Why Facebook Is Good For You

Post Reply New Topic

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg2 ... r-you.html

"People who have difficulties with conventional socialising, such as those with Asperger's syndrome, experience great benefits"

It's like they're trying to entice me to use Facebook, by targetting my socialization problems. Am I the only one who has their difficulties manifested on a larger scale online?

I get too much anxiety to use social networking sites, because of all the 'ifs' that could be; 'if' so-and-so uploads a picture of me - who will be looking at it? How often? I don't even like posting my own pictures, I don't understand the point of all of this. If it's to stay in contact with people you know offline anyway, why keep putting pictures of yourself up? Can't they just see you offline? And 'if' I put some up, someone complains my pictures are outdated - or my page is dull, why don't I put anything on it? Update it?

If you have any pictures you wouldn't want certain people to see, how can you block them from seeing it without blocking them entirely? You go to an event, have a questionable picture taken of you, poof! It's up there. Say you have a bong in one hand, a mickey of whatever in the other. Or you're burning a flag, or clubbing seals. Or anything, really, I'm at a loss for examples at the moment, but I hope you get my point. Anyone - family, work, friends - can see this. Even if you're open about it, it is not a brilliant move on your part. Regardless of if they are things you shouldn't be doing -- your right to privacy is slowly being eroded.

And if I do, it's too much of an ego trip. I feel awkward writing about myself and leaving it up for everyone I know to 'check up' on me. There is too much to 'me' to be confined to a single page on the Internet; I would think more others feel the same. Why can't they just ask me face-to-face? Give me a ring on the telephone? The people who matter have the number. The others, you'd see about your day-to-day routine, wouldn't you?

And with people not getting out in the world more often -- how are they ever going to learn any social skills? The Internet is a completely different place than the real world.

I want none of it. I relish in not being committed to things like this… Sorry if this link has been posted already! I haven't seen it. I understand some people can use it just to be able to stay in contact and not have it on the brain constantly - these people, my point is not directed at you.

An article in one of my local newspapers about giving up 'evil temptations' for Lent caught my eye. Religious or not, it has a mighty point. Substitute whatever celebrity BS there is for something equally pointless, most people will take the bait. Why? Are they brainwashed? Addicted?

Go forth -- and text no more
"Forgive me, Father. It has been seven days since my last confession."
"And what do you need to confess, my son? Have you had impure thoughts about your neighbour's wife?"
"No -- that's not it."
"Perhaps you feel envy or stole?"
"No, Father. I want to confess that I have not been able to abstain from text-messaging during Lent, as suggested by the Holy Mother Church."
It's true. The Roman Catholic Church in Italy has urged the faithful to abstain from a high-tech lifestyle in the five weeks between Ash Wednesday and Easter. That means no web-surfing, texting or other electronic distractions or communications that make us spend time on virtual relationships at the expense of real ones.
I suspect some people are having a harder time giving up their iPhones than switching to fish on Fridays.
"I sympathize with my son," the priest said patiently. "Even the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI has his own YouTube channel." It's true. The Vatican launched a YouTube channel this January, featuring His Holiness. "Nonetheless, you must do your best to resist the smooth lure of these evil temptations. The devil can assume many pleasing shapes, like the new 24-inch iMac. But you must remember, that what you see on the screen is not real. Like those slide shows people e-mail around showing cats dressed up or fat people on motorcycles."
"I know Father, and I struggle to resist. I sit in front of a computer all day at work doing research and writing reports. Then I get an e-mail from a co-worker with a heading like 'You Won't Believe This' or 'Ten Things A Woman Really Needs,' and I can't help myself. I have to open it instead of just sending it right to the trash."
The priest shifted behind the screen of the confessional. "The greater the temptation, the greater the test," he cautioned.
"I feel like I have an obligation to my 537 Facebook 'friends' who want to know how I am and why I haven't posted any new pictures in the past three days. And I wanted in the worst way to post a message of support for Jennifer Aniston after her last meeting with Brad and Angelina, but then remembered my vow."
"I'm lucky that my MySpace page is pretty quiet and there hasn't been much to post in my blog over Lent, except how hard it is to go without all my electronic communications."
"I'm sure God knows you are doing your best," the priest comforted.
"Then there is my Twitter account. Sure, all my tweets are pretty boring stuff about how my neighbour never puts his garbage out properly and that kid at the doughnut drive-through who I'm sure always makes me wonder if he's giving me attitude or if that's just the way he talks. Plus, now I've fallen behind in my iTunes podcast movie reviews, and don't get me started on my Del.icio.us account." There was a low buzz.
"Is that your cellphone?" asked the priest. "In the confessional?"
"I have it on vibrate. It's probably one of my friends texting me now. Father," he begged, "please ask me to give up anything else. There is just too much going on out there that I have to be a virtual part of."
"Unfortunately, that is the idea of giving up these electronic trappings for Lent," said the priest. "It is to make you focus on what is really important - real relationships with people you know, not hundreds of meaningless and trivial postings with strangers. Online networking isolates you from real interaction, and that is the real sin. Now GF+SNM."
"What's that?" asked the parishioner.
"I'm sorry -- I meant go forth and sin no more."

I also do not enjoy Facebook. I dare say Facebook is useful for learning about NT behaviour and observing what you're supposed to say, when, which I guess for me helps with text-message etiquette in the real world... Other than that I no longer have any interest in Facebook.

When I was on Facebook all the time, it was for a particular application where I was constantly trying to get all the "items" in that application. When my obsession with that particular application faded, I looked into what other people said about Facebook. I was astounded to find people were constantly refreshing their Walls waiting for other people to comment, or clicking on other people's Walls. (Why would you do that?). I found it all a bit pointless. I suppose it's a social interaction, but I'm not really interested in doing it online if it's going to be just the same level of anxiety as doing it face-to-face.

It's narcissistic drivel. That, and all things like it.

Benefit? They must be kidding me.

Wherever you can add people to a friendlist, I usually end up with 0 friends or random people I know nothing about and will never know anything about friending me.

Seriously, my social interaction is too impaired to keep up with such a thing as Facebook or myspace or anything.

^ Sora: this is truth!! haha.

Even here on wrongplanet I would love to say I have bunches of friends around the place but to be completely honest I can't remember half of the people I really would like to say I've "gotten to know them more" because so many other things get in the way of thinking about them (LIKE THESE STUPID CRICKETS. GARRRR).

Basically, I don't have friends, so all my friends are through my fiance (who is, inexplicably and very fortunately, both introverted and very sociable). This, and people who have been in the same groups as me (such as church, classes, knows a friend of a friend (of my fiance)) etc, comprise my hundred-odd friends on facebook.

My facebook wall if I recall correctly consists almost entirely of single posts such as "Haven't seen you in ages!! ! how are you doing??" which either I attempt to reply once, or think for ages about replying and never think of what to say before I forget that the post existed. The phrase "We must catch up sometime!!" is something I have noticed people say, so I have learnt to say it too, even though I have absolutely no intention of "meeting up for coffee," ever. (have managed to avoid this almost entirely despite saying it at nearly every facebook encounter, which shows it is an effective response to a "haven't seen you in ages how are you doing" post.)

mmmm.

I don't reply to wall posts anymore. Too stressful. I feel antisocial just thinking about it.

(These crickets are driving me insane.)

My problem with Facebook is that I made no friends in High School or college. So, people send me invites and I have to hear about their boring lives when I don't even remember them from college.

Facebook offers a false sense of security and hackers exploit the bad security features of this software.

I don't like facebook and will most likely never use it for myself, I think. In the Sophos ( http://www.sophos.com ) podcast they often speaks about security vulnerabilities which is related to facebook.

am use facebook for being in contact with support staff on the little chat thing it has,but they dont have internet access often so its mostly useless.

I met my friend the priest on an online friends and dating site.

i use facebook. i do not have a problem with it. i think it is funny however - as i got a hard time at schoold for being this really intelligent weird girl who duxed a lot of subjects, was alos a druggie and as it tuns out, had AS all along. i got ribbed mercilessly at times because i was not a girly girl and i was a self-conscious AS girl who looked at the patterns on the pavers rather than peoples faces.

some of the girls who once were tough on me have contacted me on facebook...probably because they saw me on the tv and thought i might be someone exciting to have on their list now!!
i didn;t block their requests. adolescence hurt. i think they would have changed.

i use facebook for indirect, virtual socialising. i can do that these days - and i like it as i do not have to deal with people face to face but can communicate through written means. i get to stay at home, paint, live quietly, not leave my home, and feel some connection to others.

I remember the years with my AS before the advent of the pc in every home. and boy, it was a lonely and terriblye devastating way to live in my early 20's. it is a lot better now with home comupters and the net, so i really am grateful for that. for WP and for things like facebook.



also, most of the facebook friends i have are ex-junkies and in 12 step programs and so they tend to be weird and have struggled with life just as i have with my AS. i don;t know many people who have not struggled.

i have a funny relationship with people. i collect them as i collect brass objects or elephant figurines. i hate to be so trite...but i actually like increasing the number of facebook friends i have from a purely numerical perspective. typical little collector there.

I've met a number of people I now consider pretty good friends in a Facebook group (I haven't met most of them IRL yet because of distance). Which is more than I can say for this site, frankly.

I like Facebook, my online socialising is so much better than face to face socialising
I've become quite good friends with people from all different forums I go on, something I like is having my group of internet friends cause it never feels like 'too much commitment''
I log on when I please and log off when I please