Sunday, March 1, 2009

Facebook Craze - One of Them?

- Gerry Joeng is writing an entry about Facebook. Check it out guys -

That kind of status update in social-networking website like Facebook is now the second most important headline to be heeded after, of course, the real headline news. Not all people have that tendency of course, but certainly it is for great deal of people - high school and college students, white-collar workers, housewives, the unemployed and what have you.  

Considerable amount of time are spent towards this share-all know-all craze, and those who still insist on not making a Facebook profile (despite numerous friends invitations) are frowned upon - what the fans condemned as late adapter.

Really? 

I think the other way around is true. People who automatically and readily open Facebook once the browser is set and those who continuously check their Facebook every 30 minutes in their fancy cell phone, are what the society should be frowned upon. 

In this light, Facebook shares one distinct characteristic with cigarette: it's addicting. So far, the most agreeable way out to control addiction is to avoid it - the less is better. As fun as it is to check out pictures, share updates and learn gossips, unaffordable times are wasted into drainless gutter. For you with high level of activities, you know that you cannot afford to throw your time into something so trivial. (caveat: of course not everything in Facebook is trivial, but you know what I mean)

Let's get more reflective in terms of time-effectiveness. At the end of your day, which one would bring you more satisfaction: the mere knowledge of your long-lost friend eating a pancake or real conversation with your long-lost friend over a real lunch. 

The difference is in your choice. Again, the issue is not yin and yang or black and white. Moderation is the key. For me, checking Facebook ten minutes in the morning, five minutes over lunch break, and fifteen minutes at night work just fine. What about you?

3 comments:

thecomprehensiveeater said...

Let's get more reflective in terms of time-effectiveness. At the end of your day, which one would bring you more satisfaction: the mere knowledge of your long-lost friend eating a pancake or real conversation with your long-lost friend over a real lunch.

the point of facebook is to contact your long-lost friends and how can be having a conversation with a long-lost friend if he/she is truly long-lost (like living in another country)? at least by looking at his/her picture, you'll get the sense of what he/she have been up to lately.

Gerry C Joeng said...

That paragraph has no intention to negate facebook's power to re-bond long-lost friends.

The point is: you can spend your time much more effectively if you interact in the real realm, not virtual realm.

And even in the virtual realm, it is better to know what he's been up to through interactive means (chat, email, etc), rather than through one-way media (fbook's status update for example)

Most teenagers now (including me) has interacted excessively through non-personal media (texting, email, message). We've been so unaccustomed to talk personally/ directly with people, and we don't need fbook to make that easier.

Johannes Setiabudi said...

I think the key here is "moderation". Excessive usage is always bad - check out this article in CNN: http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/04/23/ep.facebook.addict/index.html