The 7 Lies of Facebook
Posted on February 21st, 2009 in Uncategorized |
On Newsweek.com, Raina Kelley writes on the “seven lies we tell ourselves about Facebook.”
As I’ve pondered why so many people willingly sacrifice so much privacy, here’s the “lie” I found most interesting:
2. Facebook Made Me Do It: Facebook didn’t make you tell all 1,384 of your friends that you once had chlamydia. Facebook didn’t hold your hand onto the mouse and force you to type: “Josh is in favor of slapping geese and women,” as one of your “25 random things” and it certainly didn’t waterboard you into asking everyone what their slave name is. Psychiatrists call this “externalizing blame.” It’s a way to lay-off shame and self-loathing onto somebody (or something) else so you can feel better about yourself. I once wrote, “Raina is feeling like the cat’s meow,” and hated Facebook for days because of it. I know now that it was nobody else’s fault but my own.
Facebook as shrink, priest, and facilitator? In an electronic world, why would this be a surprise?
3 Responses
2/21/2009 9:32 pm
Good post. I like your last line.
“Facebook as shrink, priest, and facilitator? In an electronic world, why would this be a surprise?”
Facebook does provoke, promote, and facilitates a member to publicly disclose personal thoughts, new relationships, lifestyles, and then thereby into a whole new set of social faux pas. But the opposite of externalizing blame is internalizing blame (persistent self-critical thoughts). The happy medium is while taking responsibility for whatever on Facebook (or even in life) to realize that Facebook is pushing members to give up their privacy and members need to be aware of that. Facebook isn’t making anyone do anything, but IT IS ASKING. It is our choice whether we agree. As the mints next to the register are an easy impulse purchase, a quick click of the mouse seems to be getting a whole bunch of people into a mess of trouble. Did you know that there are therapists now who specialize in emotional problems stemming from texting, emailing, social networks and internet addiction?
2/21/2009 9:56 pm
Also, Raina Kelley, the writer of “Facebook Made Me Do It”, seems to think that everyone experiences schadenfreude with as much regularity as she does. This article is an icky insight into who SHE is! Bleh! When I was on Facebook, that quest for smug superiority was not my primary goal.
3/4/2009 4:00 am
you realy dont have any feeeling s x