Social Networks: Limiting or Limitless?
With the rise of social networks such as Facebook and Myspace, choices seem to be everywhere. Which social network suits you best? What is my name going to be? What picture? Am I going to join? Suddenly, the social lifestyle has exploded into more and more choices, making the possibilities endless of who you want to be and/or who you want to portray yourself as. We no longer have to make spur of the moment decisions about what to say or what to do. We can program our computers to say things for us without having to answer. With all these choices of colors, text, pictures, applications, themes, etc., I can’t help but wonder if these networks are making it easier to be social or completely limiting our social competence.
With the click of a button, you can choose to eliminate someone from your life. No more long conversations or wobbly debates. With one click of a button, you can shut someone out and never speak to them again without even having to say goodbye. I can’t imagine how helpful that would have been in high school when you broke up with your boyfriend or girlfriend. One click and you didn’t have to walk by him or her. One click and you didn’t have to run into your back stabbing friend. What would it have been like in high school if we all had portable mouses and just started deleting people we didn’t want to see on a daily basis? How would that change the whole experience of our adolescence? We need to realize that our world is becoming a place where we can isolate, yet still interact with others, and make millions of dollars without ever seeing someone face to face. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Does this make opportunities limitless or limiting?
I think there are two sides of the coin here. On one side, one might say that it is easier to not have to face someone. The pressure that comes with being real and up front with someone is easier when you can’t see them. You feel more honest, more open, and risky. You can delay reactions and keep the excitement going longer. You can be safe when you are not seen because it doesn’t have to be real yet. You don’t have to come face to face with the reality of who you are and who the other person is. It is much less intimdating for people who are not ready or feel comfortable showing themselves.
Then we have the other side that suggests we need that face to face interaction to really feel connected to someone. Without being vulnerable, you are not able to grow and understand your weaknesses and strengths. One might say that true intimacy comes from looking into someone’s eyes. Some need to have a connection with someone in person before they know if that person is trustworthy.
Do we have as many friends as our social networks tell us we do, or do we rely on a computer to genertate our social lives so we can put it on hold and “get on with our lives” without having to really commit to anyone?
I bring up these questions because society is progressing at a very fast pace. We can choose individually to go whichever way we want, but it is not easy. Technology is incredibly appealing, fun, and limitless. There are no limits to what we can do on the internet. But if the internet becomes the only way we interact with each other are these networks limiting our relationships?
