It follows that most likely I'm not a very good "friend." It's really hard to maintain a serious relationship with dozens and dozens of good friends with whom you keep in touch on an almost daily basis.
Like many out there (and I
believe there are quite a few of us), I stand outside the “platform” and gaze on passively, but don’t participate or respond. It’s kind of like going to a place of worship but not
saying the prayers, preferring instead to observe the passion of others, the more authentic devotees.
It really is the ultimate form
of social media voyeurism and imbues the faint illusion of superiority, this very
detachment one feels from not joining in or embracing the energetic, throwing and scattering of prosaic words and images that goes
on hourly if not by the minute. You believe you are safely under the radar by staying out of it. But in truth, is the act of scanning the page any better than reading the "stories" on yahoo?? And whether or not you remain silent, just by being present you're making yourself vulnerable to the many sneaky advertising ploys.
The hypocrisy of this passive activity of course is egregious, since I detest everything facebook stands for; and yet I am drawn into its overreaching web, like shopping on Amazon.
I understand the need for self expression. How often are we made to hold the phone and our tongues for umpteen minutes while a robotic menu frustrates our every attempt to speak, attacks the very core of our individuality and eventually wears us down. . . . The soulless commands exhorting us to keep on pointlessly pressing numbers on the dial pad so that we hang on indefinitely, or better yet hang up; and all the while the knowing that the question/comment/complaint/issue that prompted the call in the first place may never be resolved. I totally get it. We need to talk, and we need to be heard.
The hypocrisy of this passive activity of course is egregious, since I detest everything facebook stands for; and yet I am drawn into its overreaching web, like shopping on Amazon.
I understand the need for self expression. How often are we made to hold the phone and our tongues for umpteen minutes while a robotic menu frustrates our every attempt to speak, attacks the very core of our individuality and eventually wears us down. . . . The soulless commands exhorting us to keep on pointlessly pressing numbers on the dial pad so that we hang on indefinitely, or better yet hang up; and all the while the knowing that the question/comment/complaint/issue that prompted the call in the first place may never be resolved. I totally get it. We need to talk, and we need to be heard.
But nonetheless, what are
these facebook posting maniacs getting so worked up about all the time? What is driving them to cool/moral/indignant/serene/caring/funny/angry/involved/ concerned/original public stances? Is it politics that
form the raison d’etre of this ongoing soap box, a rock band of nostalgia from the past, a gathering, a world event, the mere illusion of those hundreds of meaningful connections one has accrued without having to interact inter-personally with such an invisible gaggle of bosom
buddies? Just being heard?
Is it the hope that people will cling to your every inane posting? I read the entries and smirk at the “clever” ones with my own self perceived cleverness, bristle at the annoying ones, but am mostly bored. And then there are all the re-postings of other posts. I mean, do these folks have a life outside their screens? Do I?
Is it the hope that people will cling to your every inane posting? I read the entries and smirk at the “clever” ones with my own self perceived cleverness, bristle at the annoying ones, but am mostly bored. And then there are all the re-postings of other posts. I mean, do these folks have a life outside their screens? Do I?
On the other hand, you could
say we silent observers are simply even more alienated than the hardcore users,
looking as we are to hitch a free ride on the thoughts, impulses and emotions of these more connected participants
in virtual reality.
Isn't this very blog in fact a kind of totally solipsistic and (barring the wrath of Father Google) mostly individually controlled facebook??? Even the terminology is misleading. It's media, yes, though not always so social.
Isn't this very blog in fact a kind of totally solipsistic and (barring the wrath of Father Google) mostly individually controlled facebook??? Even the terminology is misleading. It's media, yes, though not always so social.
We live in a world where the
bottom seems to be falling out and the facebook phenomenon (think twitter, youtube, instagram et al) seems to provide temporary housing, at least when not contributing to the dissolution.
Seems to.
Oh, let's just face it; time to read a bookbook?
Oh, let's just face it; time to read a bookbook?
FROM PAULA-
ReplyDeleteI liked the honesty of your post. Yes we all agree Facebook has taken some nasty turns of late but everyone still seems to be posting. You see I am even more of a voyeur than you. I never go on to FB itself but scan the reminders I receive via email. I see my daughter in law has posted pics of the boys and feel sad. I see that the very people who wore me out with repetitive ‘interesting’ articles are still at it and I am glad I don’t have to read them. I have mislaid my FB password and I am going to leave it at that.
Enough about me. Good thoughtful essay about the way social media infiltrates our very souls. You’re so right let’s read a book!
FROM DIANE-
ReplyDeleteI’ve never been involved with Facebook, Twitter et al, but I’m familiar with them all and totally agree with you. I appreciate your candor in questioning not just the appeal of the “facebook phenomenon” to the world, but to yourself as well. You ask the world, and yourself, hard questions. And, along the way to your conclusion I enjoyed your signature delightful turns of phrase, and imagery: “a rock band of nostalgia” (I laughed, loved it), and "(the) prosaic throwing and scattering of words” (great image). From “Facebook” to “bookbook”…perfect conclusion. Just a bit confused by the question mark.
Lynn, I'm the outlier here, of course altho not happy with the negative stuff about FB, I still like it, am slightly addicted and post something almost every day. And I dare to think I post interesting, important and aesthetic stuff - book and theatre reviews, poems, art, and of course politics, how can one not these days! And I do use it to connect to far-flung family, friends and former colleagues.
ReplyDeleteBut it's no substitute for lunch with a friend, and BTW aren't we overdue for that lunch?