it as the conduit of friendship. This is one instance when the technologization of something as humanistic as friendship may ruin and redefine that very word for the worse. How many times have you and I seen people say a simple 'happy birthday' comment, or worse, press "like" on someone else wishing someone else a 'happy birthday'? It's as if all responsibilities, obligations, and social conventions of friendship and what it means to be a friend is psychologically relinquished by the mere typing of 'happy birthday' instead of hanging out, having dinner, or actually talking.

I also wonder how Facebook redefines who we consider as friends and what we consider friendship. Is friendship the mere keeping tabs of someone else's life and knowing what's going on with them every day without actually interacting or having some meaningful connection? That is a very creepy and saddening proposition.

I also wonder how Facebook will destroy the intangible of friendship for the future generations and the youth of today. I can't help but speculate that this will make the youth of today and tomorrow into social hermits that quantify friendship through the number of friends they've made on Facebook, instead of the meaningful connections they build in real life.

Politically, there's no doubt that Facebook is making people more politically aware and more politically conscious. So many people that would otherwise not care are caring. However, the manner in which they're caring also matters and I think in this case, doesn't actually help political participation. A part of me feels that while knowledge is power and simply knowing about political issues will help in the long run, the fact that people can simply join groups or pages or 'like' some link that concerns a political topic will give them the false and dangerous impression that they've done their civic duty. I would suspect that there is a disconnect in many people's minds that Facebook participation is not the same nor will it have any impact as actual civic participation.

This may seem a bit of a rant, but I've had this on my mind for a while. I want to hear what you think now.

 

[Father Heathen]

I don't know why, but I've always hated fad stuff like myspace, facebook, twitter, etc.

 

[Neo-Logic]

I don't know why, but I've always hated fad stuff like myspace, facebook, twitter, etc.

Okay Mister Grumpy.

Care to speculate why you hate it? And I don't know if you can actually consider Facebook a 'fad' at this point.

Lie down on the couch and tell me what's on your mind.

 

[Father Heathen]

I don't know why. I guess for some subconscious reason, and I really don't want to dip my hands in that murky mess.

 

[Neo-Logic]

I don't know why. I guess for some subconscious reason, and I really don't want to dip my hands in that murky mess.

Less you start looking like your avatar, right?

 

[AnnaTheBeast]

I don't view facebook that way. I may say happy birthday there but I always try to make plans to see that person, if I can't then what can I do?

Kids like to get out with there friends facebook doesn't change that.

 

[Neo-Logic]

I don't view facebook that way. I may say happy birthday there but I always try to make plans to see that person, if I can't then what can I do?

Kids like to get out with there friends facebook doesn't change that.

I hope you're right. )(

 

[methylatedghosts]

I've found it good to be a way to chat with people who have moved out of town, or even out of the country. Or people I've moved away from

Sharing photos and things are much easier with Facebook as well, seeing as you don't need to spend so long emailing a whole bunch of people the same thing, when instead you can just upload em and people can view them at their leisure, when they have the time. Getting emailed 200 photos from a friend's overseas trip is a bit tedious, and I probably wouldn't even bother trying to get them all, but on FB I can look through them much easier.

I also have a very private FB account where you need to be added as a friend to see pretty much anything beyond my name and profile picture.

Another thing I've found it to be good for is to organise events. It's easy to check to see who is or isn't coming, and who hasn't responded. That and it reminds you a day or two in advance when events are coming up that you've said you'll attend

I use it, but I prefer face-to-face meetings. Two people drinking a beer by themselves, talking on facebook just isn't the same

 

[MissAlice]

I found it to be very helpful. It is almost impossible for me to get out since I can't drive. If public transporation existed realistically for people like me, I'd quickly opt for that method but as it is, our government would rather spend money on more important things... As for cabs in my area, they can be pretty expensive and as it is there is a little I can afford. So if I wanted to "drop by" by saying hello or sending them a happy birthday, all I have to do is type the message to them without having to worry about long distant calls, travels or expenses. It's nice to be remembered by people especially if you're living in some part of the world that's isolated from real people.

There's good and negatives in depending on what each person defines what is and what isn't essential to friendship. I think if it hadn't been for social networking, I wouldn't have found many friends or people to confide to effectively. It's almost impossible to get with friends or finding friends unless you have enough money to go out and about amongst the social crowd not to mention a car unless you live in places like NY where you can just take a taxi or a bus. Also there are some people like myself who just aren't a natural at being "fun" or outgoing. I've found the social world to be quite competitive, that isn't to say there are those like me who are out and about, it's just not easy to find them from the overly bold and loud people.

The only downsides I do see if our social networking is this trend to call strangers friends who you barely know in order to play these virtual social games like Social City or Farmville or whatever. The very definition of itself becomes blurry and hard to distinguish I think especially if you're a child. As an adult, I can tell who my real friends are and people I just happen to relate to or people who only want add me to score points on their popularity. I find this to be ironically the same as the real world. Not everyone is going to define the term friend in just one aspect. You might find someone in class who you get along with so You take them out to have coffee or go to places like the mall or books stores. You might define this person as a friend. But if it came to emotional support or trusting that friend well enough to know that you can tell them anything, you might define that kind of friendship differently from the other one that isn't as close. I don't think the term friendship is something that can just be defined in one way.

 

[MysticSang'ha]

Facebook is awesome. I use it to network for show business, to keep in touch with people I used to work shows with, and to catch up with people I went to grade school with from time to time. I don't use it to "spy" on people, but my profile is as public as it can be because it's rather free advertising for my performances and production work.

If it wasn't for Facebook, I might not have been able to find a few opportunities for auditions and/or production staff openings. And these few opportunities have opened up more for me. So, I'm very thankful one of my colleagues finally talked me into starting an account after nagging me for about a year.

And no, I don't do Farmville.

 

[Smoke]

I like it best for seeing people's pictures. I can keep up with my nephews, my cousins, and see what's going on their lives without a lot of hassle. I've used Facebook to reconnect with some of my cousins whom I haven't seen in 25 years, and with old friends from New York, from high school, and so on. I think it's great.

 

[MysticSang'ha]

I like it best for seeing people's pictures. I can keep up with my nephews, my cousins, and see what's going on their lives without a lot of hassle. I've used Facebook to reconnect with some of my cousins whom I haven't seen in 25 years, and with old friends from New York, from high school, and so on. I think it's great.

It's also great to point out little known/local news stories of socially relevent issues. There have been times when I wouldn't have known about advancements in the fight for marriage equality if it weren't for you or Green Gaia or lilithu.

Plus, I also like to say I "like" something on another person's wall.

 

[Eliot Wild]

I am not a personal user of Facebook or Myspace. I am hateful and pathological, according to my girlfriend, and really I just don't care about meeting new people. I got more friends than I can't stand right now. I'm like the anti-George Bailey.

However, I managed a campus bar for a little while and Facebook was the absolute best marketing tool for us. We could run radio spots or place ads in the campus paper about a particular event or live music show, and all other mediums combined didn't get as much response as sending out notices to our Facebook "friends".

When the frats and sororities held their parties at our place, if we posted the event on Facebook, we would generally have to turn people away due to full capacity within the first couple of hours.

I used the bar's Facebook identity pretty much as my own to network and to flirt with the little college hotties, so I guess I have used it for personal reasons. But I've never actually had my own page. All the folks who worked for me, especially the students, used Facebook regularly. Also, the rsvp feature was great for our music shows and parties, letting us know how many people to schedule. For example, if it was a unknown local band, I'd get a smaller number of confirmations, so I might only schedule half the number of bartenders. If, on the other hand, the band had a tight following and I got more confirmations than expected, I'd know to schedule more staff, including bouncers, which were always very important.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

I rarely log on. I thought it would be neat to find and communicate people I've lost touch with, but after a few boring and anti-climactic messages back and forth, I realized everyone else's lives ended up even more boring than mine, and it's hard to even remember what we could have had in common in the first place.

 

[xkatz]

Facebook is ok. It's good to sometimes to be there and chat w/ people. I only really use for socializing and networking. All those apps and games are a bunch of useless crap. The problem is that it tries to be too much like twitter at times I feel.

 

[Smoke]

All those apps and games are a bunch of useless crap.

I used to play Mafia Wars and a couple other games. About a month ago I was still playing Hotel City and Social City. Then one of my best friends dropped dead while playing games on Facebook, and I just haven't any desire to play them since. Not what I want to be doing when I die, I guess, plus every time one of my friends dies I get a renewed sense of mortality and the urgency of doing the things you really want to do. A lot of people have strokes and heart attacks in their forties and fifties; I get a reminder all too often.

I'm not saying I'll never play Social City again, but for now it just doesn't appeal to me.

 

[Mathematician]

Personally, Facebook has helped me retain more friendships than otherwise would have been possible. I'm not a very "scene" person - my bed is my greatest domain for my two favorite past times - and I've been able to communicate with over a hundred people I would have otherwise forgotten about once I left high school. Now I can actually make plans with them. Yes, it probably takes away somewhat from communicating through the phone or real life with your closest friends, but I don't see that as a big problem as long as you still sustain your friendship in other mediums.

I think Facebook has actually allowed me to be MORE social in "real life." My last relationship owes its existance to the two of us being friends on the site and re-communicating.

I also know quite a few people here better thanks to Facebook, and I've been on this forum for years.

 

[BucephalusBB]

I have rejected facebook for quite some time but about a week ago I needed an account to view some pictures from a friend of mine.

Now officially I would go play poker with my friends tonight, but I think I still need some more time to accept all those friend requests from people I have not seen for years.. (about 30 requests the first day alone.. )
Now there might have been a reason why I stopped seeing them in the first place?

 

[justbehappy]

It's the thought that counts -- those are the first words that comes to mind when I try to characterize the impact and influence of Facebook.

For every area that Facebook has supposedly 'revolutionized' or 'redefined', it comes with negative externalities that makes me wonder if its impacts are potentially more negative than positive.

Socially and psychologically, I think it does more bad than good. I do not doubt that Facebook is a great networking tool and helps keep in touch, especially with friends that have moved away or with relatives in far away places. However, I fear that many use Facebook beyond these limited scopes and relies on it as the conduit of friendship. This is one instance when the technologization of something as humanistic as friendship may ruin and redefine that very word for the worse. How many times have you and I seen people say a simple 'happy birthday' comment, or worse, press "like" on someone else wishing someone else a 'happy birthday'? It's as if all responsibilities, obligations, and social conventions of friendship and what it means to be a friend is psychologically relinquished by the mere typing of 'happy birthday' instead of hanging out, having dinner, or actually talking.

I also wonder how Facebook redefines who we consider as friends and what we consider friendship. Is friendship the mere keeping tabs of someone else's life and knowing what's going on with them every day without actually interacting or having some meaningful connection? That is a very creepy and saddening proposition.

I also wonder how Facebook will destroy the intangible of friendship for the future generations and the youth of today. I can't help but speculate that this will make the youth of today and tomorrow into social hermits that quantify friendship through the number of friends they've made on Facebook, instead of the meaningful connections they build in real life.

Politically, there's no doubt that Facebook is making people more politically aware and more politically conscious. So many people that would otherwise not care are caring. However, the manner in which they're caring also matters and I think in this case, doesn't actually help political participation. A part of me feels that while knowledge is power and simply knowing about political issues will help in the long run, the fact that people can simply join groups or pages or 'like' some link that concerns a political topic will give them the false and dangerous impression that they've done their civic duty. I would suspect that there is a disconnect in many people's minds that Facebook participation is not the same nor will it have any impact as actual civic participation.

This may seem a bit of a rant, but I've had this on my mind for a while. I want to hear what you think now.

It's the same exact thing as phone calls, texting, IMing, web chat. What matters is that we are keeping in touch with people. Who cares how we do it? Social behaviors change as technology and times change - that's how it's always been. Are we going to retrogress back to the stone ages just so people can spend more physical time with each other? No, of course not. To say that technology created to help us keep in touch with people is bad for us is just ridiculous to me. If it weren't for these types of technology, I would have never seen/heard from my best friends that live thousands of miles away, and I wouldn't have been able to stay with my boyfriend of 4 years while he went out-of-state to college during my Senior year in highschool.