Technology and Social Interaction

This week I am going to discuss my thoughts and feelings on how technology influences social interaction:

We have grown up in a time where technology (as we know it) has been booming! It has been developing at very fast rates and I don't see it slowing at all. I remember when I was in 5^th or 6^th grade, I was the most baller kid in my class at playing the game “snake” on my parents “OG” Nokia cell phones. (OG = original for those of you who didn’t already know). Now I’m 20 and I have what is considered the new baller phone, an iPhone. What’s even crazier is that these days, kids aren’t playing snake on their parents ancient Nokia phones, their commenting and friend requesting their secret 6^th grade crushes on Facebook from an iPhone – their own personal iPhone!!!! A little strange?? (I think so, but I’ll let you be the judge). The spread of technology and the Internet has had many positive impacts on society: people are able to seek advice for medical situations, seek help for school and work projects and even seek consolation from others after being dumped by a significant other. The Internet and cell phones have left pager companies in the dust. People can now coordinate when they will be meeting, where they will be meeting, and what they might be eating in seconds, from anywhere, on a mobile device or computer… only a few years ago you had to pick up a landline telephone (or fax) and discuss these details. There are sites for people who don’t have the comfort level or time to meet people in the real world, where one can browse thousands of profiles and try and meet/select their future husband or wife. There are sites where one can sell their old bike, stolen Giants tickets, or even themselves (for sex)…some people even try and sell their unwanted children…awesome! (not!). There are sites where people can gamble from home 24 hours a day. There are also sites where one can create their own space or put their face on a book – these sites, called social networks, connect people within the same, similar, or even varying of social group/s. These are only a very, very small introduction to the kind of things that can be found on the Internet.

So what do I think of all this? I think it’s great and I hate it. Yes I’m very bi-polar when it comes to technology and the Internet. The development of new technologies over the last 20-25 years has been a very positive thing for society in some ways. It has connected people, businesses and organizations all over the world. These new technologies have improved our productivity as a human race (those who have access to these technologies). The Internet allows things to happen a very fast pace for a very cheap price (overall). The development new technologies has also been a negative thing for society. I believe that our current population is beginning to fall into hole, where meaningful relationships are being watered down and turned into virtual “kind of” meaningful relationships. People are replacing physical places with virtual places – maybe someday we won’t have to go outside because everything we need can be accessed from a handy dandy computer (I hope this doesn’t happen!).

I believe that where human beings will be able to experience the most satisfaction is somewhere in the middle. I think of this middle ground, as a situation where human beings have become sophisticated enough to use technology in ways in which it aids their success and productivity, but does not harm or hinder their ability to form meaningful relationships or congregate in a physical place to interact. In the coming years, I believe that it is our responsibility (the people who grew up at the boom of the Internet and modern technology) to aid future generations in the process of utilizing and respecting technology and the Internet in a way that is beneficial to the human race and the process of living.

I’ll leave you with this: I’m fucking scared that my son or daughter (should I have one or some) will ask me for a cellphone for their 5^th birthday, I’m scared that they will “poke” me on facebook before they “poke” me in real life to ask for a peanut butter a jelly sandwich… please help my fears NOT come true! Be agents for positive use of new technologies and the Internet.

Thanks for reading.

Brad

Think before you "like"

I have been using Facebook for about five years now. Overall my experiences of Facebook have been positive. Recently, I had a very negative experience and since then it has been happening again and again. I would LIKE to share with you my experience:

Have you ever clicked the “like” button for a post, photo, comment, or group on Facebook? If you’ve been on Facebook at all in the last year then it’s almost inevitable that you have clicked this button. The like button can signify a variety of things depending on the situation. It can signify that you like a photo that someone has posted (just recently I “like” –ed one of my friends photos from Treasure Island Music festival). It can signify you like a particular post someone has made about virtually anything (I clicked “like” for a friend’s post: “I <3 Brian Wilson” – the SF giants closer) Side note: even Brian Wilson now has a fan page on Facebook that you can click “like” for. It can signify you like a particular activity (on my Facebook I “like” hiking, cycling, climbing and eating). It can also signify your fondness of certain companies  (I “like” Strauss Family Creamery…it’s great yogurt and ice cream, try some!). You can click “like” for an individual’s relationship status and change in relationship status, which brings me to my negative experience:

Recently a good friend of mine broke up with her boyfriend because she was not prepared for the challenges of a long distance relationship (they attend different schools in different states). She informed me of the news a few days after it happened and on that same day I saw on the news feed on Facebook that she had changed her relationship status to single. Below this news, I also saw a bunch of comments. Curious to see what people wrote, I expanded the “see more comments” section. On top of a couple people writing things like “Woohoo you’re single!” or “Be my lover!” I also saw that not 1, not 2, not 3, not 4, not 5, but 6 fucking people clicked “like.” Now if she had been in an unhealthy - abusive relationship then there would be ample reason to click “like.” Fact is, she wasn’t, so I began to wonder why all the “like” clicks?? It was very disturbing to see that people who considered themselves friends with this girl liked that things had not worked out with her boyfriend. If you ask me, this is fucking ridiculous! Why would any sane person “like” that their friend is experiencing a tough situation!!!

*It is important to note that 5 out of 6 people that clicked the “like” button were guys (judge this however you’d like)

In light of this experience, I’m not sure how much I like the “like” button.

If people are able to “like” things, I’m wondering how come they aren’t able to “not like” things? I know I would “not like” that my friend had to break up with her boyfriend and only top of that I would “not like” the people who clicked the “like” button for her relationship status.

Maybe I’m reading into this “like” button thing too much, but it seems as if it very one sided and open to the abuse of people who shouldn’t (in my opinion) have access to stating their opinion is simply and openly.

Thanks for reading,

Brad

Social Networking and Privacy

Social Networking and Privacy

My name is Bradford Thomas and I am a “Facebook-ing,” “texting,” “Gmail-ing,” “Yohoo-ing,” twenty year-old male from Marin County California. But you could have figured that out by typing my name in on the search box of Facebook. O yeah! I forgot to mention, I’m also a former “MySpace-er” (actually I think my Myspace account still exists…sketch?). Anyway, I consider myself a victim of the social network revolution. I use the word victim because it is defined in short as someone who has been “cheated” or “deceived.” One thing should be clear before I continue: I feel cheated and I feel deceived. Surely it is not the intention of social networking sites to create such a feeling in one of their users and they are not necessarily the ones to blame. I feel cheated and deceived by the idea that technology and networking are only supposed to be good things. Through recent occurrences in the advancement and popularization of social networking sites, it has become clear to me that there are negative consequences to use of such sites.

One of the most prevalent negative consequences of social networking sites I have identified is addiction. I go on my Facebook almost every day and I’m pretty damn sure that a high amount people reading this do more or less the same thing. Sometimes I click the “F” on my Safari web browser favorites bar (which stands for Facebook, but could just as easily stand for F-u brad for clicking it!) for no reason. Within a few seconds, Facebook pops up and instead of closing it I am swayed to look at it. Did anyone send me a message?? Was I tagged in a great action shot playing beer pong?? Did anyone post a funny video from YouTube on my wall?? Most of the time the answer to these questions is none of the above, but interestingly enough I still click on that “F” just to check anyways. It’s possible that I am wrong, but I have a feeling that once in awhile (or maybe more frequently), my peers do exactly the same thing. If you ask me that sounds like some kind of creepy addiction to one’s social networking account. Recently, I have spent time receiving therapy from an “old school,” less technologically advanced institute called “real life face-to-face interaction” Let me tell you… it’s quite refreshing (I encourage you to try!)

Despite some of the negative consequences of social networks, there are also some positive ones. I have had the great fortune of traveling to many countries around the world and in the past few years, sites like MySpace and Facebook have allowed me to keep in contact with many of the wonderful people I have met while abroad. These days, I use Facebook to keep in touch with friends who are attending universities all over the country. By looking at their profiles (a polite form of lurking in my opinion), I am able to keep up with some of the things that are going on in their lives even when they are not able to “chat.” I find out about cool events to attend and become aware of a variety of companies and causes that I had no idea about previously. So yes I will admit it, in many ways Facebook and similar social networking sites do have some very positive aspects.

In regards to privacy, I personally do not put anything on my Facebook that I do not want to be judged by (or mind being judged by). Unfortunately, this does not stop some of my friends from tagging me in those beer pong action shots as I mentioned above. Privacy in most cases is the user’s discretion. If you want true privacy then I recommend either not having a Faceook (or similar) or having one with very limited content. Past that, I believe the more things people post, the more privacy they are giving up. It is important that I mention that when one sets their Facebook profile to “private,” it is clear that it will not be private to everyone. Computer hackers are able to get into anything these day’s, so if your compelling enough for them to want to hack your profile, they will successful in doing so. I am not worried about my privacy because I do not post or allow others to post things that are too incriminating or revealing on my Facebook. Although, I worry for my peers: I see many Facebooks with way too much information on them. Be smart! Be careful!

I believe using Facebook and social networking sites follows a formula for living I have adopted in recent years: most things (but not everything) are OK in moderation (but make sure it’s moderation!). Facebook and similar social networks have their plusses and minuses and it is our job as users and consumers to get educated on these pros and cons and moderate our own usage and consumption. In conclusion, I urge you to imagine your life before the invention of Facebook, social networks, and the Internet. It was not much different than it is now and it is crucial to not lose site of this concept.