Readers see the good and bad of Facebook
Earlier this week in the Today’s Moderator column, we pointed toward a story at Vox.com that marked Facebook’s 15th anniversary by asking a number of thinkers and cultural observers if they thought the social platform had turned out to be good or bad for humanity. The results were mostly mixed, leaning toward not good. Today we’re sharing email from readers on the matter.
From Michael Mescher: Facebook is similar to most anything the public may use. It can be very useful, a fun thing, a business tool, an informational tool, or can be misused in so many ways. I use it as a way to connect with and keep my school alumni connected and informed. We pass along family information, community events, school happenings, illnesses, birthdays, weddings, obituaries and have a historical photo page with over 26,000 photos.
We have no political or religious type posts, advertising, selling, and nothing considered offensive. If a post is reported in one of these areas it is removed and the poster is given a warning it is not of an accepted type . ... In all the years our page has been published, we have yet to remove an alumnus.
From Mike Dolinski: Facebook is very much like attending a very, very large wedding for your second cousin, twice removed.
You cannot trust the investment advice, medical opinions or hearsay regarding local incidents that you may hear moving through the buffet line. Anything that piques your curiosity needs to be verified from at least two sources. Also, I deeply resent a corporation making money from my presence and tracked investigations and purchases. I want my cut.
From R. Greggory Cross: All forms of social media are rife with issues. Those who are heavily involved with social media have to be smart enough to research numerous sources as well as sources that don’t fit their narrative and get “the other side of the story.”
The difference between a lot of those who post on social media and the newspaper’s professional daily political commentators is that the professionals just do their lying and bullying with more class. The print media is simply a more palatable delivery system.
When Vox reached out to the thought leaders and the summation of their thoughts were that Facebook has a lot of potential but isn’t living up to it, I immediately thought of an institution that has been around for well over 200 years — our Congress.
From Tim Huber: Facebook is a reflection of humanity. It has become our Agora where many people share their lives with one another. Facebook has created a beautiful data picture of our minds and how we all interact with everyone.
It is not just only a megaphone and platform for individual and/or corporate agenda, but a media company designed to funnel laser-focused content to an almost point perfect audience.
In the early years, Facebook was designed to keep users on for the longest time, just like every online company. All those buzzes and notifications give people hits of dopamine, thus a possibility of forming an addiction.
If I see as Facebook being a reflection of humanity, and I don’t see humanity progressing these past 15 years, then Facebook is not pushing humanity forward in a positive nature.
I engage people on Facebook the same way I engage people in conversation. I use Facebook to bring thought-provoking ideas to my circles to stir conversation and change hearts.
I feel Facebook doesn’t help change people’s hearts, but I also feel many people don’t want to change their hearts.