After reading Clive Thompson's Wired article about real life social networks, it got me thinking about my own social networks and the astounding differences that exist between my Facebook page and my real-life interactions. If one were to browse upon my Facebook page, they may be able to see a snapshot of my favorite books or movies, see some recent photos, or read my most recent updates. And all this information may provide a fair portrayal of who I am. BUT the conversations on my wall would be a very poor assessment of who I'm actually talking to and interacting with on a daily basis. The way I utilize my Facebook page is to keep connections with friends from years past, people that I wouldn't normally be able to interact with. I've always used Facebook this way because that is how it fits best into my life.
In line with Thompson's general conclusions about the differences between social networks and real-life networks, I can confirm that my activity in one is not indicative my activity in another.
It's likely that some of my extremely loyal readers may have a different view - so go ahead, feel free to express your thoughts in the comments below.
Social Media ROI
14 years ago
I completely agree. People that I talk to on Facebook are generally not the people I see on a daily basis. Facebook acts as a way of keeping friendships that wouldn't be kept if Facebook didn't exist. The people that you don't see on a regular basis you can just stalk their pictures and wall to know what they are doing; and if all you wanted to know was what they were doing, Facebook saves you the trouble of actually having to talk to them.
ReplyDeleteI also was facebook as a means to connect with people on a daily basis. It would be pointless to use it to communicate with my roommates, because I am always with them. But facebook offers a great way to connect with friends from home or friends on campus that I don't hang out with everyday. It allows you to stay up to date in each others lives and know what is going on.
ReplyDeletei agree that the postings on my wall are not good assessments of who i am. My friend usually take advantage of my wall to make fun on me or to remind me of "inside jokes" that we share. My photos as well probably would not be a proper assessment of me because multiple photos are of me in awkward candid shots. As i agree with the fact that i use it to keep in touch with people i don't normally talk to, now that facebook chat is very popular, it provides a better real time means to communicate with such people.
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