Oh facebook, facebook, facebook. Why must I let you rob hours of my day? There are times when I swear I'm just going to check ONE thing....and an hour later, I'm kicking myself for wasting time. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not on all the time. Really, I'm not. I probably go on once a day or once every other day. But, when I do get on it somehow SUCKS ME IN! There are just too many fun things to look at. It becomes addictive in small doses for me. I'm not always wanting to go on, but when I do, it's hard for me to pull away. I guess I am a slight facebook addict. My good friend, Joseph Farrell made this eye-opening statement on facebook: "It's the perfect trap for the human brain, giving us the illusion of productivity because we are "doing stuff", "reading stuff", "saying stuff" and then it's all in the name of communication and maintaining friendships." I wish this weren't the case. Sometimes I want to rid my life of facebook, but it links me to my friends and family back home. It is all in the name of communication and friendships, right?
As for gmail...I can hardly remember life without it. It literally has become almost a diary of my life. I have different folders that I sort things into to keep them as a back-up whenever I need to access them. I can't always carry around my laptop, but I can get gmail practically everywhere. I can say that I view my gmail as a useful resource that saves my life, not really something to be addicted to. When I asked my facebook friends about media addiction, one person made the point that "e-mail has shifted so that you may get an e-mail that is important and relevant with only a few hours notice. People count on others to check their e-mail frequently, so that means I am expected to as well." It beoomes as relevant as checking your snail mail. You just can't ignore the bills in the mailbox. It is a vital outlet of communication.
I've come to conclude that some forms of media addiction are almost necessary, while others are absolutely not.
4 comments:
I find myself in the same boat, you go on to check one thing and then before you know it you've been on the site for a long time! I do agree with the idea that these social media sites are almost necessary in todays high paced life style.
I agree. It has an addictive effect because it entertains and that is what we are used. I think that as natives we are so used to distractions that we think it is wrong not be doing something every time.
Yes. Most new forms of communication, once introduced, have never left.. besides the pager...
Agree agree agree. Such a pleasant distraction though.
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