Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Facebook: Empowering Extroverted Hermits


There I was, conversing in an auditory, face-to-face manner, naïve to the social utopia that was right in front of me. Facebook, an amazing online super-highway of friendship and sociability was revealed to me and opened my eyes. Now nothing could make me return to that primitive form of communication and all its detestable duties, including, but not limited to, eye contact, and the occasional pat on the shoulder. Long gone are the days of measuring popularity by the general feeling towards a particular person. Instead, I now sit back, awe inspired at the previously unattainable number of friends a human can have. God willing, the fluid within my cochlea will never again be vibrated, indicating to my brain that an organic being is attempting to communicate with me.

In the pre-Facebook days, or as I now refer to them, the Dark Ages, one would have to spend countless hours either trying to make friends in person (which is wildly inefficient), or try to navigate through the dank, confusing jungle that is MySpace. But now, due to this remarkable innovation, even a lonely lighthouse keeper or a troglodytic cave dweller can have hundreds of friends, exchange pictures, and playfully “poke” their love interests.

However, the best part of Facebook is that it takes all the work out of relationships. It shows me how to interact with people, subtly suggesting that I write on someone’s wall, or attempt to make him or her laugh by drawing them a zany picture. But, although Facebook is a great asset, relationships are still hard. My hope is that one day the technology will advance further and I will be able to gain a sense of belonging intravenously.

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