Facebook has brought many people together. Families, friends, and various acquaintances are all connected through the social networking site, ready to share their thoughts and opinions. With this social networking addiction, some seem to lose their grip on reality and live solely through their Facebook profiles.
News feeds are helpful to see what all of your friends are up to, what their opinions are on various breaking topics, but when does one push the boundaries into over-sharing? News feeds get littered by people who feel it is necessary to post something every five to 10 minutes. At somepoint it starts to become annoying and self-indulgent.
People feel need to share the most mundane information; regarding whatever they ate for lunch, what sporting event is going on, even to talk about a show that is happening in real time. It is the search for instant gratification. Facebook has taken that all-too human need to be liked to a new level, in the literal and figurative sense.
Brad Campbell, 26, a graphic designer from Newtown, says, “I can’t stand all the updates about kids, updates regarding what that person is doing at that specific moment, play by play; ‘Just finished eating my cereal. I went to the store.’ I see posts from people who are overly obsessed with an obscure niche activity or hobby. My personal favorites are posts from family members, especially when they reply to things with comments completely irrelevant to the current topic.”
With today’s society, information is easily obtained, and privacy has become scarce, but people seem proud to share the mundane details of their lives, thinking it will inspire others to “like” it, or respond to it.
Fortunately, Facebook allows its users to delete some of their friends from the news feed, which is comparable to the “junk e-mail” folder. No friendships will be lost, and those who are blocked or ignored will not know.
Jane Fetterolf, a psychology professor at Bucks, says, “I think at the core people are very lonely….or feel alone, lacking friendships that provide so many benefits we all need.”
She adds:
“I think bottom-line all of us want to be known and Facebook has become the easier way for people to-be-known. I say easier because communication that has to be filtered through all our relationships can be difficult…..so even with texting and all the other technological stuff today we can just send that quick little text to say what we want or feel, but sorry to say it often gets twisted and can cause more problems in the relationship.
“It also gives me the thought that because relationships are tough and we sometimes feel alone we have be desperate and reach out to this easy way….or tool to use instead of sharpening our communication skills such as being honest, eye contact and good listening skills and such…”
Call it loneliness, insecurity, or the desire to hear, or read, one’s own digital voice. Whatever you make of it, Facebook allows people to share their thoughts, ideas, and opinions, and, yes, their most mundane activities. And as Facebook explodes in popularity, that’s only likely to increase.
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