Wednesday, December 14, 2011
FACE OFF
I have blogged about my aversion to "facebook", small f.
I knew I was not alone.
My heart is warmed by this article as many people, young and old, have resigned from the thing or have never considered "joining".
In my own case, it is highly predictable that I would not want to be part of it.
I am an introvert. I never wanted to be in a fraternity, (as my business partner Alex once explained my counter-dependent behavior). I am not interested in social groups on the ground, face to face, let alone electronic.
When friends gush about their experiences on FB, I am inclined to shudder.
I also don't trust it. I don't believe for a minute any of the assurances that they are keeping stuff private. I think they are selling or will sell everything they get.
Moreover, I am offended by any social pressure to sign up. There I am talking "live" with someone and they are saying I should be available on Facebook. What? This face to face isn't enjoyable? OK? Fulfilling?
And you can't get out of it without some major computer gymnastics. John had an account for his book and shut his membership down entirely. Too many lost relatives and friends or people he didn't know at all. Not a book sold.
He says it took over an hour with an expert computer whiz to do the job. Then he had to deal with followup messages which had to be confirmed.
This is just the kind of shit I anticipate from a "social network".
I never joined and never will.
I will not go on and on but this is surely what my old friend Norman back east, used to call "the wreckage of America". The loss of social cohesion under the guise of social enhancement. Alienation. Anomie.
Labels: internet
