Counter Rant: Twitter and Facebook
A couple of commentaries/editorials popped up recently exclaiming Facebook and Twitter enable the narcissism of society, an example here and here. I understand what they say but I feel they have such a limited view of the uses of Facebook and Twitter. Yes, people can post trivial information that is of little value. I think this is more reflective of their social group than anything else. Sure, some of my friends post useless tweets (they add no value to me). But there have also been plenty of valuable tweets, interesting websites or news updates. Twitter can spread information and provide a service; it all depends on who you follow. Many people also complain that Facebook’s ’social network’ is really just a bunch of people sitting alone on their computers pretending to have friends. I don’t know about them but Facebook augments my real life. Primarily it helps me to share pictures and my thoughts (notes) with others. We use it to organize real-life face to face events as well as a communication device when we can’t be face to face. (I’m more comfortable with email/IM/messaging rather than phone calls.)
Rather than bash technology, learn to use it. It’s a valuable tool. I really enjoyed this post explaining a good use of twitter. A key to using these tools well is the ability to sort and filter information. Yes, there can be a lot of “Joe is eating a sandwich right now” or “Dan is using the bathroom” but there’s also a lot of interesting and useful information being passed around these networks. It’s all about how you use it and who you use it with.
The real problem isn’t Facebook or Twitter. The real problem is the naysayers need better friends.