Hey guys, I apologize for making two posts regarding this week's articles. I have no idea why but I somehow had the notion that I had to make one post for each day of reading we have. If an admin can come and combine both of my posts, that be great. I guess feel free to leave comments on either of these topics.
Christine Rosen presents two very interesting ideas in the article, The Virtual Friendship and the New Narcissism. First she outlines the idea of the "six degrees of separation" and how the world is actually getting smaller via social networking sites. It seems as if the link between two individuals can generally be reached through 6 steps of communication. This short sequence of connections can at least partly be attributed to the rise of SNS websites that allow mutual friends to browse through profiles creating a link between one respective individual to another. The second idea is where the cynicism begins. Rosens bluntly states that online friendships cannot be confused for "real" ones and that some simply use SNS websites to achieve a sense of status rather than to make real social connections. As stated by Rosen, friendship requires a sense of privacy between two people and thus a "public friendship" is altogether a hoax and an oxymoron.
The second article regarding the creepy ex-coworker is the one that I found most interesting. the author is very openly displeased by some of facebook's tendencies to send him insignificant emails and use his profile pictures for online ads. However, that is not what bothers him the most. Doctorow argues that as facebook expands and more users come online, one will inevitably be faced with that one awkward situation. It could be the bully that used to harass you in school, or the high school crush who flat out rejected you, or the creep ex coworker who made you feel queasy. But that one person will eventually find you and drive you away from facebook because it is simply too awkward to reject that friend invite. I find this to be a very narrow minded view as it seems to be based too much on personal opinion. Perhaps other users don't feel the same type of social anxiety towards a past bully or an ex co worker. Some may have no problem obtaining a new online friend and receiving less than meaningful and genuine messages on their wall. I.e. the status seekers mentioned in Chrstine Rosen's article.
1. Do you agree with Christine Rosen's assessment of online friends and do you think status seeking is a key motivation for users of SNS websites.
2. Do you believe the awkward situations described by Doctorow will eventually harm prominent social networking sites?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
I also think that Doctorow's article was somewhat narrow minded and based off of personal experience, not everyone has the same experience with facebook. I think that many people, such as Doctorow, take social networking sites too seriously. I am not saying that facebook has no social implications once-so-ever, but I think that social networking sites should be looked at in a purely virtual context. I've rejected friend requests and put people on my limited profile list, but this action may not necessarily correspond with the way I would interact with the same people in real life. I guess maybe I don't take social networking sites too seriously because they are a relatively new phenomemon to hit the mainstream and there for the social norms on such sites are still being redefined and reshaped. I just can't help but to laugh when people get so worked up about friend requests, relationship statuses, and other things that social networks display. If anything, facebook has become a new medium for drama!!
Post a Comment