Tuesday, May 08, 2012

Where have all the faces gone? (Middle)

Technology? What?

So I have never been one for new technology ideas, as you may know from previous posts, and I am also not one for choosing technology over face to face.  So my question is what is the big deal with Facebook and texting or tweeting and even Emailing?

Yes I have a phone and yes I have a Facebook and I do write on this blog.  But, to me, nothing beats face to face interaction with other people. 

I don't use my Facebook like most people my age do which is to say what I ate for breakfast that morning or where I currently am located and who I am with.  I think that is a little bit of invasion of privacy.  I use Facebook to keep in contact with people that I went to high school with that I was never really all that friendly with then and whom I don't think would use my phone number to the point where they should have it. 

I am going to use my sister as an example for a moment. (Oldest).  She is CONSTANTLY on her phone checking her facebook or texting or stalking other people's Facebooks.  (For those of you who are unaware of what Facebook stalking is, it's where you go to someone else's home page and look at there photos and status updates and see what they have been up to).  Which leads into my next point but I will talk about that in a moment.  But when my sister is on her phone you cannot get her attention to save your life.  You can say her name over and over and over again but she will not look up from her phone.  And I find that to be ridiculous that people are so attached to their phones and to their Facebook pages. 

My other point was that with so many people stating where they are and who they are with and what they like to do all the time doesnt leave way too much room for a stranger to come and stalk you outside of your Facebook.  As creepy as that sounds it has happened to me, and this happened before I even had Facebook.  They knew where I was becuase my friend would post all the time where we were so they knew where I was without me even knowing hundreds of other people knew.  And if I wanted someone to know where I was I would tell them face to face or at least call them and it wouldn't be just to tell them it would be because I would want them there as well 

What happened to talking to people face to face?  Instead of having to pay so much for unlimited text messaging for a cellphone why not meet your best friend out for coffee or for a drink.  And if they dont like any of those option invite them over for dinner.  To me being able to look into the other person's eyes and seeing their facial expressions is much more personal than trying to convey their tone over a text message or over a message sent on Facebook. 

I think that all of us have lost touch with not only ourselves and out friends and family but a little to the world as well.  We should appreciate the physical company of one another as well as mother nature.    

5 comments:

Neil Vogler said...

Agreed, wholeheartedly.

(Although if you really want to see someone's face when you talk to them you know you can video call, right? Just saying...)

But yeah. Tech addiction is the modern affliction.

I'm also thinking that there might be a certain irony in this situation. I mean here's me responding to a blogpost endorsing face-to-face physical interaction -- written by a person I have never met in the flesh -- with a comment typed on a PC.

No, on second thoughts that seems fine.

PT Dilloway said...

It's just as well for me that we don't talk face to face. I hate talking. In person or on telephones. I don't even like chat rooms that much. Still I don't really like Facebook. If my siblings weren't on it I wouldn't even bother with it.

Briane said...

I don't like Facebook. But I also don't like talking to people. Text messaging lets me communicate without having to actually interact with people.

Andrew Leon said...

Well, you know, just wait until everything is VR... when you get up in the morning and just plug yourself into the network.
Yeah, I'm being serious.

Andrew Leon said...

turning on the comment thing... just ignore this