First off, the video above took me forever to find online, so I hope you really enjoy it. While watching MTV, about a week ago, I stumbled across this commercial and immediately thought of the novels we've been reading all summer, especially Amusing Ourselves to Death. In the video, the girl says she wishes that there were more teens interacting with each other, fighting for a cause, and getting out and enjoying the world. I think it's a nice representation of Postman's book.
My question to you is: do you think that sites like Facebook and Youtube have eliminated our need to socialize in person with other people, or do you think that they allow us to have more networking options to enhance our socializing?
Sarah, I think that social networking websites like Facebook and Youtube don't elimnate or enhance the old way of socializing. Rather, I think they create a whole new type of socializing where people who would ordinarily never talk to each other can talk. Though people will often choose between the old way or new way instead of balancing both. So as the new type of socializing is on the rise, the old way is losing steam and we talk less to our old childhood friends from around the block.
ReplyDeleteToday we have so many online social networking sites like twitter, tumblr, facebook, myspace, and all these random blogs about pointless things written by teenagers about how they feel. Frankly i find most of it a waste of time. What ever happened to privacy? It died is what happened. While these blogs have made it easier for us to connect with each other they have taken away the need for going out and exploring the world and have destroyed our privacy. Instead of going biking or playing soccer at the park we can stay at home and tweet about how we are so bored. When we do go out it seems like now we are entitled to go and tell everyone on the web that we just had the best chocolate shake ever. I used to think these social networking sites were fun and useful, which they still are, but, I now have found that we use them to much and many kids substitute it for actually going and seeing each other.
ReplyDeleteI don't think the social networking medium destroys privacy because we are doing it to ourselves. We exploit ourselves on the internet. For what reason is beyond me... to fit in, perhaps? No one is forced to make a Facebook. No one is forced to make a Twitter. I think that a balance between these two types of communication would be proper. Personally, I refused to make a Tumblr because all of my friends who have one are extremely addicted and I like to have a life, mind you. It's all about self control. If you let it control your life, then that's your problem. Don't blame anybody else. There's no glue attaching your butt to a computer chair. Your Blackberry isn't perpetually set to the internet function.
ReplyDeleteI believe that social devices such as Facebook should be used to connect people who have lost contact, but it shouldn't be used for people who, for example, go to the same school but exclusively talk on Facebook. That's pushing it a bit.
Dude! I was so gonna post this video!! No lie, I just got on here to post it when I saw yours and was like "Aww, man......." Hahaha.
ReplyDeleteNice post. There's nothing much to say, those above already covered it! And I agree. Mail a letter, make a call, make contact.
And Mark, do you add people on Facebook that go to your school and talk to them exclusively and post pictures of them and you? I don't see anything wrong with it, I don't think it's pushing it. I just see it as a kind of...online, public diary of your life. Some people are just interested in you but try to avoid the possibility of rejection whether they want to be friends or whether they are crushing from a far. But this "Facebooking" thing does make it harder to connect with people, and when I say connect I mean mentally and physically, not connect in fairy tales because nothing on the internet is entirely true and no one on the internet really exists. We live in real life.
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