Facebook.

[titanium777]

Facebook is a constant reminder that there are millions of people who believe anything that advertisers sell.

Agreed.

And, ironically, people are selling themselves to advertisers using this "social media" platform.

 

[GimpSpack]

GimpSpack, here's an article you might find interesting...

The Flight From Conversation - New York Times

It's about how people are losing the ability to hold conversations as social, text and email become more pronounced in their lives.

Good article. Definitely shines light on a trend everyone notices, but nobody wants to deal with.

Something the article didn't really touch on too heavily is a theory that's been floating around in my head:

Face-to-face interactions require a certain amount of vulnerability. To honestly and openly express yourself to another human being (face-to-face) leaves you vulnerable to judgement, disapproval, or disagreement. Even if the other person doesn't verbally express his/her judgement, body language is enough to sub-communicate it. Face-to-face interaction provides an immediate and raw (honest) feedback loop that online communication doesn't have (at least, not as tangibly).

That doesn't seem to be a big deal on the surface until you take into account the prevalence of online image-crafting.

What if the image you've carefully crafted of yourself (on social media) can't hold up to who you really are in person? Should you take the risk of having an engaged interaction with someone that might leave you vulnerable to exposure? What if they uncover the REAL, imperfect, messy you?

Is it worth the risk?

Idk, just an idea.

And why would we want to talk about love and loss with a machine that has no experience of the arc of human life? Have we so lost confidence that we will be there for one another?

Yes. That's the most disturbing implication of this article.

 

[daikon44]

I use facebook to supply me with a feed of pictures of hot girls.

Instagram is better for this.

 

[thaboss]

The less info I have to give Facebook about myself, in an effort to create more "value" while I'm looking at my newsfeed, the better. It really is as simple as just staying away.