The End of the World is Nigh. Again
I love it when people get all end-of-the-world-is-nigh about developments in technology. There’s always a good headline or even a book deal to be had from making the point that things are going to hell in a handcart and were much better before. There’s a new target every year or so.
For example, in 2007 Wikipedia took a beating from “The Cult of the Amateur: how today’s internet is killing our culture”, while in 2008 Atlantic magazine made lots of noise with an article titled “Is Google Making Us Stupid?”. The arguments have been raging back and forth ever since.
Recently there has been even more of it than usual. Social media is on the receiving end this time, possibly prompted by Facebook announcing their 500 millionth user. Amid the Facebook PR fanfare a few dissenting voices have been heard. Firstly, a survey stating that although Facebook is still the top social destination for online teens, 19% of those who have created a Facebook profile say they no longer visit the site, or are using it less.
Another survey, measuring customer satisfaction with websites, shows that social media has the lowest satisfaction score of any category, with Facebook coming bottom in the social media rankings.
The Washington Post got in on the act, with an article filled with anecdotal evidence of Facebook fatigue. Too many friend requests, too many updates, too little real-world contact. Etc etc.
Complaining about new stuff isn’t new. People have been complaining about new-fangled technology ever since the ancient Greeks decided that writing things down was a bad thing as it would make people lazy. But because of the technology we have now, we can use technology to make us all nostalgic about the good old days. For example, this website that makes any website look like it was made in 1996 by a 13 year old on Geocities. Good old days.
July 28th, 2010 at 12:45 pm
It really annoys me when people try to argue that Facebook (and similar) limits meaningful social interaction. Who exactly is defining what ‘real’ interaction is and its worth? Why is virtual chatting a poorer alternative to face to face contact? Is it not just different but no less meaningful?