Hey, I'm Chrissy. I'm a freshman in the school of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University, and I had no idea that this class would be mainly (all?) upperclassmen. It looked interesting, so I took it. I'm from the Chicago area, and a huge Cubs and Bears fan. No one else here is, but it's cool. I'm pretty freaked out about being here because I'm afraid that I won't remember how to actually do work. I'm also outgoing and social and I like to do pretty much everything. I think I'm joining debate, and I'm in the Traditions program. I might want to go to law school, but thats a long way away. I think I'm funny. I laugh a lot. I lost my voice this week and I now sound like a man.
Today I want to talk about facebook. If we were to classify facebook in terms of internet spaces, I think facebook would into a category of its own. It serves as a kind of email provider, because you can send messages that no one can read but the recipient, but it also serves as a type of more personal asynchronous discussion forum because people can continuously post on one another's walls, or respond to previously made posts. I suppose I'd have to say it's a combination of the two. I'm wondering why this paragraph is suddenly a different font, but I can't figure out how to fix it. Sorry that was random.
The internet-related phenomenon that I'm going to delve into is actually really ironic, because I'm currently flipping between my facebook page and this blog. I guess what I'd like to know is why people (read: me) so easily become so "addicted" to facebook, and why people opt to "get to know each other" through facebook as opposed to meeting face to face. These topics might seem kind of generic, but I'm genuinely interested in why and how as a society we have become so dependent on CMC (or computer-mediated conversation), and whether or not this dependence has encouraged us to connect with others on a more superficial level.
It also seems somewhat ironic to me that in an envoirnment where intra-personal connection is virtually nonexistent, people place so much emphasis on outward appearance. Before facebook, there were certainly ways of finding out what another person looked like online, but has facebook's ability to load thousands of pictures onto one web page made us become even more obsessed with physical perfection? I don't know about you, but I'm pretty sure everyone I know has, at one point, creeped someone on facebook simply for the purpose of judging their appearance. There's even a facebook group called "I Thought You Were Hot Until I Clicked 'View More Pictures'". I should know, I'm in it. Just kidding. In all seriousness though, is facebook's superficial nature simply a product of our decreasing desire to actually know one another, or has the creation of facebook pushed us further and further away from each other? Do we depend on validation from our facebook friends to make us feel good about ourselves, or do we simply fear real-life rejection? We are all addicts, and facebook is our crack. I'd like to know why.
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You touch upon so many points about facebook that I wonder about myself. You make a very interesting point regarding how much emphasis is placed on outer appearances- facebook is definitely one of the only internet environements (other than myspace) in which you can preview friends solely by looks. How often do people discriminate in real life based on appearances? In a way, it would be cool to think that people can post a really funny or silly picture of themselves, not look attractive, but still be deemed as attractive on facebook because they seem fun or exciting. So, rather than the idea of choosing a friend solely on the idea of physical perfection, maybe facebook alternately promotes the idea of impression formation- not solely on looks- but also h ow people act in certain situations, which can be demonstrated by a plethora of facebook pictures.
And you make another great point- does this make our connections with people in "real life" more superficial? I think some people are more prone to having superficial interactions than others. But I think that is a really great question, and I will admit, I often wonder if sometimes random people that I meet just facebook me so that they can reach the 500 mark.
I’m definitely a Facebook addict as well. To answer your question about whether Facebook brings people together, I think Facebook does push people apart sometimes. When comparing Facebook to talking on the phone, you have an extra degree of separation. For instance, I know people who use Facebook rather than calling to make plans, especially if they have to get in touch with someone that they’re not close with or don’t like very much. Since Facebook walls are like asynchronous discussion forums, there’s a delay in response—and a less likely chance that the other person will respond on time to confirm plans. Facebook is a lot less personal than calling or talking face-to-face. I also thought that you brought up a good point on how superficial Facebook users can be. You’re definitely right about how people judge others that they’ve just met by their Facebook pictures. It’s not the most honorable thing to do, but it’s what many of us end up doing anyway.
While I can claim to be a fan of Facebook as well, I definitely realize the possible negatives and pitfalls that it creates. People spend hours scanning Facebook and its seemingly endless number of capabilities. Whether it be what people like, who they like, or what they have been doing, you can get a good idea of a person and what he or she is like by merely looking at their profile for thirty seconds. People "friend" others who they don't even truly know at all. Maybe they met once and said hi. That doesn't mean I would consider them to be my actual friend. In addition, Facebook only heightens self-consciousness among teens, something that is really not needed in my opinion. Before Facebook, people still cared about how they looked and what image they portrayed to the world. Now with this website, it has risen to a new level, as people obsess over how they look and whether their profile will make them acceptable to their peers.
Chrissy,
First of all, don't be intimidated by being in a class of mostly upperclassmen. I remember feeling quite intimidated when I was a freshman, but you must remember none of us know you are a freshman! Trust me; it will be so beneficial for you to know upperclassman as they can give you the "ins and outs" of Cornell.
Turning to your comments, I am equally puzzled by the facebook phenomenon. I hate to admit it but I am in fact an addict. Literally! Facebook is checked constantly throughout the day and usually prior to my emails. I like your idea that it is a mixture of internet environments as it is in fact in a realm of its own.
Something I thought about in reading your post is: How does facebook affect us psychologically and why? People's moods can drastically change if they are de-friended. Who hasn't spend hours trying to figure out who exactly de-friended us...Why is this anonymous but we know who friends us. This connects to the idea that anonymity allows people to be more harsh then they they are in FtF communication. Also, why do we automatically friend people prior to our freshman year in college? This just leads to many awkward occurences of: "I think I'm Facebook Friends with that person..." What does this even mean today? Why do we get upset when we haven't had a wall-post and other people have a ton? Facebook definately leads us to make far more direct assumptions at a quicker rate.
There is so much to explore in this area!
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