Does anybody remember life before Myspace and Facebook? How did we spy on our loved ones? Or inform our friends of a video featuring dancing cats? What did we do with all those pictures of ourselves taking pictures of ourselves? The questions are endless in the quest to understand our social interactions before Myspace and Facebook existed. Social networking sites have become a phenomenon and appear to be here to stay.
Myspace launched in 2002, replacing Freindster as the top social networking site. Myspace allowed users to create a personality profile that included favorite movies, bands, and photos. Friends could comment on each other’s pages and check out a rising indie band. Over time Myspace pages began to become more and more littered with advertisements. Hackers began to spread viruses and friend requests from strangers began to flood inboxes.
Facebook started on college campuses and quickly spread to the mainstream in 2004. Originally, it was set up like a phone book with a picture and a few tidbits of personal information. Facebook attracted users by including status updates, instant messaging, a friend finder and a clean interface. Facebook reports at having over 200 million active users, almost twice the amount on Myspace.
Rio Roman is a pre-nursing freshman that checks her Facebook throughout the day on her phone. She explained that many of her friends have closed their Myspace accounts to make the move to Facebook because of the user-friendly interface.
A few people have sacrificed their Myspace and Facebook to the online gods and returned to other forms of communication such as Junior Victoria Navarette. “I had a Myspace so I could keep in contact with people but it became the only way we interacted and was less personal. It was fake. People would only say ‘happy birthday’ because of the reminder,” said Navarette.
With the obsessions with texting, Twittering, and instant messaging many have begun to question whether our social skills are diminishing. Facebook and Myspace have been at the focal point of the conversation. The sites allow us to interact without actually interfacing. We can have an entire conversation with someone without uttering a single word.
“I have a real life, it’s just a substitution for life,” remarked Nadia Denherska, who is in the Linguistics MA program.
We can spend hours on our Myspace profiles and Facebook pages but we often lack the energy to make a simple phone call. “Phone calls are too intimate. In a phone call you have to have something to say. Comments are just little funny things,” said Junior Stephanie Nguyen.
There are some social advantages of Myspace and Facebook. Long lost friends and relatives can be found by the click of a button. Connections for future job possibilities can be found by adding friends with similar interests.
Almost all of the people interviewed provided a quick excuse for possessing a Facebook or Myspace profile. “I’ve had it since high school,” “I just use it to talk to friends that live far away,” and “I’m too lazy to delete it, and I don’t use it that much” were all offered to justify their profiles.
We seem to be embarrassed by the fact that we care what other people think. We spend time writing a clever update or retouching a dramatic photo in order for our friends and acquaintances to see us positively. There is no shame in wanting to be seen in a favorable light, however Facebook and Myspace keep us at a safe distance.
The flaws and frustrations that make up a person are what we lose by relying on Facebook to maintain our friendships. The silly noise a friend makes when she sneezes, the philosophical conversations that spark over coffee, or the comforting pause of a dear friend are missed when we choose to check a Facebook wall rather seeing someone face to face.
Facebook is now the most popular social networking, making Myspace a bit out-dated. Perhaps in a few years a new site will emerge that will cause us all to criticize and abandon Facebook. For now, perhaps we need to accept the obsession with social networking sites but keep in mind that a real live friend could only be a phone call or car ride away.
No comments:
Post a Comment