In this episode of South Park Kyle demonstrates facebook can be rather addicting. People strive to have as many friends as possible even if they have never met each other. We have all received that creepy, random friend request from someone that we do not even know. So while some have thousands of friends on facebook, how many do they actually know and talk with? Our guess is not many. Odds are most people do not talk to half of the friends they have on facebook, and the friends they do talk to are only a phone call or a short walk away.
This cartoon is the perfect example of how even people as close as family members chose to communicate through the internet rather than talking to each other across the table. Although this cartoon is a bit of an exaggeration it is not far from the truth. We seem to know what our friends and family are doing throughout the day regardless of if we have actually talked to them. People are always updating their twitter and facebook including details no one would possible be interested in.
Social Networking Sites have not only ruined interpersonal communication skills, but have also destroyed the concept of privacy. In the next video, you will see a real life example of the damaging effects that social networking sites have on privacy.
It seems that people will post anything on the internet with no concern for privacy. People have the tendency to have personal conversations and/or comments that they may not realize or care that everyone can see. People have gotten so used to talking through the internet and forgotten that it is open for the world to see. Some people believe that only their friends can see the things they post, but that is really not the case. With society straying so much away from face to face communication it has also strayed away from the idea of privacy.
This lack of concern for privacy is shown perfectly through chatroulette.com. This website invites random strangers to look into your home. While this is a good example of lack of privacy it is actually encouraging face to face contact in a weird sort of way. It enables you to meet new people and have real conversations even though it is kind of creepy. However just as with facebook or any other social networking site the people you encounter are most likely not your real friends and you will have no contact with them past that one conversation.
We are sure everyone in the class has used a social networking site sometime in their lives so this issue seems to be very relevant. Who’s to say this trend of retreating into a virtual world will not continue in the future and if this does continue will we lose all taste for human contact? That seems a bit ridiculous, but have you ever talked to a friend via facebook when you could have just as easily picked up a phone or walked down the hall.
As far as friends are concerned are you really friends with all 800 of your facebook “friends”? For that matter have you ever met or even talked to them?
Social networking has affected the way people interact greatly. I agree that it has created less face to face contact. However, one thing that I would comment is that I do not believe sites like Facebook are bad in their entirety. In fact, I think many good things have come out of these networking sites. For example, if someone wants to get information out about an event, what better way than Facebook? Granted, I am a firm believer that direct contact is always necessary and best, but networking sites allow word to spread quicker. If you make an event on Facebook you can inform hundreds of people in minutes, and they can in turn do the same. Also, it gives people a reminder about the event and allows for a quick and effective way to make plans and changes. It also allows people that you may not see very often to still know how you are doing and what is happening in your life.
ReplyDeleteI agree, however, that these sites have gone too far. The random friend requests, the massive amounts of hours spent online, and the slow but steady progress towards less direct interaction is a bad side-effect of the sites. I personally enjoy face to face interaction and getting to know people by actually talking to them, instead of chatting or messaging, so this development worries me. For this reason I hope the updates slow and an acceptable equilibrium between internet and direct interaction will be found.
I find this subject very interesting. First off, I only got my Facebook when I came to college, I thought it was dumb and thought it was a better idea to pick up the phone and talk to someone instead of doing it all online. Although I gave in when I came to college, one of the main reasons was just to stay in contact with high school friends. I know that even a person with 800 friends doesn’t talk to every one of them, but it’s still just another name they know. I think the outside world is all about networking, and through Facebook and other social networking sites people are able to network. I also do agree that it is ruining personal communication, but I also feel that way about texting, I think the best way to talk to a person is to be able to hear them, whether be on the phone or face to face. One point that this group made was about privacy. I very much disagree with the fact that there is a privacy issue. I think if a person puts something on the computer they should expect the world to be able to see it. If they don’t want people to know, they should not put it up. There are many ways to be private, and the first step would be to not post personal private information.
ReplyDeleteFacebook, Myspace, and all the social-networking sites have definitely ruined personal relationships and have had a very big impact on the way we view others. When I first meet someone and then look at their Facebook, I make little judgments without even thinking. Certain pictures make me think a certain way. Or maybe a wall post that seems off makes me think of them differently. I don’t really mean to, but it seems to happen when I look at Facebook. People have more courage when they’re online and sometimes that can negatively affect how others view them. Like Corey said, I would much rather pick up a phone and talk to someone. Or just meet with them in person. I agree with the authors when they say most people don’t even know the majority of their friends. I know most of mine, but I don’t always keep in close contact with everyone. Chatroulette is also an interesting new site. I would never get on it alone, but I have been on it once with a group of friends and it was very strange. You talk to completely random people and a lot of times, it gets sort of uncomfortable. I don’t necessarily think these sites are bad, but I do believe people should try not to lose their personal connections just because of a computer.
ReplyDeleteI definitely think that facebook has ruined the way that people communicate with each other. There will be times in which I will write on my friend's facebook instead of calling them. I have even seen a person break up with their girlfriend on facebook, if that isn't a major example I don't know what else is. If these sites haven't ruined our communication skills then that boy would have asked his girlfriend to meet with him so he could break up with her appropriately. To me sites like facebook and myspace have made us scared to talk to people face to face. It is really bad and it makes me wonder how it will affect us later, will people just stay in their rooms and talk to their friends via facebook chat? I feel another problem is that so many people try too hard to look cool and have a lot of friends that they add people that they barely knew, its ridiculous why would you want a person to be able to see your profile if you don't really know them! Facebook and myspace, while cool and fun can cause social destruction.
ReplyDeleteI find this topic very interesting to discuss. I completely agree with this blog that social networking sites are changing the way we communicate, and its probably not for the best. Due to websites mentioned above like Myspace and Facebook, people have gone from human contact to being able to open the internet to see what anyone and everyone is doing, without even talking to them. Something that relates to this but was not mentioned in the blog is now we can even track celebrities, like Lady Gaga, through twitter. I really feel like this is a lack of privacy, but it also happens to be something that everyone buys into. I know I have a facebook and I'm sure that most people do; My eighty year old grandpa has a facebook. I guess my question is how did Facebook, something that was originally meant to help keep graduated college members in contact, turn into something that everyone does?
ReplyDeleteDue to things like facebook status and facebook mobile, we can take all of our "800 friends" wherever we go with us. What ever happened to old fashioned communication? At this rate I can't even imagine what communication will look like in the next 10 - 15 years. Can you?
Social net working sites, such as Facebook and Myspace, have definitely impacted the way we communicate with one another. Yes, it is a good way to stay in contact with people, and its fun to look at your friends’ pictures and profiles. However, it has totally ruined interpersonal communication. Many people would rather hide behind a computer screen than actually talk to a person face to face. Personally I would rather talk to a person on the phone or face to face. I have found that sometimes it is hard to get across what I really mean while chatting or messaging. It is hard to accurately express sarcasm, anger or excitement. I think that privacy is definitely an issue. People are posting every little thing about their lives without thinking about the ramifications. The story that the authors posted about the break in because of a Facebook status I think also addresses the issue of really knowing your friends. I feel as though the more friends you have, the higher the possibility there is for something like that to happen. When you have 200 versus 800 or 1000 friends, what are that chances that you know every one of those people well enough to know that they wouldn’t break into your house and steal from you?
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this blog post, it made me realize that social networking has affected people in many ways. Don't get me wrong, I believe facebook was a great addition, however, it can be very addictive and could lead to things people may not realize and take into consideration. Having a facebook can have advantages and disadvantages. It is a good way to keep in contact with close friends, family members, or even touching base with a person you recently met. However, there are also down sides. It can lead to people getting in trouble, judging and gossiping about someone, spreading rumors or to the point where its so addictive, you cant live a day without it. What is interesting to me is how our generation has changed drastically in comparison to our parents. When they were young, they didn’t have social networking, or even a cell phone and they seemed to manage just fine. A big problem with our generation today is the obsession everyone has with technology. This has negatively impacted us to have interpersonal connections and the ability to communicate. Another thing that was mentioned in the blog is the issue of privacy. Facebook allows people to see what a person is really like and the lifestyle that person lives. However, a good addition to Facebook is the limited profile option. The bottom line is social networking in general has effected this generation negatively and positively.
ReplyDeleteI would agree with you that these methods of social networking are ruining our social skills, but I myself didn't have internet access until high school and I still wasn't a very talkative person. I still had good friends, of course, but there were plenty of people who had internet access and cell phones and such before I did who had always been and still remain to be more outgoing communicators. I think these recently invented resources are doing more good than harm to our ability to speak with one another.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with you about the privacy issue though. I know I'm a lot more open with people online than I should be. Since I don't have to speak to them face-to-face I lose my inhibitions and suddenly we're best friends. Since I tend not to go to unsafe places online, this hasn't hurt me yet, but I'm sure there are plenty of others out there who (like those in your video) have felt the negative side effects of giving up their privacy by making mistakes on the web.
Matt W pretty much said it all. There are benefits of course yet it's obvious this is socially becoming more of a problem. I also agree that this extends to texting as Corey said. We all know those people that take things too far or too serious when it comes to friend counts and status gossip. Like Tila Tequila, in her song "I love you" making a reference to top friends rankings and comments posted on someone’s page.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcaPcDWy1rI
"And who the fuck is this bitch on ya page, With the big ass tits up on ya top eight? "
Right, enough said.
But I’m going to play devil’s advocate for awhile and say I have however witnessed a good friend of mine that, lets just say doesn't get out much. Honestly, this kid probably has about two friends beyond those from online blog and webcam sites, including myself. When I ask what's new with this person the response is all about these people from Hawaii and Canada and on and on with these online friends she meets. There isn't much problem with this until people use these sites to fall back on as means of being social. Yet at the same time there is a lot of good that comes out of this. It's not entirely this kids fault either for the situation, considering the lacking opportunities she has unable to afford a car or go to school both while living in a rural area and lacking a community near her home. Imagining if this kid didn't have these networks, she probably would have gone crazy a long time ago. Imagine if she didn't communicate with these people. So in other words, she wouldn't be talking to anyone other than the family in her house. I also honestly feel it has made her more culturally aware in many ways and it will be easier for her to meet new people when she does have the money to begin college.
So there is my exception to social networking problem.
I have mixed emotions about social networking sites. As much as I enjoy Facebook and think it is a great way to keep in touch with friends and family if you do not see them, it has gotten to the point where there is no privacy. Also, I think it is fascinating to think of how technology has transformed and there is access to social networking sites. I do not think it is a good idea for people on Facebook to accept people as friends if they do no know them because it is dangerous and clearly the home that got burglarized is an example of this. I think it is obsurd for people to put inappropriate pictures and statuses on Facebook, because they do not know who could be looking at these things and you could lose a job opportunity with companies now looking at these sites. Chatroulette should almost be banned because of the inappropriate things that you can see people doing on that site. It is creepy and disturbing. I think that social networking might be getting out of hand at this point.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the authors and others that social networking sites such as facebook and others have drastically changed and are even damaging our interpersonal communication skills. It is hard for our generation to even imagine how our parents socialized with friends and family without ever using a cell phone or the Internet. How did they know where people were, what their plans were for the evening, or where to meet up. I feel that with almost any new technology comes many positive things but also some negative things. Similar things have happened with advances in fields of video games and television. With these advancements people are able to be quickly informed on current events and entertained for periods of time but at the same time it has allowed some kids to waste away hours upon hours sitting in front of a TV or computer screen watching TV and playing video games. The same thing goes with social networking sites. Unlike in the past, with facebook and other sites we are now able to stay in touch with friends and family that we may never have had the opportunity to do before. Through facebook, we also have the ability to branch out and network and form relationships with people whether they be business ties or just friendships. At the same time these inventions have created negative side effects. Social networking sites have allowed people to form relationships without personal contact. As with anything else, practice makes perfect and the less and less we have personal social interaction with people the less and less our people skills develop.
ReplyDeleteI like many aspects of what Facebook has to offer to its users. It allows me to keep in touch with old high school friends that I don’t see as much after coming to college. However, there are definitely many down sides to Facebook. My biggest pet peeve with it is the amount of time that is just wasted aimlessly going around on other people’s pages as a procrastination tool. Also there are many people that ask to be my friend that I have never heard of. A lot of people also use this as their primary source of communication which has to be extremely damaging to their people skills. I have seen a mother and daughter have a long drawn out argument on Facebook because of the daughters status update complaining about not being able to go out that night. So besides the creepy fact that now our parents are members also, those two members of the same family in the same house were having an argument over Facebook. Although Facebook does allow us to branch out and meet new people. Many social skills have been destroyed because of it.
ReplyDeleteI agree that facebook and social network sites have changed how people interact. Many people who are afraid to actually talk to someone they want to meet or talk to will add them on facebook and message them through that because it is less of a threat. I also agree that most people do not talk to half the people on their friends list. I know that at my high school if you had a class together or had met someone once through a friend, no matter how many times you talked, it was acceptable to add them on facebook. I agree with Kelsey that it causes people to pass judgements about each other without even realizing it. When you look at someone's page you see pictures of them and posts that their friends write and things that they post. Based on the contents of these things you judge them. Social networking sites can be helpful and interesting but they also cause a lot of people to waste a lot of time and lose face to face contact with those they love.
ReplyDelete