Thursday, November 19, 2009

What is the draw of social networking sites?

With the growing popularity of social networking sites like Facebook and Myspace, there is obviously a desire to connect in a digital format. But what, if anything, is the real desire when logging in. Are we simply seeking to make conncections in a void of internet junk? Are we trying to make our mark on the world in our own way? And if we so often represent ourselves in such an inauthentic way, by using stats, quizzes, photoshopped images of ourselves, why is it so popular?

What is the draw of social networking sites?
For me, it's just a fun way to stay connected to friends that live far away or I just don't see too often. I'm very conscience to not post something on my myspace profile (or facebook or xanga or yahoo {yes, I have one of each}) that mis-represents me in anyway. After all, I'm using the thing to communicate with people who already know me, not to attract new friends. If I posted a bunch of crap, people would know I was lying about it.
Reply:We are creating a perspective of ourselves that we have total control over and are able to spend as much time planning and executing, unlike in the real world where we have to make decisions on a dime.





On one's facebook or myspace they put out material that they hope will be viewed by others in order to portray certain qualities about themselves. It is almost like "THIS IS ME... UNDERNEATH IT ALL."


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