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An island among many is still an island

jennyK on Facebook, a reflection.

Seems to me, the larger the ocean of web gets, the farther apart the islands of community drift.

The more places there are to visit, the less time we have for each place we find. Spindly bridges are built to connect isolated places of paradise, somewhere that could be utopia, to the crowded cold and strictly paved parking lots they call “Like”.

Why do we crowd in cities that, in the best case scenario, will connect us with those we may form friendships with, and in worst case, alienate us from those who truly care and those who have things to say that might make a difference.

Why do we need to be “liked” to matter?
Why do we need to be “friends” with people we don’t know, and wouldn’t want to meet, wouldn’t write an email to, or call on the phone? Is that not the kind of “friends” that crowd your Facebook friend list? Honestly?
Why do we need some enormous community machine to tell us we are worth something?

Because what happens if noone has the time, or enough incentive to click on your needy like request, if noone has the time to look at your uploaded image? Do you feel compelled to “share”, “share”, and “share” again, until you feel confirmed as being truly “Liked”?

Facebook is not human. Facebook friends are not real friends.
Your total “Like” count does NOT make you better, prettier, funnier, more popular, or in truth any more likeable.

So why do we fall into that trap?

Facebook is a tool but do we know how to use it? I think not. Sometimes I feel that Facebook is a monster, a disservice to humanity. Maybe that’s a bit harsh but here is how I see it:

Facebook makes us less, not more. It may be that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The whole, in the case of Facebook, may be great and vast, but it sure as hell isn’t remotely similar to the individual human beings its made up of. They disappear in the many.

Disclaimer:
My opinion on social networks change monthly so this blog is always tagged for editing. It will never be done, just like Facebooks policies.

jennyK.