Can you have too many friends?
Facebook & the global friend melt-down
I've run across some interesting articles in the Economist "Primates on Facebook"and Newsweek "Facebook Made Me Do It" in the past 3 weeks that talk not just about the global phenomenon that is Facebook, but that make connections between the amount of friends we have - what we can have as human beings (and primates) and what is helpful/actually
humanly possible. I myself love to FB. I'm clearly addicted and not looking to change. Yet does it change our friendships and how we relate to one another? How much deep sharing can you do in a limited character status update? How do you set your friend limit? If you're un-friended by someone on FB does that mean you're unfriended in REAL life? Lot's of questions and no answers. I found 2 videos on youtube interesting in terms of what FB is becoming for us - the first is this great facebook song that pokes fun at FB and lifts up how much it has transformed the way we live together - and apart. The second is another video about FB suicide - it's tongue in cheek (or is it?)I wonder if maybe FB is the actual anti-christ? I mean is it leading our civilization to decay and ruin? Maybe FB is responsible for the economic meltdown we're suffering through? Maybe FB was actually behind 9/11? Maybe FB can be the answer to our current problems....we could tax each status update? Heck if you through in taxing twitter we just might balance the budget and nationalize all our banks by the end of the week.
1 comment:
i've had so many conversations about fb and its effects on interpersonal relationships. i, too, love it. (hello, wrote a whole post about it myself. i think fb mirrors our relationships in "real" life. to say that all of one's relationships (outside of fb) are intentional, deep, and healthily communicative is silly. maybe we want them to be, but the reality is that they are not. we all have our inner circle and then relationships that are in levels outside of that. some of my most pleasant interactions in life and on facebook are with people that are on the outer limits of my relational circle (ie acquaintances). so maybe we aren't sharing deep dark secrets, but those interactions do enhance my day & enrich my life.
i say embrace connection in many forms: face to face, email, phone, handwriten notes, blogs, fb...
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