Thursday, October 18, 2007
Facebook in TIME
I read an article in TIME Magazine from September 3, 2007 titled, "Why Facebook is the Future: A newtowrk for teens could teach the Net to grow up." The article begins by describing the somewhat disheartening disconnect between Web 2.0's intentions towards connecting real people to real people, and the actual out-play of connecting real people to . . . hackers and psychos. The article moved on to describe Facebook as a safe place for not only teens, but also older people . . . explaining that the fastest growing population of users are not young people, but middle-aged people in their 30's and 40's. It began to explain the reality of connecting people, and almost a euphoric safety that is found in this "Net within a Net . . . that's everything the larger Net is not." Originally created in 2004 by Harvard students wanting to stay in contact, it has now become a connecting place for people of all ages all over. As I was reading the article, I began reflecting on the Digital Divide, and the way that somehow, according to this author, Facebook has seemingly overcome the divide by inviting middle aged people in. I wonder what it is that has made this technology appealing and usable to them . . . whereas places like My Space, and many other Web 2.0 tools, remain on the shelves. Perhaps its the simplicity? The apparent safety? The true desire to keep communities intact from high-school and college and past jobs? It's interesting the true community that people are willing to forsake for this larger pseudo-community provided by the internet. As Grossman muses, "The most important funciton of a social network is connecting people and . . . its second most important function is keeping them apart."
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3 comments:
This is really interesting. Everyone in this country knows about myspace (even my grandparents!), but it seems to me that the number of people who use and talk about facebook is limited to college kids. Although, I know that until recently a college e-mail address was needed in order to sign up. To me I think it's weird that adults would use these forms of WEB 2.0, but if you think about it, it is a great way for parents to check up on their kids (if they don't live together or are far apart for an extended amount of time). I wonder if it will seem strange when our generation "grows up"?
I think that for me, Myspace conjurs up the mental image of teens baring all in their photographs, and creating another them online that may or may not be anything like who they are in real life. It also seems like an online venue for rantings and, in some sad cases I personally know of, a place to leave a suicide note where hundreds of people can see it. facebook does seem more safe...but do you think it is a good idea to have even thirty-somethings on the same "chat site" as college students? That is potentially a 18 year old talking to and sharing information with 38 or 39 year olds. While it may not be a big issue at all, it seems that it could also be a problem waiting to happen. Not to mention the fact that a college student and a middle-aged person are in totally different stages of life. Do you think that there will ever be a site geared towards the middle aged working class?
As for Myspace...do u think that there is any hope for redemption? Any possibility that the site oculd be cleaned up? Or have the clientel that the site attracts totally taken over anything and everything that could be controlled by "tom" or others suposedly in "control?"
Thanks so much for your blog! it was really thought provoking :)
Wow, Jen . . . so interesting what you have to say!! As for the redemption of My Space . . . I find it difficult to fathom.
To be honest, my frustration with the whole thing is that the danger seems so overwhelming and almost unavoidable. It's difficult to monitor teenagers on the inernet . . . impossible to monitor adults . . . and tragic that there's this dichotomy between a strange fascination with danger and an attitude of complete invincibility that kids in that age-group often fall prey to.
Difficult to know what the answer is: certainly we can't just remove the internet completely from teenagers lives, but how do we again balance the freedom and responsibility that they have?
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