Are you joining a few thousands to commit and quit Facebook on the 31th of May 2010? It is nothing compared to the millions around the world who enjoy being hooked on Facebook.
The interesting part is the necessity to unhook, to unplug, to feel less exposed.
Where is the threat: all the information available on each and all users. Some will say: "I have nothing to hide". Other will say: "I will only share what I want". Some will refuse to comment, some will justify a new way of life and communicating.
There is an undergoing revolution in the virtual world impacting our realities.
Have we really explored our own image in who we are and how we would like to portray ourselves to the general public? Who is using the information and to what purpose?
Privacy and personal data has been a fight under the name of civil liberties and necessity to contain information abuse. Facebook pulverizes any notion of the sort. Technologies today are capable of retrieving data and information without your knowledge.
It also allows a possibility of looking into other's thoughts, contacts, friends, just as stalkers do. Our unconscious desire to stalk goes beyond the morality of sharing. So when an exhibitionist wants to show all he has, he doesn't need to go around the bush, he can just share some photos on Facebook, and all the "voyeurs" can see without leaving their screen.
Facebook is a major success with the number hooked on it. It has filled a vacuum of connection beyond the material, physical world.
But it remains a tool at the service of the users. What are you doing through Facebook?
http://www.quitfacebookday.com/
2 comments:
I quit facebook since March, and I still remind people when they speak that I'm not still in facebook. and I still recieve facebook pages shared with me to show me their latest updates :) when I quit it is really because I feel I know more than what I need to know and share more than what I need or feel like sharing.
it is also lessened my urge to blogging, which -to me- has more value and better material quality as well as attentive audience.
facebook to me feels like a lobby especially here in kuwait, the best thing it does to our society is widening the audience for art and culture so most people are benefiting from the events part of facebook.
when I was in facebook I created a cultural database to make use of the sharing option in groups, the group has more than 300 members but unfortunately members rarely share any information about events or cultural circles and places in Kuwait. they mostly act as receivers.
my life now is much better without facebook :) I opened it mainly to stay in touch with people I knew through workshops in other countries, but with time it lost the point.
your observation on Kuwait's relationship to facebook is very interesting. " act as receivers" might change with time, hopefully. The country needs action more than just tracking and monitoring...
I am happy you feel your life is much better without facebook, it takes courage to unplug from a social network with the feeling of abandoning a sense of belonging.
I am still puzzled by the whole Facebook mania, and have not yet been able to either engage totally or disengage. We'll see how things will evolve and we'll see what will be the fashion next...
Thank you for taking interest in my blog.
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