After reading "Friends, Friendsters, and Top 8," I wanted to discuss my own opinion on friendship on and offline. Being friends with someone on a social network site is not the same as being friends with someone in person. Being friends with someone face to face requires a mutual feeling of respect and likeness whereas the Internet does not. Online, one does not have to put forth any effort in a "friendship" other than accepting, declining, or sending a friend request.
While this article is slightly outdated, most of us have experienced the MySpace phenomenon. Posting photos, posting bulletins, and making profile changes were all part of daily Internet life. But what about your Top 8 Friends? Did this affect you at all? Was there drama in your real life friend circle because of MySpace? Personally, I was not negatively affected by any Top 8 Friends drama, but I've certainly heard some stories. I find the idea of posting your Top 8 Friends to be ridiculous and find it even more ridiculous that people chose to get worked up about it. Why did it matter? This topic was taken far too seriously by many. Popular social networks today such as Facebook and Twitter have eliminated the idea of a Top Friends group. Regardless of this, many social network users, including myself, still are Internet Friends with people they do not speak with in person. I believe this is because just as the article suggests, "it is easier to say yes than no" when presented with an Internet Friend Request.
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Monday, October 1, 2012
Politics and Facebook
As I hope we all know, this year is a presidential election year. As if the campaign commercials aren't enough, every time I log onto Facebook I am bombarded by uneducated status updates and ridiculous propaganda regarding this election. First of all, if you simply cannot resist the need to post your political opinion on Facebook, please do some research first. The amount of times I have read false information is countless. This is not the way to get people to agree with you! Instead of looking intelligent about the election, you are appearing ignorant. Second, enough with sharing the photos and articles from propaganda websites. Once again, the information is usually false, and if it is not, it is extremely biased. Also, excessively sharing these types of photos, videos, and articles is simply obnoxious. Instead of getting your point across, your Facebook friends will be quick to block your posts from entering their news feeds.
Clearly, I disagree with posting political opinions on Facebook. More often than not they initiate arguments and sometimes lead to a loss of friend or acquaintanceship. While a post that is educated is more tolerable than one that is not, neither one should be posted. Facebook is not the place to share this kind of information. There is an old phrase that suggests there are three things that should not be talked about: politics, religion, and money. Certainly, times have changed and these topics are discussed on a daily basis, but perhaps this phrase should hold true for the social networking world.
Clearly, I disagree with posting political opinions on Facebook. More often than not they initiate arguments and sometimes lead to a loss of friend or acquaintanceship. While a post that is educated is more tolerable than one that is not, neither one should be posted. Facebook is not the place to share this kind of information. There is an old phrase that suggests there are three things that should not be talked about: politics, religion, and money. Certainly, times have changed and these topics are discussed on a daily basis, but perhaps this phrase should hold true for the social networking world.
Facebook & Social Capital
For those of you who read "Connection Strategies: Social Capital Implications of Facebook-enabled Communication Practices" I think we can all agree that it was very interesting. I found myself reflecting on my own Facebook usage and how it correlated with what the study suggested. I can certainly agree that the amount of friends one has on this site makes a difference. Whether said friends be close or just acquaintances, having a numerous amount increases both the bonding and bridging of social capital. For example, by having a higher friend count, each status or photo posted is more likely to receive feedback. With close friends, this feedback may be more personal and emotional, therefore helping to bond social capital. As for acquaintances, feedback is likely to be less personal and emotional, but can still help to bridge social capital by "breaking the ice" in a way. It establishes a common ground and possibly will increase the chances of contact offline. This often has been the case for my Facebook experiences. The study goes far more in depth on the topic, but I felt as though I or someone I know could relate. How has Facebook affected social capital in your opinion?
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