Facebook Friends Aren't Friends
I'm posting this because I've run into enough people who really don't get the point: Facebook "friends" aren't really your friends. I'm not sure if the reason people don't get it is that the level of knowledge and understanding - never mind wisdom - of the average person has simply deteriorated to the point where such a thing isn't perfectly obvious, or if it's just that people prefer to kid themselves. I think it's the former, which is a bit daunting. If it's the latter, then the superficial level most of us operate on has become, well, even more superficial.
Oh, and please understand the importance of this. As opposed to those who believe that a juiced up economy will lead us out of our current crisis, some of us realize that the crisis isn't just the result of sub-prime debt, or the "Greenspan put," or even Bernanke's "QE" - or lack thereof. It goes much deeper and has everything to do with the sort of people we are the sort of society and culture we're part of. Even if the economy were to perk up and provide some relief from unemployment, stagnant wages, growing personal debt, and minimal employment opportunities (especially for younger people), what could the future possibly hold for us if we, as individuals, don't develop the intelligence and discernment to understand what the real meaning of "friend" is? And it's not the watered down, distorted meaning that Facebook has assigned to it.
Check this article out. The author compares Facebook "friendship" with Aristotle's definition and explanation of friendship, so it's serious enough to warrant your attention. The author wrote the piece because she's well aware of the problem:
Oh, and please understand the importance of this. As opposed to those who believe that a juiced up economy will lead us out of our current crisis, some of us realize that the crisis isn't just the result of sub-prime debt, or the "Greenspan put," or even Bernanke's "QE" - or lack thereof. It goes much deeper and has everything to do with the sort of people we are the sort of society and culture we're part of. Even if the economy were to perk up and provide some relief from unemployment, stagnant wages, growing personal debt, and minimal employment opportunities (especially for younger people), what could the future possibly hold for us if we, as individuals, don't develop the intelligence and discernment to understand what the real meaning of "friend" is? And it's not the watered down, distorted meaning that Facebook has assigned to it.
Check this article out. The author compares Facebook "friendship" with Aristotle's definition and explanation of friendship, so it's serious enough to warrant your attention. The author wrote the piece because she's well aware of the problem:
One thing's for sure, my generation's friendships are less personal than my parents' or grandparents' generation. Since we can rely on Facebook to manage our friendships, it's easy to neglect more human forms of communication. Why visit a person, write a letter, deliver a card, or even pick up the phone when we can simply click a "like" button?More...
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