The most popular social networking tool on the internet is currently Facebook. I enjoy it. It allows me to connect to my friends, especially the long lost ones. I can see what they are up to and reconnect. However, it seems to becoming way too commercialized. The hundred of messages you get daily is changing its purpose and making it too painful to use. I have since ceased using it as it is becoming way too time-consuming. My colleagues call it the “black-hole” simply because it sucks the life out of you, allowing you to live online for hours and hours on the day. One fellow teacher actually calls it “Technological Crack” as it is so addicting.
One example I can comment on was about 8 months ago, I got up at 8:30am and went on Facebook, I found one old friend and looked at his friends, there was another guy I knew, so I went on his site, and looked at his friends. Needless to say, after 14 hours and all of my clothes thrown on the front lawn by my wife, I wasted the entire day on Facebook. No time with my family, no time having real social contact. Maybe that teacher is right, maybe it is “Cocaine”.
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3 comments:
I know what you mean about Facebook and other social networking tools They can be very "engaging" lets say.
I don't know if I'd call it addictive any more than you could call TV addictive, although I suppose that happens too. Using addiction rhetoric seems to be pretty popular these days and apparently it sells a few news papers. I wonder if they have an agenda?
There is a bit of a qualitative difference between TV and online social networks. TV is one channel-one way communication. Not much interaction unless you count phoning in your vote for American Idol.
Check out this site by Clay Shirky and what he says about cognitive surplus. http://socialmediagroup.ca/2008/05/08/clay-shirky-and-the-cognitive-surplus/
Sorry should have built a TinyURL for that link. http://tinyurl.com/5pooga
Good websites Glen, Thanks
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