Communication is the most powerful took known to mankind. From a look in the eye, to an almost unnoticeable shift in our posture, to the slightest change in the voice, we can comprehend the things left unsaid-- unravel the trapped meaning beneath the guarded words spoken. However, in an age where the speedy exchange of ideas and thoughts is at its peak, we have become more shallow, distant, and self-centered than ever. The degradation of human relationiships is embodied by the instant access to social networking sites and meaningless confabulation.
Facebook is the primary instigator of empty camraderie. Through Facebook, one can keep in touch with new acquaintances, recconect with old friends, and stalk attractive individuals met mere moments before. Though this may sound appealing, this easy access to the private information of other's lives through their status updates, information section, and personal photos has made verbal communication almost obsolete.
Facebook is a legal drug that will forever nag at the back of our minds and tear at our hungry veins. It keeps us inside on the weekends, distracts us from accomplishing essential tasks (like writing this paper), and causes us to live inside our own heads. We spend so much time living vicariously through others' photos and wall discussions that we nearly forget about our own existence. The lines between our own reality and the lives of others become blurred as our veins are injected with the fugacious satisfaction of Facebook. Sadly, like with any other addictive substance, this satisfaction is only temporary. Ever so quickly we acclimate to the effects of this self-induced potion and soon, before we realize what is happening, an hour on Facebook isn't enough and all we are left with is desperate desires wanting more, more, more of this barren indulgence. The sparkle from our eyes has fleeted without our knowing, our hearts have grown limbs and crawled out from our chests without our notice, and all that is left of us has been reduced to vacant shells encompassed by the rubble of our futile yearnings that will never be fulfilled.
A shelter for cowards, a fortress for insecurity, and an enabler of phony intimacy, Facebook has warped and contorted the true definition of bravery, confidence, and friendship. A written take-down of someone over Facebook is not bravery. It is hiding behind a computer screen, using a keyboard to hurl insults at someone you need not look in the eye. Asking someone out on a date through a personal message is not valiant. It is an unwilligness to be trepid in the cruel face of potential rejection. How many things you you say over Facebook would you have the courage to tell someone to their face while looking in their eyes?
A two hour instant messenger conversation is not friendship, a lengthy banter on a wallpost is meaningless, and a flirty comment on a photo is vapid. There is no definition for friendship, but something so deep, endless, and meaningful cannot be built solely over an artificial social networking site.
Cellphones have also negatively affected us, but in a different way. As we step into the world our cellphones offer, our power of observation is weakened. The more time we spend staring at the screen of our phones, the less time we spend examining the life around us. We wander about with our heads down, focused on the tool in our hand, oblivious to the throngs of bustling and stirring humanity that pass us by. With our attention relentlessly focused on our handsets, we have instantly disinvited people into our lives. How many times have we wandered down a street or hall and pulled out our phones simply to avoid eye contact with a passerby?
People are under the false illusion that they need to be in constant access with the internet or people. When we have time to kill we Youtube, Facebook, and obsessively text rather than actively exercising our brains. Whatever happened to reading a book, researching current world events, or just learning to the best of our abilities with every spare moment we have?
Interactions that force you to look another in the eyes fosters poise, fortitude, and social ease. These qualities build crucial skills that are used to battle life's challenges. Job interviews, group settings, and one-on-one dealings all require a certain amount of social fluency acquired through practice.
The ability to look someone in the eye and hold a conversation is rapidly dissolving into a lost art. Verbal interaction will soon become nothing more than a distant memory of a thing that once was. We must cling to the last bits of interpersonal relationships we have left before they disintegrate into the spirit of today and disappear into the cosmic ocean like a trivial trickle of water.
Facebook is the primary instigator of empty camraderie. Through Facebook, one can keep in touch with new acquaintances, recconect with old friends, and stalk attractive individuals met mere moments before. Though this may sound appealing, this easy access to the private information of other's lives through their status updates, information section, and personal photos has made verbal communication almost obsolete.
Facebook is a legal drug that will forever nag at the back of our minds and tear at our hungry veins. It keeps us inside on the weekends, distracts us from accomplishing essential tasks (like writing this paper), and causes us to live inside our own heads. We spend so much time living vicariously through others' photos and wall discussions that we nearly forget about our own existence. The lines between our own reality and the lives of others become blurred as our veins are injected with the fugacious satisfaction of Facebook. Sadly, like with any other addictive substance, this satisfaction is only temporary. Ever so quickly we acclimate to the effects of this self-induced potion and soon, before we realize what is happening, an hour on Facebook isn't enough and all we are left with is desperate desires wanting more, more, more of this barren indulgence. The sparkle from our eyes has fleeted without our knowing, our hearts have grown limbs and crawled out from our chests without our notice, and all that is left of us has been reduced to vacant shells encompassed by the rubble of our futile yearnings that will never be fulfilled.
A shelter for cowards, a fortress for insecurity, and an enabler of phony intimacy, Facebook has warped and contorted the true definition of bravery, confidence, and friendship. A written take-down of someone over Facebook is not bravery. It is hiding behind a computer screen, using a keyboard to hurl insults at someone you need not look in the eye. Asking someone out on a date through a personal message is not valiant. It is an unwilligness to be trepid in the cruel face of potential rejection. How many things you you say over Facebook would you have the courage to tell someone to their face while looking in their eyes?
A two hour instant messenger conversation is not friendship, a lengthy banter on a wallpost is meaningless, and a flirty comment on a photo is vapid. There is no definition for friendship, but something so deep, endless, and meaningful cannot be built solely over an artificial social networking site.
Cellphones have also negatively affected us, but in a different way. As we step into the world our cellphones offer, our power of observation is weakened. The more time we spend staring at the screen of our phones, the less time we spend examining the life around us. We wander about with our heads down, focused on the tool in our hand, oblivious to the throngs of bustling and stirring humanity that pass us by. With our attention relentlessly focused on our handsets, we have instantly disinvited people into our lives. How many times have we wandered down a street or hall and pulled out our phones simply to avoid eye contact with a passerby?
People are under the false illusion that they need to be in constant access with the internet or people. When we have time to kill we Youtube, Facebook, and obsessively text rather than actively exercising our brains. Whatever happened to reading a book, researching current world events, or just learning to the best of our abilities with every spare moment we have?
Interactions that force you to look another in the eyes fosters poise, fortitude, and social ease. These qualities build crucial skills that are used to battle life's challenges. Job interviews, group settings, and one-on-one dealings all require a certain amount of social fluency acquired through practice.
The ability to look someone in the eye and hold a conversation is rapidly dissolving into a lost art. Verbal interaction will soon become nothing more than a distant memory of a thing that once was. We must cling to the last bits of interpersonal relationships we have left before they disintegrate into the spirit of today and disappear into the cosmic ocean like a trivial trickle of water.
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