Monday, June 15, 2009

Facebook? maybe not

Your mom is on Facebook (i'm not saying my mom, just in general, it will be miracle if my mom knows how to on a pc), your dad is on Facebook, your primary school mates in on Facebook and even your 8 years old cousin is on Facebook.



But the thing is you dont have a Facebook account, it seems like you are so totally 'out', if you know what i mean. Even if you keep up with a circle of old friends via emails or blogs, or even in person, there's a good chance you can be oblivious to a whole other dynamics if you're not on Facebook. They speak in a Facebooker language which you can never understand, such as "i peek", "i kidnapped you" etc. They played online Facebook games and gimmicks all the times and nowadays the most used pick up line is "Are you on facebook?"

Its mind boggling to see that we are so much hooked on to Facebook and its has become a trend on its own. Remember those days we used to call those who eats and sleep with their books bookwork or geeks, how funny is that nowadays, if you are not sleep and dine on Facebook, then you are a geek. Facebook is omnipresent and universal, to an extent that those who opt out seem to act like a outlier who needs to fight and justify for saying no.



The whole Facebook craze in my opinion is because the fact that it makes socializing like no other and so much easy than it used to be. Its a great game of Six Degree of seperation, a virtual networking map which typically makes your friends available at your fingertips. With just a "virtual presents" or "nudge", you can put a smile on the face of a friends who is thousands miles away. You can also informing others on how well you are lately by putting up notice/photos/comments/blogs etc. in your facebook homepage.

Sounds too good to be true, isnt ?

However, at the same time, Facebook took away the physical contact in human interaction, instead of chatting (with your mouth, not with your keyboard) and hanging out together, now we interact with typed words and amusing photos, while chained to the desk.

Yes, Facebook help us to find back our long lost friends who happen to be somewhere in this cyberspace. But the chance is if we dont usually hang out with those distant friends, such as the boy sitting at the corner of the classroom or the girl next door who we have not seen for 20 years, whats makes people think that they will be re connected 'physically' after being 'be-friended' in the Facebook's friend list.

Apart from that, there has been a big fuss on random"i want to be your friend and if you dont accept you suck" Facebook request from the strangers. I've heard many complains about similiar encounter from the facebookers whereby poeple hiding behind some anonymous name, using Facebook as a tool of harrasment to take advantages of others.

ok, the truth is I dont have a Facebook account and thats why i am writing this openly. But frankly speaking i am not against it, the fact that i didnt join is simply because i dont agrees with "I should be on Facebook because everybody expects me to." And, yes, i realized that i may miss out on social goings-on but i dont think joining Facebook is going to resolve my hermit lifestyle ( i enjoy my solitude anyway) or.... it gonna make it worse.

5 comments:

Dorcas said...

but the fact is you dun have to play all the gizmo in facebook, you can make it whatever purpose you want, for me, i never play games, accept strangers, or wrote silly thing, i just think it's a better tool to upload pics and keep in touch with family and friends!! quite fit it's purpose that way!!

Atlantisian said...

yeah... agreed on that point. But honestly speaking i think i'm just too lazy to maintain another network site, hehehe.

Lawrence said...

After what I have gone through just recently, don't know what to say about facebook la.. Sigh.

oh yeah, and for those weird games, I guess only people who are addicted will enjoy it even though it appears pointless.. sad to say, i am one of them.. :(

and Dorcas gave a good answer..I guess facebook is the only place where u could tag people in their photos right? Or is there another social networking site which enables one to tag ppl? Just curious.

btw, ur blog is nice.. haha.. Following u then.. and thanks for dropping by. :)

Atlantisian said...

yes there is. A chinese version of Facebook at www.xiaonei.com. Thanks for dropping by, like your blogsite as well.

Lawrence said...

ai.. I don't understand chinese.. :(

Now I really hate facebook for disabling my account.. believe me, when you have lots of photos stored there, your heart will break.. :(

Too bad no social networking site offers varieties of functions such as facebook. :(