Social networking sites are “exhausting” our humanity deposits
Facebook and Twitter (most popular social networking site today) are like wholes in container full of water. When container leaks, obvious fact is that water level is lowering. Bigger hole, faster water level drops.
It is the same with facebook and twitter, if more time you spending “socializing” online then bigger hole is, and your resources needed to socialize in real world. So after spending hours chatting on facebook you finally getting up and go out, you might wake up in the middle of the room or club feeling that actually you don’t have desire to listen to your friends, meeting new people or even talk to your friends. After repeating this several times you will stop going out, because what is the point right?
This is because “water in your container is gone”. You might not realize this, but interaction with other people gives and takes energy. As I was writing in post Online networking ‘harms health’ face-to-face contact has its biological consequences aswell. It is making us stronger. As Dr Aric Sigman presented evidence in his research that lack of face-to-face networking could alter the way genes work, upset immune responses, hormone levels, the function of arteries, and influence mental performance.
So by spending time online on Facebook you loosing you assets, energy, but you not getting anything back to recharge yourself. Over usage of Facebook or Twitter (or any other social networking site) might be leading to addiction, isolation and depression. Simply because you run out of your natural resources of prime factors evolving to our social behaviour. It is more complex chain on interactions, where one process influences other, but simplifying, that’s what it is.
Recent book by Sherry Turkle sociologist from Massachusetts Institute of Technology is another stamp on this theory. Book titled “Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other”.
Sherry brought several interesting facts. Starting from people interrupting sexual intercourse to check facebook or twitter updates, through “friend-collectors”, up to recent committed suicide by Simone Back in UK. Questions she raises are also accurately chosen. For instance how come that simple process of exchanging links or random chats with person you never seen or spoke to face-to-face is enough to call him/her a friend?
Just to support this, let me do some “copy-paste” job here from dictionary.
friend - dictionary results:
–noun
1. a person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard
2. a person who gives assistance; patron; supporter
Now comming back to story of 42 years old
Simone Back. She was awaiting support, assistance, even good word, any sign of interest from over 1000 of her online “friends”. No response, well there were some, like “
she is lying” or “
it is your choice” type of online comments.
Just something to think about next time when you logging to Facebook instead of meeting real people.
Facebook or Twitter not suposed to be replacement for face-to-face socialising, it suposed to be addition to it.
I am curious of your opinions. Any comments are more then welcome!
Zbigniew
