Traverse City Record-Eagle

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February 2, 2010

Socially awkward networking

Facebook has become impossible to live without

By NICK VIGLIONE

With the subtitle, "Remember that text you shouldn't have sent last night? We do," the Web site Texts From Last Night (TFLN), is centered around users who post comical text messages received from friends, typically including non-sober outcries and providing a voyeuristic laugh for millions of readers.

As I navigated away from my Facebook profile and into the outlandishly humorous TFLN site, I did not expect to philosophically examine a text declaring, "All we did was drink wine and talk about how people who dont have facebook dont exist." If you ignore the lax punctuation, the claim is alarmingly not as inaccurate as I initially thought and provides a foundation for understanding the socially-awkward networking that occurs on Facebook.

Originally founded in February 2004 by Harvard University students from their dorm room, Facebook is now "enjoyed" by more than 350 million active users. With 55 million status updates each day and more than 65 million users accessing the site through their mobile devices, Facebook has gone from an electronic fraternity house marketed towards college students to a global meeting place that "helps you connect and share with the people in your life."

Yet, when claiming that "people who dont have facebook dont exist," the exponential number of users is not what is key to understanding Facebook's influence, but the worthless interaction that takes place.

I will admit that my use of Facebook may be considered gauche by those social beings who don't depend on social networking sites, nor have I surveyed the millions of users, but I am confident in suggesting that my use of Facebook is similar to many others, especially high school students of the same age.

Before the days of social networking Web sites, I never got excited about "1 friend request," or "(insert name) wrote on your wall." And eagerly anticipating a little red box in the bottom right corner of my harshly bright screen enticing me with my notifications definitely was not the way I preferred to start my day.

Why is it that I enjoy viewing pictures posted by my "friends" whom I have seen face-to-face countless times, and how can wall comments between "friends" be more meaningful than face-to-face conversations?

Worst of all, why is it that Facebook users feel comfortable sending a friend request to someone they may brush by in the hallway, but don't have the confidence to simply say "hello" to face-to-face?

Numerous times I have mentioned Facebook during conversations, and when a person admits to not having a Facebook account I am slightly flabbergasted to learn that he or she has not signed up for all the fun that Facebook entails.

I don't mean to imply that I deny a person's existence when he or she refuses to log onto the Web site -- in fact, I am beginning to respect them.

But since a significant amount of my "socializing" is done on Facebook, I ponder if I may be missing out on a real friendship simply because I cannot electronically send them a friend request.

There are benefits to Facebook, such as keeping in contact with a sibling or friend away at college, or a relative living hundreds or thousands of miles away. And I have not forgotten how to be social outside of the electronic buzz of socially-awkward networking. But the mere fact that it is my preferred way to remain in contact with someone is, in my opinion, alarming.

With that, some may question, "Why don't you just delete your Facebook account?" My answer to that is pathetic.

Seduced by 350 million users and 55 million status updates each day, I have been plugged into this form of socially-awkward networking, and simply don't want to miss out on the photo comments, statuses, wall posts and other meaningless interactions. I can't even log off for more than 24 hours, let alone not exist.

Nick Viglione is a senior at Elk Rapids High School.

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