Facecrack

I listened to a good comparison the other day between the advent of cell phones and social networking sites.

When cell phones were first introduced, everyone but the tech-savvy (read: "nerds") was concerned, for two main reasons. One was that they would blur the line between public (included in that, work) and private life.

The other was that they were another possible substitute for face-to-face interaction, which most people accept as more genuine. Both of these concerns certainly materialized, but at the same time nowadays you might as well communicate by telegram if you're only going to have a house phone.

The same set of concerns now exists for social networking sites. Here are two statements to that effect from the online dating site OkCupid:

"One thing I do not like is Facebook. I don't have it. I don't want it and I'm currently plotting it's destruction.

"I keep in touch with people I already know by calling them and making plans to see them. Talk to them in person. I like nonverbal communication like facial expressions. I like hearing the tones of peoples' voices. So much communication is lost through technology. I'm a teacher and I worry about the skills of the children I teach."

To the extent people, and I think especially children, replace real interaction completely with technology like facebook, it is unhealthy. At the same time, as with most arguments in this country, I wonder why it has to be either-or. I like to spend time interacting with friends and doing plenty of things in the real world, but I also like being able to interact when I can't do so, like when I take a break from working on something at home to discuss something on facebook.

Also as someone who writes for a living, I think facebook can provide a forum that encourages written discussion, and I think that is something we need more of. At the same time it certainly can also provide a forum just for "loling," "omging" and "wtfing", which isn't exactly writing, lol

The same things can be said of online dating sites like OkCupid. Using them doesn't have to mean you are completely romantically socially inept and incapable of possibly meeting someone to date in the real world, unless that's the only way you meet people. It can just be one more thing and not a substitution.

Which is really what technology of course is in all its permutations -- the printing press, telegram, phone, answering machines, cell phone and social networking sites -- convenience, more and easier ways to do things.

And with all of technologies there are inevitable truths. The first is that, if they work, it is only a matter of time before they are broadly accepted. The second is that over-reliance can have negative consequences. But if we accept them and use them in moderation and with concern for our health, they can make our lives easier and more fun. #SNS #fb #OkCupid #tech