Social Networking And Why I Don't Care

Posted on January 22nd, 2010

OK, OK, so I admit that headline is rather sensational. Obviously I care about social networking as you may have noticed from the Twitter and Facebook links liberally peppered throughout this site. Yet I still hold reservations. I only transitioned into the movement recently after resisting for nearly a decade. I remember getting an invitation to The Facebook Beta in 2004. I scoffed at it then, but never doubted it's draw. You see, my main feelings on the subject basically break down into three parts: I don't think it's the web's end-all-be-all, I'm a little paranoid, and - hate to admit it - but I like being invisible sometimes.

It's a series of tubes.

The internet is an amazing network of free and open communication. Well, as free as you can get with how low the barrier to entry is. All you really need is a computer and an ISP, or a few bucks and a local eCafe - then a world of limitless information is at your very fingertips (we'll ignore for this argument that the most popular websites are of stupid cat pictures and pr0n[1]). Wikipedia, in my humble and modest opinion, is what I would champion as the pinnacle of this online revolution. While social networking shrinks the world down and brings us all closer together, it does nothing on the subject of progressing the human experience or expanding the potential of a person. Rather, it is largely superficial and, dare I say, masturbatory. As a person who tends to be hyper-critical of myself, I find this level of vanity and centricity in others particularly disturbing. I'm sorry, but no matter what your status might say, no one feels sorry for you having to study and no one cares how drunk you got last night[2]. Get over it. Go learn something.

Paranoia will destroy ya.

Secondly, I'm a tad on the paranoid side. Personally, I think it's a healthy phobia to have. You shouldn't outright trust anything you read, hear, or see especially when it comes to the internet. I just don't like the idea of any corporation (yes, Facebook is a corporation, shocker I know) to have all of my data. If it's not the corp selling off the data to marketers and advertisers, cyber stalkers can pillage enough off a profile to successfully imitate a person. Nothing is safe online, period. Once it hits the tubes, it's out there forever. Just like the old addage "don't write anything down that you may later regret", don't upload anything that might cost you a job or school admission in the future. In undergrad, I had an IS class where they showed a video of a guy simply taking a picture of a license plate from an overpass. By the end of the documentary, he had residential floorplans, bank account numbers (with deposited totals), family tree information, job status, credit scores, and travel logs on the person who owned the license plate - all obtained legally through public records. Now extrapolate that into the interconnected and lightning fast world of the web. Sorry, but it freaks me out a little.

Would you rather be able to fly or be invisible?

Lastly, I don't necessarily see the ability of people from any point in my life being able to contact me as a benefit. Yeah, I'm aware how bad that sounds, but let's be honest here. Do you really like everyone on your friends list[3]? It's part of life to make mistakes, screw up friendships, move away, and lose contact with people. Ever say or do something to someone that you instantly regretted and then dreading the next time you had to pass them in a hall or share a car ride? Now imagine that unpleasantness sitting right there on your monitor all the time. While social networking can magnify the benefits from social interaction, it can also expotentially increase the awkwardness. It should be noted that I also resisted getting a cell phone for two or three years (before I was gifted one) since I liked the anonymity and ability to be unreachable, so maybe it's just me. There is something to be said of privacy.

How deep does the rabbit hole go?

So while it is undeniable that social networking is the largest and most important online movement of the last ten years, I don't really care all that much. It has its benefits for sure. Being able to diseminate information throughtout every corner of the globe pretty much instantly is a tool that will always remain useful, but I think there is a greater cause out there for the internet as a whole. I doubt turning "friend" into a verb is the best we can do. I'll be interested to see the next big push and evoltuion in the online community...


...OK, so maybe the pinnacle is stupid cat pictures after all. What do I know?

-Your Local Anti-Social Crackpot, Simon Willems

1Yeah, you'd like a link for that, wouldn't you?

2Also, pics or it didn't happen.

3Or are they even your friends in the first place?


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