BLOG: Disfaced with no space to roam
By Corey Cook, Staff Writer
April 18, 2008 | 3:35 p.m.
We have them. We know them. Sometimes they are a relative, parent or cousin. Others might be friends. Some of them just might be ourselves in denial. Well, I am here to tell you that you are not alone. There are millions of people in the world just like you. You do not have to live in fear anymore, and you can triumphantly come out to say to the world, “Yes! I don’t have a Facebook account!”
Overdramics aside, my point is this: despite all of the generalizations that the media seem to make, not every 18- to 21-year-old college student has an account on Facebook or the various rivals. These people are not anti-social. In fact, if you think about it, they are probably pretty lucky at times. These people do not have to deal with the stress and fuss that comes with having a social networking account. This is coming from a person who has had three (Hi5, MySpace and Facebook). I hope my last three.
For people who do not have social networking accounts, things can look a little daunting. Many social networking sites, while serving a good and general purpose, have seemed to be almost boiled down to a popularity contest. Who has the most friends? Who has the most hits? Who has the most gifts? Who has been poked the most? For a person who is joining a social networking site for the first time, not only can this seem daunting, but it also generates the stereotype that the only way to be successful is to be as successful as any Tila Tequila-aspirer. Most people do not fall into that category, but most people who are reading this probably know (or unfortunately have) a friend who brags about his or her online accomplishments to the same degree as someone bragging about winning their fantasy football league.
Another daunting fact about social networking sites for people who do not have them is how complicated they can make real life. We have all heard about those horror stories about relationships and friendships gone awry because of a photo, switching relationships status, adding or removing an ex as a friend or an accidental click of the mouse turning people’s lives upside down. While at times it is just media fluff, it does seem a little scary to hear that you can turn your best friend into your worst enemy if you accidentally deny his or her friend request.
Another reason not every person has a social networking account is just for the simple fact that it is still a new and growing part of society. Think about it: for every new medium that has impacted society, there have always been groups of people who resist to quick-jump on the bandwagon. Social networking sites are no different, and, in fact, are much more different from other media that have impacted society. These sites are user-driven, where people literally post their personal info out for the world to see. This is usually to make friends. However, because the media focus on the various negative aspects of these sites, they have been cast as being seedy, where private information is literary handed out for people to steal, and as the end of real-life social interaction. Most of time it's again just media fluff, but it is scary for everyone who hears it.
Finally, and probably one of the most important factors why people do not have a social networking account, is because it is just not for them. We make too many generalizations about ourselves, but the fact of the matter is not everyone is doing the same thing, and that goes for social networking sites, too. It could be some people are too busy, it could be that they just do not have Internet access all of the time, or it could be they are just lazy. Whatever the case, some people do not have a social networking account for the sake of not having one. It is not fair to pressure every person, even if he or she is your friend, to join if that person just does not want to.
I can understand that some of the arguments I made seemcondescending of social networking sites, but hear me out. I still go to MySpace and Facebook pages weekly, and they are really great places that allow me to keep in touch with my friends. However, I feel that to understand reasons why not everyone has an account, you have to understand some of the shared problems that plaque them.
So the next time you hear that some of your best friends are not on Facebook, maybe you should not be so quick to persuade them to join. They might have a valid reason. They might be in the process of about to join, they just might have a reason that makes you rethink why you joined in the first place.
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