http://content.time.com/time/video/player/0,32068,711047870001_2037225,00.html
Above is the link to the interview with the person whom I consider one of the most revolutionary minds of this era. Of all the social-networking sites, I consider Facebook the most powerful and revolutionary. I can’t forget to mention here the fast-growing uprisings in Egypt, Libya, Tunisia and other countries. That ‘revolution’, in fact, caught momentum on Facebook and spread all over the places much like a wildfire. The once peaceful, politically and economically stable countries turned into a mess in such a short span of time and all of this so-called revolution was created and promoted by social-media users, particularly Facebook. That might be just one the many powerful impacts it has had on nations in recent years!
It’s all before our eyes whether the ‘revolution/change’ brought peace, stability and prosperity to the land, OR it turned out to be disastrous? How can we justify all the violence that sprang up as a result of these revolutions in the name of democracy? I mean, what the fcuk is democracy? Was it important than the peace, the native culture and more than all, the lives of the people???
Well, it’s an entirely different topic to debate how the revolution paid off, whether it was necessary to overthrow the governments or not, but the result of it is not hidden. Compare the present state of those countries with their past. It gave them nothing, but destruction! It just replaced the old dictators with new dictators and exchanged peace with terror, that’s all it did for them and that is what is ironically celebrated as ‘the Arab Spring’.
Having discussed the political impact of the social-media activism, I want to discuss the social impact…
Just like the political impact, the social behavior of people has changed enormously due to Facebook. There was a time when people used to keep real-life interactions. All the social obligations used to function in a very natural and meaningful manner. But now, after the integration of social networks into people’s lives, the way they interact has completely changed and switched to mere online pokes, friendships, comments and likes. It’s rather creating more MISUNDERSTANDINGS, as the culture we see on the internet is entirely different than the reality on ground.
Before this Facebook-impact, people cared so much about their privacy and also, that of others, but now girls are voluntarily showcasing their pictures much like whores, sorry to say, but that’s true. There was some difference between private and public, girls did not have to put their photos up for the public to ‘like’ and pass ”comments” on. Similarly, men were never so desperate to show their best off for attention seeking. People were not so thirsty for publicity and self-promotion. At social gatherings: weddings, birthdays, etc, they used to be present at the event, both physically and mentally, unlike now, when people are just glued to their phones, indifferent to those sitting around them and obsessed with ”announcing” where they are at, what they are doing, how they are feeling and whom they are with to their Facebook circles via status updates, instead of enjoying the party in real.
Before this social revolution, the word ‘care and love’ meant being honest, truthful and making someone feel special by showing and proving it practically. Although faking and hypocrisy has always been a human instinct, but never was it so high in our daily lives; thanks to Facebook for making that happen! In short, everything was REAL, which now has turned only VIRTUAL and almost fake unfortunately. The fact about getting hundreds of banal posts on your birthday even from people whom you never met face-to-face is a sufficient proof how meaningless all the virtual expressions really are! Facebooking has transformed the way people socialize! The essence of relations/friendships has just decreased to liking each other’s stuff, as if pressing the Like really means something, just like the ‘happy birthday’ posts. To know how meaningful those ‘Likes’ are, kindly read my blog-post ”The World of Likes”
Not only has it changed the way of interaction, but also there is some sort of psychological impact on the individuals who use it. Almost everybody on Facebook seems to have been suffering from narcissism and some sort of superiority complex. The uploading and sharing of pictures with different poses every week itself is a sufficient evidence to prove this attention-seeking disease. Girls showing off their pictures like prostitutes craving for attention, liking and commenting on everybody’s photos, all this clearly shows their frustration. And the same crazy behavior by men uploading thousands of pictures to look ‘cool’ apparently indicates a psychological disorder.
It will be unfair and prejudiced to mention all the negativity without admiring the good things done by Facebook. I love and really admire the brains behind it, especially that of its founder. Just look at him in the video I have shared, how simple he looks. Look at the chair he sits in and the room where the interview is conducted by TIME, it all shows simplicity, and I love him for that and I hope he and his team will make social-networking more useful and meaningful by making improvements.
Facebook has literally removed much of the walls around us. Now you don’t have to struggle to peep into someone’s private life. You don’t have to make any efforts or beg anybody to tell you what he/she likes, dislikes, where she goes, what her beliefs are, who is she with, etc etc! 😉 Because they are already sharing about themselves VOLUNTARILY. This had never happened before! So this, of course, has made life much easier! 😀 In the past, you had to express your emotions practically, but now, you just have to show it virtually by clicking on the Like buttons and/or finishing all your comments with a kissing, laughing, or winking emoticon. Similarly, you can make the other person loved by sending this ‘<’ coupled with ‘3’. That shows pure love! Does it not? So… has it ever been so easy before? 😉
All jokes and sarcastic comments apart, it has really given VOICE to the people, which was never done before. Now, every man and woman can speak out whatever they want, and no one can stop them. This is something good for all those who believe in free-speech. It has also reshaped the conventional journalism, enabling the common man to take up the issues and convey the message to a larger audience. They are now reporting and sharing every news or events they consider important. People had never been so active in issues surrounding them and had never dared to question the wrongdoings of their governments, to hold them accountable, to make them act and serve the people sincerely instead of filling their own pockets. The sharing of information had never been so fast and easy. Facebook is an excellent means to propagate any piece of information in a very little time to a very large population. News of injustices shared on it sometimes turn so viral that the concerned authorities get compelled to respond and ensure justice.
At the end, in a short note, I would clarify that I am neither against, nor I am in favour of Facebook. Basically, it all depends on the user. By no means, we can blame any product or service, because it’s all upto the user who uses it according to his/her wish. A person can take someone’s life with a knife, or even save someone’s life with the same tool! So the debate whether social-media, particularly Facebook, is good or not, that entirely depends upon the individual who uses it… Thanks for reading!
So… What are your views on the influence and impact caused by Facebook? 😉
My odd odyssey 