Thanks to Mark Zuckerberg, people have been broadcasting their lives to the world since 2004 – every success, every failure and everything else in between.
The stated purpose of Facebook is to stay in touch with friends, relatives and other acquaintances, but it is most often utilized to impress or outshine people. Everything posted on Facebook can be scored in one of two ways: A) +1 for you – something that enhances the idea that your life is wonderful and admirable or B) – 1 for you – something that makes your friends feel like they’re just a touch higher on the food chain than you on this particular day in history.
No one has the opportunity to make a fool of themselves without facing the consequences. In another time, a person could, if they wished, drop out of college and pursue a career as a clown for a while, being judged only by their immediate family, instead of 600 some people they knew at one point in their life. However, due to society’s expectation that one should keep their profile updated, you have to remove Harvard from your “education” and add circus clown to your “work experience.” How else will your closest friends know that you’re still alive and functioning?
Facebook is also an ultimate outlet of narcissism. The average person who creates an account is, whether consciously or subconsciously, making the grand assumption that the rest of their friends or vague acquaintances care what they do with their life. Sure, there are a select few that are interested, your mom, your best friend, your cousin and that creepy kid down the block who’s had a crush on you since the first grade. But let’s be real, they would probably figure out some other way to keep tabs on you if you weren’t blasting it into their news feeds 24/7. On the other hand, the existence of Facebook has, in some ways, caused everyone to care. If they took the time to think deeply about it, they might not actually care, but they have been made to believe that they should.
Furthermore, Facebook provides a shallow view of life, and causes people to begin to live their lives more shallowly. How soon after an exciting event – Sadie’s, prom, spring break, etc. – are your photos plastered all over 600+ people’s news feeds?
I’m not saying you should all delete your Facebook accounts. They are certainly a convenient tool for connecting with all sorts of family, friends and companies. But next time you log on, or post new pictures, just ask yourself, “who really cares and why?”
Andrea Conover is the News Editor for The Spartan Speaks.
