No, this is not an ultimatum to Solipsist Nation inspired by yesterday's sick day. Thank you all for your well wishes and concerns--all TWO of you. We see who our true loyalists are: Catswing and Anonymous. (For her reward, Catswing gets a hyperlink to her blog; for Anonymous, recognition as a Solipsist loyalist--a Soloyalist, if you will--is its own reward.) We're feeling better, today. We really needed the day more for mental health reasons than physical ones. (Maybe we needed more time?)
Where were we? Ah, yes, today's post.
We read yesterday about the lengths to which teenage girls (boys, too? The article was vague) go to break their addiction to Facebook. ("To Deal with Obsession, Some Defriend Facebook") Apparently, overuse of the social-networking site causes young people to neglect their studies, fall behind in their college applications, and lose touch with the real world.
Kids!
Seriously, though, we applaud these youngsters for taking the first step and admitting they have a problem. Some have gone so far as to admit their powerlessness in the face of their addiction and turn themselves over to a higher power--i.e., parents, who take control of the users' accounts and hide the passwords. Some have even gone so far as to disconnect their internet. (But then how do they read The Solipsist?)
The big question we have is, what the hell do these kids need Facebook for so badly?
We admit we love FB, too. But for us, FB does fulfill a "need"--the need to stay in touch with people we would otherwise--because of distance, time constraints, or sheer dislike (we're talking about you, MP)--not be in touch with. Our modest collection of 30-odd friends (and another 30 who are not so odd) consists of several categories, the largest of which (23.1%) is old college friends. "Current friends and colleagues" make up only 15.4% of the total, a clear minority. The other categories and percentages are as follows:
Theater people: 18.5%
Former colleagues: 13.8%
Family: 13.8%
Writers Dock Party: 9.2%
Miscellaneous: 4.6% (That's you, Terry)
Also, a solid 1.5% of our friends are people who SWEAR we know them, but of whom we have no particular memory (and we'll say no more about that--if only to make everybody wonder if we're talking about THEM). (OK, it's Erin.)
What we're getting at here is that most of these folks are not people we would have the opportunity to communicate with or see regularly. It was a thrill to reconnect with some of these folks. But for teenagers? They see each other every day. Who have they LOST contact with? If they really want to hang out with each other, can't they do it in "Meatspace" (thanks FOS for that descriptor)?
If they did, they could also experience some REAL addictions. Or have drugs and alcohol gone out of style?
Funny!
ReplyDeleteFacebook puzzles me too: everyone in the fam has got an account except the youngest who wants one "bad"-ly, but FB requires them to be at least 14 --and most of her classmates have apparently lied about their age!
While we see no direct harm in teens & their ilk whiling away time on FB, we're perplexed by it's appeal -- so much of it is just dribble!
Yet, as parents, we do sail over to their walls occasionally -- it povides a little glimpse into what goes on in their lives.
We old folks have reconnected w/ High School friends continents away, and we're now starting to see our own children "lose" friends to work/military-related moves... FB gives them a chance to stay in touch.
Solipsist and WOS: wishing you a very happy Solstice! And keep on blogging...
It is strange the way cyber connections seem to take over. Maybe it's easier to be virtual.
ReplyDeleteYay, I'm in the 13.8%. BTW, COS would like to get together if you ever decide to come over to the opposite coast again.
ReplyDeleteOK, but just to be clear, you are, strictly speaking, ACOS. COS went to your sister.
ReplyDeleteI joined Facebook to track down an old friend from college. I did. We met and found we had little to talk about. BUT I have many more problems than pleasures from the site, such as:
ReplyDeleteQueen's College (NYC) has been around for almost a century. Given an enrollment of approximately 3,000 students, that's (roughly) 300,000 alumni. I DON'T KNOW THEM ALL!!!! Stop asking me if I want to "friend" them.
I KNOW who's in my family! I don't need you to tell me! Moreover, I CAN'T come up with "2 more names" just so YOU can send me (some other) more names.
I don't CARE who my "friends" may have friended! If I wanted to friend these people, I would. I PROBABLY DON'T.
So, how'd ya' like the fable?
The fable was. . . overwhelming.
ReplyDeleteSo what percentage am I in?
ReplyDeleteAs a quasi-anthropological observer of the obsession that FB has become in my own family (as my wife, son, mother-in-law, and brother-in-law spend inordinate amounts of time in virtual farming), I can appreciate how wise teenagers (and adults!) would be to tone it down. yeah, it's nice to check in with long, lost folks, but *genick-shoyn*! (Yid: enough already).
Maybe its the small thrill that receiving and giving the gift of a golden chicken provides that keeps them going.
About the teens, tho, don't you remember spending all day with your friends and then spending hours blabbering on the phone about the insipid things that occurred just that day? Think of all the money they're saving on phone bills! Thank God no one pays hourly rates for dial-up service anymore!
I remain,
FOS
You were actually counted as family. Happy Festivus!
ReplyDelete