Assignment #2 (part 2)

Meg said...

1. Thompson writes that, while the constant connection of social networking sites can be convenient and habit-forming, it may also be inhibiting people’s privacy and effecting real-life, personal relationships in both positive and negative ways.

2.Ambient Awareness describes the constant contact with others, via the internet and cell phones that allows us to pick up on the emotions of other people as if we were physically near them. A sort of ironic counter example from my own “cyber life” comes from one of my close friends. As her Facebook ‘status’, she wrote: “Don’t put your life in your status.” I thought this was a bold, and quite reasonable statement, because so many people update their Facebook constantly with what is going on in their lives. Honestly, not many people really care that you’re “going to a PaRtYYYyyy :P.” or “so excited for your broomball game.” etc.

3.Agree:
“Facebook and Twitter may have pushed things into overdrive, but the idea of using communication tools as a form of ‘co-presence’ has been around for a while.” (Thompson)
He says this in the context of a timeline when texting had already been invented and popularized. He also mentions as a specific example that couples will “ping-pong” text one another, which means that they will write back and forth rather than have a phone conversation, because it is easier to text from work, or when other people are around. I can definitely recognize this as a true observation.

“Merely looking at a stranger’s Twitter or Facebook feed isn’t interesting, because it seems like blather. Follow it for a day, though, and it begins to feel like a short story; follow it for a month, and it’s a novel.” (Thompson) I would have to agree, that Facebook status updates become more interesting over time, when following certain people, because the updates begin to relate to each other, or follow a pattern.
Disagree:
“And when they do socialize face to face, it feels oddly as if they’ve never actually been apart.” (Thompson)
I do not use Facebook as a means of socializing necessarily, but as a way to plan ahead, stay in touch, or network. I value the time spent in person with my friends much more than sitting alone at my computer popping them a message to invite them out or something. I have two best friends whom I only see in person a few times a year. It certainly feels amazing to see them face to face, and I can definitely tell that we’ve been apart.

“It is also possible, though, that this profusion of weak ties can become a problem. If you’re reading daily updates from hundreds of people about whom they’re dating and whether they’re happy, it might, some critics worry, spread your emotional energy too thin, leaving less for true intimate relationships” (Thompson)
I have to say that I both agree, and disagree. It must depend on the person, how much emotional energy they have, and how much self control they have to drag themselves back to reality if they’ve spent too much time in front of a screen. I have never personally felt like my emotions for loved ones have spread too thin, especially because of technology. Then again, I am most likely on the lower end of the spectrum for Facebook use, and I don’t use Twitter.

February 1, 2010 8:14 PM