In The Age Of Facebook

What is MSN? What is hotmail? What is one-on-one contact anymore?! Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the age of Facebook and other social medias.

Is it crazy to think that not five years ago I would be spending countless hours on MSN talking to all my friends?! And now, I haven't been on MSN in over two years! Why? What has changed? Well, social media has been introduced.

Facebook especially is so well equipped to keep us connected that it seems silly to even bother with other means of communication. I find myself talking to more people over Facebook than I do in real life, which is a terrifying realization I have stumbled upon.

What's more, is that Facebook has been slowly invading and stepping in to all forms of communication. You can see your friends profiles, like MySpace. You can chat instantly, like MSN. You can send private messages to one another just like hotmail and email. Facebook is even now available on our smartphones. We just can't seem to get away from it!

In the age of Facebook, we find ourselves obsessing over new trends. Trends such as, "Facebook him/her." Now if we want to know someone, we don't even have to approach them! We can creep them over the Internet. Literally everyone is on Facebook. If you know their name and what they look like, you can find them pretty easily.

Even in college I find that our professors are keen on us emailing each other. However, I have never once received an email from a classmate. Instead, we all Facebook each other! It's fast, and nearly everyone checks their Facebook several times a day…or hour!

Face it. We're in the age of social media. Hop on board or get left behind. Its up to you. But if you decide Facebook isn't for you, well…don't be shocked when you can seem to get ahold of anyone.

From A Grave To A Page...

A final breath...

a lifelong rest...

forever buried...

in our hearts we carry...

sun will rise...

on our own demise...

we'll be together...

forever and ever.

-Rachel King-

Death is a difficult time for us all. We suffer physically and emotionally from the passing of loved ones. But we try to hold on to them. We desperately reach out to them in any way we can because we don't want to let go.

Today in Tom Brennan's class we watched a documentary called Facebook Follies. It explored the many negative impacts Facebook posts have on the lives of people. However the section that intrigued me the most, was the concept that Facebook could actually replace gravestones as a place to reconnect with lost loved ones.

Dr. Elaine Kasket, a psychologist from the University of London, has studied the way we mourn the dead. According to her, the way we mourn reflects our society. We're in a society that is so connected tthrough social media, it seems natural to try and connect with the dead by also using social media.  

On this, I agree with Dr. Kasket. Profiles of Facebook users who have passed, often remain active. And people really do drift to their profiles and write to them, sensing that somewhere up there, the deceased are still able to access Facebook messages.

However, Dr. Kasket feels that Facebook will replace the physical connection received from the grave site. I strongly disagree. Gravestones and sites are forever. They are constant. Even though Facebook is so widely used now, it may not always be in the future. Imagine if all we have to connect to someone who has passed is a Facebook profile. Now imagine Facebook, like MySpace, becomes obsolete. How do we stay connected?

A grave site is a physical place that one can go to be close to your loved ones. Seriously, you can't get much closer, they're in the ground. It won't change. It's not a fad. You will always be connected to them. You will always be able to go to them, to talk to them. No social network can replace that physical connection.  

Just recently my Grandpa passed away. He didn't have Facebook. And I don't need a Facebook profile of him to remember who he was to me. All I need is that place to go, to be close to him. That in itself, is what keeps him and I connected.