Even though I do not always do something about some of the advertisements that are built into my daily life, I still find myself frustrated by them or annoyed, if you will. This annoyance and awareness makes me feel more okay about not always starting a war on the advertisers.
However, one thing that I feel like has always slipped past my line of sight is Facebook.
As a full time college student with two jobs, I feel like I don't have much time. Facebook makes connecting with my friends easier. I can make plans quickly, create events, and make jokes, all on my cellphone (which of course never leaves my side). This one interface has made it easier for my boyfriend, who really is at war, to "talk" with me.
In theory, and for most of reality, these methods of communication are all great. They help make life easier, and save time: two of my favorite things. The line starts to get fuzzy when you begin doing things on Facebook other than just communicating with friends. I'm talking about looking through your friends' pictures, profile, status updates, and begin what some people call "Facebook stalking."
I'm not outing myself as a Facebook stalker or even trying to say you shouldn't look through other people's information. People put stuff up on their profile for others to look at. Facebook wouldn't be what it is without a little bit of stalking. How else would know who had a baby or who got engaged? Facebook makes it easy to find out and even send your congratulations.
Now, I like to think of myself as a happy person. I am happy for others when good things happen to them and I like it when good things happen to me. But sometimes when I see all these "happy" and fun pictures of my friends it brings up a lot more than just happy emotions. Sometimes I feel bad about my own life when I compare it to my friends. Whether someone bought a new car, got a haircut, or found new love, Facebook has a way of making people feel inadequate.
Through this series of questions I have taken a deeper look into my own Facebook usage.
- What kind of culture(s) does the example create?
- Although some people post about their misfortunes, for the most part posts are about "good" life events. There is a lot of talk about what is good enough to post on Facebook. Is "best Sunday ever" too vague? Or is "best Sunday ever" just a nice comment about someone's day? Whatever a post like "best Sunday ever" actually means, it creates a culture of people who are constantly one-upping each other whether they mean to or not.
- What value(s) are reinforced?
- Materialism is totally reinforced by Facebook. It is much easier to post a pic of your new adorable baby's stroller or her cute new outfit. What about those cute jeans you got? Some people are very obvious about it. Others may be a little more subtle by posting a photo in Mexico at the Four Seasons (but without captions).
- Although vanity is not a value, the importance of looking good means everything to some on Facebook. "Don't post that pic, I look so ugly!" is a common phrase. No one wants to look "bad" in a public forum like Facebook. The image people project on Facebook needs to as beautiful as possible for most. It's easy to be accepting of others when we are all our best versions of ourselves on Facebook.
- What different meanings would different people perceive?
- Some people may not think a lot about Facebook. They may take things at face value. People's lives on Facebook look great. Isn't that what life should be like in real life? Why isn't my life "perfect"?
- Is it closer to fantasy or reality?
- This is a hard question because I think Facebook is real, however with huge omissions. It's like, are you lying if you are just leaving out an important part of the story? My parents always taught me omission of the truth is lying. Sometimes Facebook feels like a fantasy world because all of these goods things are happening all the time. However, if you posted something that wasn't actually a reality, I'm sure you would have at least five friends calling you out on it.
- What is the connection to the world of commerce?
- I think there are huge connections to the world of commerce. People frequently "check-in" to local businesses, upload photos of the cool new thing they bought, or check the advertisements on the side of their page. Advertisers don't even need to pay for the amount of advertising that people are just doing on their own on Facebook. Is it my cute, green Subaru that makes my life so great? Or is it my new pair of Danskos? You tell me.
- What is not told? What related stories are missing?
- Even though you'll find the occasional terrible picture of someone who woke up on the wrong side of the bed, for the most part, those stories are missing from Facebook. Hopefully anyways. The darker side of life frequently gets left out. Because of this paired with people's heavy Facebook usage, many may come to expect that the real world parallels Facebook.
- What techniques of persuasion are used?
- Facebook is so popular it doesn't have to use a lot of advertising. People just join Facebook because everyone else is doing it. Facebook doesn't have to market, but other people (or Facebook users) are marketing for Facebook. When I didn't have Facebook I remember one of my friends telling me I should just get it because everyone has it. People that don't work for Facebook use basic persuasion techniques to try to get their friends to become Facebook users.
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