For a lot of people their lives revolve around Facebook, especially the older crowd (20s and 30s) who usually wouldn’t be using this kind of social network. Why are they drawn to Facebook more than to other social networking sites such as MySpace? For them it is like a digital address book where they can keep in contact with other people where normally they wouldn’t have the time or resources to communicate with these people. To me it seems like Facebook brings more good than bad. If people can use it to stay in touch with family and friends that are either overseas, or have too busy of a schedule to be able to communicate with them through the phone or email, Facebook is there to keep these relationships together. I do think though that some people are too involved with Facebook and are starting to lose the skills needed to communicate with people outside of their computers. If people start to choose to talk with others over Facebook than talk with them face to face (given that they are able to do one or the other just as easily) then their social skills off the computer are starting to deteriorate.
When people start to spend so much time on these social networking sites and become dependent on constantly checking them, it makes me wonder; what would happen if Facebook shut down tomorrow unexpected? Would these people who are so dependent on Facebook resort to other forms of communication to keep in contact with their digital friends or would they let their online relationships diminish? Honestly I don’t have an answer to this question. If I had to guess, I think that people would drop their more distant and weaker relationships and would build a different relationship with their closer friends, although I don’t think it would be as strong as the relationships we see today on Facebook and other social networking sites.
This is a simple graph, but it shows the effects of time spend on facebook and how it effects face to face communication
This graph shows the number of people who spend their time on certain parts of Facebook.(looking at pictures, looking for new friends, using the various Facebook applications, etc.) This shows the obvious, people are spending a lot of time on Facebook interacting with people online, rather than communicating face to face.
I know this graph is not in English, but you get the point. This is showing where around the world different social network sites (including Facebook) are being used. As you can tell it's not just Americans who are spending their time on social networking sites. What does this mean for face to face communication around the world with people from other countries?
You raise a great point...are you related to whitney by chance? anyway... I thought a lot about your question, "what would happen if Facebook shut down tomorrow unexpected? Would these people who are so dependent on Facebook resort to other forms of communication to keep in contact with their digital friends or would they let their online relationships diminish?"
ReplyDeleteFor me, I would probably just call or text the people I am friends with on facebook, because I use facebook to chat with them instead of calling/texting. I have decided that I use facebook as a chat tool, instead of msn messenger. It is easier to access, although I cant send files, and it is easier to use. Just log on, and talk away.
Other than that, I think that facebook would just die out if it shut down. The only reason I use it is to keep in touch. If I don't talk to them on facebook, I probably talk to them on msn or ichat. sure, there is the feature of sharing photos, but that isnt as important as one would think. I like it and all, but I could live without it. Talking in person is much more beneficial.
Overall, I think that online social networking is great, but it doesnt compare to social networking in person.
Interesting.
ReplyDeleteI didn't use Facebook before Anni told us to start using it. For me, there are betters way to stay in contact with my friends.
In my high school, during the first 3 years (out of 6) we , 41 students, in the same classroom helped build our own webboard. We have been using it since then. During the last 3 years in high school, students went to different majors (science, art, language) we didn't have much time in school to talk with others who took different major because the classrooms were different now. Webboard was still where we hanged out together. After high school, I came here to the US, some went to England, Australia, French to study. Many got in some universities throughout the country. Guess what? Our webboard was, and still is, there. And we have been using it.
That's quite a long example, but my point is that, staying in contacts with people doesn't only mean Facebook, or other Portals.
I even have my close friends' email addresses (some people keep changing addresses though, just keep updating your list) and their contacts on MSN programs. And we still use it to chat from time to time.
And thus if Facebook and mySpace and Hi5 and those sites get shutdown one day, there will be 2 type of people: One that panics and one that just shrugs. The one that shrugs is people who either don't use Facebook, or people who use all, or at least more than 1, means of communicating in this New Media age.
However, if the question is; 'What if one day the Internet dies', ok that's completely different. But as far as Facebook dies? So be it.
I agree with you on what would happen if facebook shut down tomorrow. First i think everyone might panic, but then i think they would do what i would probably do. I think that i would lose a lot of online friendships because a lot of them aren't close friendships they are more like acquaintances. For some of my friends on facebook i think that would leave us a chance to get to know each-other better. I think this because i feel as though texting and talking on the phone are closer relationships than just randomly commenting to each-other on facebook, unless you are instant messaging. So, we would be forced to communicate in other ways. I guess it just depends on what effort you are willing to put forth to keep your online friends.
ReplyDeleteFacebook is a great utility for just about anyone who wants to use it. I don't think it takes away from face to face interaction like a lot of the readings have said that it could potentially do. But it is an interesting question if facebook did suddenly cease to exist. Something to keep in mind though are that these sights are cyclical. That all have a life to them. It started years ago with one called friendster, it moved to myspace, now to facebook. So if facebook did shut down people would be bummed for about an hour until the next social networking site is up. So I don't think it would be that big of a deal.
ReplyDelete