OK so I set up a “Facebook” page. Now what do I use it for? Maybe I am an old fuddy duddy but I really do not see where I have a need or use for it. I have been married to the same wonderful woman for 34 years, we have three children, all happily married and living on the west coast, we have four great grandkids. We are both have jobs that we enjoy. She works in retail management and I manage a wholesale distributor ship. I am finishing my degree after taking a 30-year break in my education. We are happy with our life and have no real reason to go looking for attention.
So looking at “my space” and Facebook” pages I see people showing off goofy things they can do to get attention, looking for their “15 minutes of fame”. Then there are those looking for romance, trying to find that perfect mate online. At this point in my life, I have no need for “Facebook or My Space”. Now if this was 35 years ago and we had today’s technology maybe I would try using it to find that perfect mate, or doing silly things for attention.
How would I distort myself, well if I were seriously looking for romance and a long-term relationship then I more than likely would not distort the facts about myself, while I might not share everything about myself until we were better aquatinted. Much like in “You’ve Got Mail”, I would not share personal information until we were ready to meet.
If you distort the facts, then what to you do and how do you explain what you have been doing and saying, without destroying the relationship. It could be the difference in the “we” and “me” generations but I see difference in the ethics between the two. I see what is better for “me” having a greater effect on decisions that are made, even to the point that the other person is hurt.
You need to remember that in the eyes of the person watching, what they perceive becomes what they believe. One that perception becomes reality to observer you will never be able to undo that perception.
“Facebook and My Space” are powerful tools on the internet and if abused or used as a electronic weapon they can destroy a person without even touching them. Be careful what you do or say, once done or said you can never take it back.
January 29, 2009 at 5:54 pm
Greg,
You may find that your younger relatives will communicate more with you when they realize you’ve got a page. I have a Facebook page and most of my relatives are on the East Coast. I get messages from nieces and nephews that I rarely get to see. I, too, thought I was an old fuddy duddy until I started connected with these people who because of distance I didn’t have a close relationship with. I can’t say that I’m really close to them now but do feel more connected. Just a thought.
Dr. Goodnow
February 1, 2009 at 9:13 pm
I feel that the younger generations who are the typical users of facebook type networking tools may distort who they are more often than older generations because they have a less than stable self-concept. I think a lot of times they are still trying to figure out who they are and establish their own identity and that’s why they might be more likely to project something they are not on these types of websites. But with you Greg, you clearly have a stable identity and self-concept whereby your page is probably more likely to describe better your identity and less of being someone you are not (that’s assuming you have created a detailed description about yourself on facebook…)