August 13, 2007

• Facebook is increasingly embracing the resolution to be as ridiculous as possible.  Right now I have:

  1 friend request, 2 event invitations, 12 group invitations, 3 friend quiz invitations, 1 kudo request, 4 zombie invitations, 3 top friends friend requests, 2 cause invitations, 1 texas hold’em invitation, 2 rate me requests, 2 movie compatibility requests, 1 compare yuto invitation, 1 harry potter’s magic invitation, 1 vampire invitation, 3 pirate invitations, 1 werewolf invitation, 1 pet invitation, 1 speed granting invitation, 3 my aquarium invitations, 1 pirate invitation, 1 vampire invitation, 4 my questions friend requests, 2 sticky note requests, 1 bathroom wall invitation, 19 new notifications.

  …

  If the argument has ever been made that online social networks are an attempt to escape from reality, I believe the evidence has just arrived.   The only thing I ever click on from this panel is the “friend requests” link, because, quite frankly, I’m a little less than ebullient when considering that apart from minesweeper and solitaire I now have the ability to waste time on the computer by creating a virtual aquarium on my facebook.   

  I used to think facebook had gone too far simply because it heaves doses of pointless information on users everytime they sign in, but now they have exceeded what I thought to be the bounds of virtual superfluity.  Now that facebook is done with its attempt at completely reproducing the real world online, it has moved on to inventing its own imaginative virtual realities.  Facebook is no longer simply a cavernous labryinth of real information, but now unreal information, such as how many times I have been bitten by “werewolves” or what ”Harry Potter spell” has most recently been cast on me.  

  Spaceship Facebook had previously launched from Earth only with ambitions of settling and replicating Earth on another planet, but has now accidentally been sucked into a black hole of grotesque aberrations.  Just goes to show how it takes baby steps to get away from reality.

  This avalanche of fribbles is not without consequence.  The more a social network offers, the more it will be seen as a possible recreation of actual life.  The last thing I want to happen is anything online to be considered a competitor with real life; unfortunately, the more aspects and features that are added to a social networking site, the more probable it will come to bear a semblance of being sufficient in fulfilling human needs that had previously been fulfilled through unelectronic means.  But in reality, any computerized ersatz is really drastically a qualitative inferior to the beauty of real life relationships. 

  With Xanga’s simplicity (everything basically revolves around posts, with a minor emphasis on blogrings) there is no mistaking it as a subsitute for real life.  These are obviously moderate journals for thoughts every now and then.   But when things like facebook seem to have a city-like hustle and bustle, with up-to-date news items and a seemingly virtual inhabitance to them, the differences between it and real life become gradually more subtle, until the point when spending time on it becomes as natural as not.  The only definitive result ushered in by a perpetual increase in features is quickening the American march towards isolationism.

  For my original thoughts on MySpace go to: August 2nd, 2006. 
  For my initial review of Facebook go to: April 9th, 2007.

  Facebook is the ultimate misnomer.  You are neither viewing a real person’s face, nor participating in the wonderful activity of reading a book, both things that I would judge to be vastly superior activities.   

  • 9:18 pm
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