I've really begun to question the value Facebook brings to my life. I used to think it was a fantastic way to bring people closer together, but how one utilizes the tool has a direct correlation to how much value it actually brings.
I've found over the years that I use FB differently than other people. For me, it's a way to have a dialog with people. Through that dialog, it can be a way to view very complex issues from many different angles. It doesn't matter to me how "sensitive" or personal an issue is -- if I feel like I need to get something out, I post it here. One thing I will never do, however, is air out my family's dirty laundry in public. I might give a 50,000 foot view of an issue, otherwise known as "vaguebooking" (posts are written in such a way that only the people with additional information will actually "get" the post), but never specific. Facebook shouldn't be used as a tool to bludgeon your family members.
Here's the thing that I have found with FB and social media as a whole -- at the end of the day, the people closest to you are still your real friends. You may acquire new friendships through the tool, but how deep can those relationships really be if you've never sat across from them? Old friendships, however, do seem to strengthen despite the amount of distance that may lie between you and the other person. I have many examples of that within my friend list (you listening Tom Kelsall?)
There does seem to be some constants about Facebook, however. For one, it's completely ego-driven. We post things to look for support...to get attention....to share a moment....and I've even seen it used in such a way that is the most superficial of all -- the online brochure of "what my life is like". The reason I call that one the most superficial of all is because the brochure rarely resembles reality. I don't really see the point of employing FB in this fashion. Who benefits? The reader? You? Anybody? The ego is a very interesting beast, and Facebook seems to feed off of it and churn relentlessly upon it.
I've been criticized many times over the years about the way I use this particular form of social media. I've also been praised many times and have received very generous compliments on my writing style. For me, that's what it really boils down to. I love to write. My ego is fed by creating something and having someone consume it. It's further fed if I have provoked thought within the reader. I get great joy and satisfaction out of taking an idea, expressing it as best I can, and getting the full brunt of whatever reaction I have stirred within "my audience".
It's all ego, folks.
I'm considering what action to take next. I've lost friends, I have lost intimate relationships, found old friends, and have reunited with old colleagues through Facebook. I do see some value in it. I also see it for the cesspool that it is. I'm considering leaving the account up...but blank, as it has been over the past week or so, and starting a blog. For me, I think that better suits my "need". If nobody reads it, that's fine. It will at least allow me to journal the things I need to get out.
Thanks for listening, peeps. More to come.
I've found over the years that I use FB differently than other people. For me, it's a way to have a dialog with people. Through that dialog, it can be a way to view very complex issues from many different angles. It doesn't matter to me how "sensitive" or personal an issue is -- if I feel like I need to get something out, I post it here. One thing I will never do, however, is air out my family's dirty laundry in public. I might give a 50,000 foot view of an issue, otherwise known as "vaguebooking" (posts are written in such a way that only the people with additional information will actually "get" the post), but never specific. Facebook shouldn't be used as a tool to bludgeon your family members.
Here's the thing that I have found with FB and social media as a whole -- at the end of the day, the people closest to you are still your real friends. You may acquire new friendships through the tool, but how deep can those relationships really be if you've never sat across from them? Old friendships, however, do seem to strengthen despite the amount of distance that may lie between you and the other person. I have many examples of that within my friend list (you listening Tom Kelsall?)
There does seem to be some constants about Facebook, however. For one, it's completely ego-driven. We post things to look for support...to get attention....to share a moment....and I've even seen it used in such a way that is the most superficial of all -- the online brochure of "what my life is like". The reason I call that one the most superficial of all is because the brochure rarely resembles reality. I don't really see the point of employing FB in this fashion. Who benefits? The reader? You? Anybody? The ego is a very interesting beast, and Facebook seems to feed off of it and churn relentlessly upon it.
I've been criticized many times over the years about the way I use this particular form of social media. I've also been praised many times and have received very generous compliments on my writing style. For me, that's what it really boils down to. I love to write. My ego is fed by creating something and having someone consume it. It's further fed if I have provoked thought within the reader. I get great joy and satisfaction out of taking an idea, expressing it as best I can, and getting the full brunt of whatever reaction I have stirred within "my audience".
It's all ego, folks.
I'm considering what action to take next. I've lost friends, I have lost intimate relationships, found old friends, and have reunited with old colleagues through Facebook. I do see some value in it. I also see it for the cesspool that it is. I'm considering leaving the account up...but blank, as it has been over the past week or so, and starting a blog. For me, I think that better suits my "need". If nobody reads it, that's fine. It will at least allow me to journal the things I need to get out.
Thanks for listening, peeps. More to come.
Cool!!!
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