Facebook

Just for kicks, I attended a Senior English Capstone lecture today, entitled Facebook: The Status Quo of Identity Perception. It was purely electrifying. I don't know why. I've had this interest lately in the popularity of Facebook, why it has made it to where it is, you know, the whole sociology of it. Nothing has ever had such an impact on digital media as Facebook. Absolutely nothing. It is the most revolutionary communication medium of our age. The statistic (from last year, mind you) was that 1 out of every 12 people on the planet has a Facebook account, and membership grows by almost three-quarters of a million people each day. What is even more fascinating is the demography aspect of it. The stereotype has long been that only the young people know how to operate computers or the latest digital programs. From 2008-2009, the percentage of people ages 55 and over who use Facebook increased by nearly 200%. There is something about community and personal expression that is common to everyone, both young and old apparently. Facebook is a good indicator of that.

While I don't know whether to label Facebook as "good" or "bad" (since there are plenty of reasons it can be both), one way I think it can be described is "controlling." Make of that what you will, but I felt it. Pretty soon, anybody who doesn't have a Facebook account will be looked upon as a complete outsider.

Also interesting from the lecture was the concept of Facebook language, most notably the "friending" aspect. I am, strangely enough, not actually friends with roughly 75% of the "friends" on my list. It's like the very meaning of the word "friend" has been changed, and it seems like we're all totally oblivious to it. What the heck else are we oblivious to right now?