By: Paige Burton

Abstract:

This paper examines how the Internet, specifically, Facebook and other social networking sites, have changed the way we communicate and maintain friendships. By conducting a survey for my peers and researching information on the subject I was able to get a better idea of how and why social network users, as well as non-users, communicate through the Internet. The following information depicts how social networks have shaped the friendships we have in today’s society and questions whether the networks have had a positive or negative effect on our ways of communicating. For the purpose of this paper, I have focused mainly on Facebook, as I have found it is the most popular network used by those I have surveyed and researched. Please take in consideration that the validity of the information provided is not guaranteed as it has been collected from others’ observations as well as my own, and that the information may be biased in that it is almost impossible to collect information from all network users (as ironic as that may seem).

In February of 2004, an Internet phenomenon was born, Facebook. Mark Zuckerberg, former student of Harvard University, first created the website for his fellow Harvard students so that the students could have an exclusive commonplace of communication. But the exclusiveness quickly shattered, and opened up to other colleges around the Boston area, and within four months, 30 more college networks were connected to the world of Facebook. Although Facebook was not the first kind of online social networking, other networks include: MySpace, Bebo, Friendster, LinkedIn, Tagged, Hi5, Piczo, and Open Social. The general intention of these networks was to bring people from all over the world to a place where they could talk and learn about each other, without leaving the comfort of their computer. Now, because of the hype of these online network sites, virtually anyone is welcome to join. Facebook in particular, is open not just to college students, but anyone interested. The result of Facebook becoming such a phenomenon in the past 5 years is seen in our ways of communicating with one another, and perhaps how our value of friendships have changed.

In December of 2007, The New York Times published an article claiming that Facebook is the second largest social network on the Web with around 60 million members, and is one of the fastest-growing and best-known sites on the Internet today. The reigns true in a statement made by a former Virginia Tech student who said, “I think that for many and most college students, life without Facebook is hard to imagine.” This statement raised many questions, including: why are so many people seemingly obsessed with Facebook? And what does this website offer to its users that seems to have become such a big part of their lives? Has Facebook changed the way of communication and ultimately value friendships? The answers to these questions I have attempted to find within a survey of about 100 people, both men and women, of which were college students, high school students, and college graduates, 95% were signed up for Facebook (or another similar online social network).

Much of the research done concerning the Internet and Facebook has concluded that these technologies have absolutely had a prominent effect on our methods of communicating with one another. One article was actually titled, “Facebook and MySpace generation cannot form relationships.” This article reported that the generation of Facebook [and MySpace] have become entranced with these sites that it may actually have a negative affect on our lives both physically and mentally. Dr. Himanshu Tyagi, a psychiatrist at West London Mental Health said, “People used to the quick pace of online social networking may soon find the real world boring and unstimulating, potentially leading to more extreme behavior to get that sense.” Dr. Tyagi also commented that social networking sites have promoted the idea that “relationships and friendships can be formed and destroyed quickly and easily.” He also commented on the importance of real-life, or face-to face relationships. Physical communication enables us to realize the necessity of body language, tone of voice, and facial expressions. “If you can’t see the person’s expression or body language or hear the subtle changes in their voice, it shapes your perceptions of the interaction differently,” Dr. Tyagi said. The concept of misconstruing information through social networking via the Internet is not unfamiliar to the users that I surveyed. Half of the interviewees admitted that they had misinterpreted information or things “said” over Facebook. Another study conducted at the University of Indiana reported that 90% of those students interviewed, agreed that face-to-face associations are imperative to forming close bonds. Perhaps we do in fact communicate more clearly not through the Internet, but through ways in which we can see each other or hear each other’s voice. Nevertheless, Facebook propels the misconceptions, in which we give in to time and time again.

Because of Facebook and the like, we are able to make judgments about people before we really know them, although one may be “friends” with a person through Facebook, and thinks he or she knows them based on the information they have provided or pictures they have posted. Based on my survey, 62% of the users said that they have “friended” people whom they do not actually know or have even met. Ironically though, of those surveyed, 90% said they do not accept “friends” they do not know. The concept of “friending” someone seems extremely quizzical because many times people have said they will “friend” someone whom they do not actually like, and their only reason for “friending” this person is, “just to see what they’re doing with their lives, and kind of just makes me feel better about myself,” one college student said. Another aspect of “friending” I found interesting was that of the average 1,000+ friends that any given Facebooker may have, he or she interacts/ speaks with only about 20-30 of those friends on a regular basis (at least once a week). Perhaps the concept of a “friend” has changed. I am not suggesting the concept has changed in a good or bad way, but just that it has changed, period. One Virginia Tech student said, “I consider a friend to be someone I can rely on and talk to – not a “Facebook friend.” Another student responded similarly, “A lot of “friends” on Facebook are acquaintances; real, true friends are people who are close to you, who genuinely care about you and you genuinely care about them.” It may be that social networking on the Internet may just serve as a playground, so to speak, that enables us to pick and choose who they play with and those who we would rather just watch.

Facebook, ultimately, can be as useful (the term “useful” employed loosely) as one chooses to it to be. Every user has the choice of providing as much information about themselves as they please, and can literally pick and choose whom they want to be “friends” with. Whether this ability has had a positive or negative effect on us is up for debate, but the negatives have been most commonly reported. One study reported that, “When a social capital declines, a community experiences increased social disorder, reduced participation in civic activities, and potentially more distrust between community members.” “Social capital” in this context broadly refers to the resources accumulated through the relationships among people. In relation to this social decline, 80% of those surveyed said they sign on to Facebook on average three times a day, for about 15 minutes at a time. Although this is a small sample of the Facebook community, it can be assumed that Facebook does take up a good portion of people’s time. When asked if they [those surveyed] would upset if Facebook was shut down, 98% responded “yes.” One student said, “I would be upset if Facebook were shut down because I wouldn’t be able to keep in touch with all the friends I no longer see on a daily basis.” Generally speaking, we have become dependent on Facebook as an essential means of communication. It is for this reason that we may need to re-evaluate how relationships work so that if or when these networks are taken away we will be able maintain those same relationships in a similar fashion, as we once did before the Internet craze.

The Facebook generation, primarily speaking, deems it acceptable to sit in front of computer in order to make and maintain friendships, as opposed to actually calling a friend to meet to catch up; if one is able to “check up” on friends via Facebook, so what would be the point of actually calling? My research proved this point to be true, as 70% of the students surveyed said they found it easier to talk to someone via text-message or Internet. One student surveyed said, “It’s just easier to shoot someone a message on Facebook or a text because I know that they’ll get it that day, and it allows for a quick response. A lot of the time I won’t call because I don’t want to get into a long conversation with someone… as awful as that sounds.” The fact that many people find it easier to talk to someone without actually seeing or hearing them is a reflection of how we have changed as a society. The “bowling alone theory” seems to emulate in this subject; in that we have no problem never actually coming into contact with others, as long as we can communicate via the Internet.

It seems that we must then ask ourselves, do we not value friendships the way we once did when the Internet did not exist? Or do we just have faster ways of communicating which makes relationships easier to maintain? Most likely, everyone has their own opinion on the subject, but I believe it is important to ask ourselves these questions and take them into consideration next time one decides to shoot someone a “wall-post” rather than calling. We should consider whether we are becoming too closed-off, and if we idealize Facebook and other social networks as an imperative way of communicating. If we do decidedly idealize Facebook in this way, how will it shape our future? Will future generations become just as socially obsessed with the Internet? I think it is vital for every user of the Facebook world, as well as other networks, to reflect on their level of dependency on these sites, and why it has become such an important tool of communication.

REFERENCES:

1. Ellison, N. B., Steinfield, C., & Lampe, C. (2007). The benefits of Facebook "friends:" Social capital and college students' use of online social network sites. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 12(4), article 1. http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol12/issue4/ellison.html