'For the Arab World, a Potent Lesson'
'The reported departure of Tunisian President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, after popular protests in his North African country, electrified an Arab world whose residents have increasingly complained of governments that seem incapable of meeting their citizens’ demands and bereft of ideology save a motivation to perpetuate themselves in power. '
ANTHONY SHADID
SICK
The health care plan voting has been postponed again. It made me think of this video I watched a couple of years ago.
Facebook has broken its own record in 2011: it now has 600 million users, which represents 10% of the world population. Next to this headline, you have the option to ‘like’ it, so it’s published directly on your Facebook home page. Apart from general clichés about the site’s power and use, there are other considerations about Facebook and other social media, for it is now changing part of the psychology of a whole generation. Facebook, Blackberry chat, MySpace, Hyves and other networking sites have found the ultimate target audience in young, active, educated citizens; but what is the motivation behind Facebook and other forms of online self-presentation? This question was posted to undergraduate Harvard students. Their answers included a desire for social contact and curiosity about other people (for which, most likely, self-disclosure is the medium of exchange). There are some other possibilities.
According to Cooley, we are constantly trying to see ourselves through the eyes of others. Online self-presentation poses different challenges. Nonetheless, the correct use of social media may enhance many benefits. Once a person externalizes thoughts and sees that others care to consider them, not externalizing them seems pointless, like a deflating feeling after reading a book for no one’s benefit but our own.
Facebook has encountered various controversies. It has been blocked in different countries for diverse reasons. It has also been banned at many different working locations to prevent waste of time and the privacy of Facebook users has been compromised in different occasions.
One of sociologists and psychologists main concerns about Facebook is the shape of the self that it might convey. Skeptics of social media defend that it has come to a point where many young people, who are still shaping themselves, are creating media profiles instead of developing their authentic selves. Maslow depicts how self esteem and self actualization are achieved as the final development of the person. ‘Facebook decreases public self confidence by exposing the persona and therefore partially annuls the process of esteem (outside the social networking community)’ is an observation from a female college student. Average time use of Facebook is 7 hours a month, nonetheless this time highly increases highly for young people in ‘first world’ countries. Given that you can create whatever public persona you like, it would ‘seem logical that people might portray an idealized version of themselves’ – uploading photos were they look good, editing their profiles to seem most clever and carefully choosing their books, movies and quotes to portray sophistication (or any other positive aspect). Photography many times can be an illusion of reality. With the technology of digital cameras there is the option to take many pictures and delete those which we don’t like. ‘I once went out with a friend to a party. I could honestly say it was the most boring party I have ever attended. The next day, Facebook pictures tagged on my wall projected a completely different image: from all of my photos, it seemed like yesterday’s party was my best! The girls had posed and dressed up, made fun and outgoing postures.’, says a college female student. Although this is partially true, it does not reflect the whole reality: not so, say researchers from the University of Texas. More often people’s use of Facebook and their profiles reflect their authentic personalities.
Self-consciousness online is has also been raised as an area of discussion for different research groups. Self-consciousness is a ‘deep sense of self-awareness. It is a preoccupation with oneself, as opposed to the philosophical state of self awareness; which is the awareness that one exists as an individual being.’ Facebook, research shows, makes individuals self-conscious, which can lead to both positive and negative consequences. ‘An unpleasant feeling of self-consciousness may occur when one realizes that one is being watched or observed, the feeling that "everyone is looking" at oneself.’ Some individuals are already more self-conscious than others, but harsh feelings of consciousness can be associated to extreme shyness and paranoia. Schopenhauer defended that through self consciousness man could make a choice between affirming or denying the will.
Another concern of Facebook is the amount of personal information that is processed on the site. Not only basic information posted on the profiles, but also information revealed in applications and psychological tests. It has become very popular to access Facebook test applications. Tests such as ‘what is your perfect career choice’, ‘how evil are you’, ‘where should you live’, ‘what’s your personality’ ask deep personal questions. Before accessing these tests you are asked to approve that Facebook can access, through this application, not only to everything on your profile (information, friends, photos…) but also all the answers to the test. These answers may well be used by Facebook (or any other company that wants to advertise on it) to create specific consumer profiles and target consumption through real consumer insight.
Though there are many concerns with the abuse of social media, many teens reveal that they indeed feel certain addiction to Facebook; there are also many reasons that it could be (and many times is) used as a positive technological device.
Facebook requires that users utilize their true identity; a demand that MySpace, for example, does not make. This is tranquilizing for users, who know that if they had any problem with anyone on Facebook, the individual could be quickly located. Facebook has also enlarged webs of knowledge for many young people, allowing trends (music, blogs, fashion..) to flow fast across different points on the planet. People add on Facebook not only friends and relatives but also acquaintances and even someone they have only met once. This allows the connection between users to be even higher.
Facebook permits underground artistic development. Many young people find their photographic/writing/communications skills to be praised online and then decide to make a profession from it.
Being aware of one’s and other’s actions makes individuals conscious about reality and expansion of it. This awareness can result in tolerant, empathic behavior. Social contact is favored by Facebook as well. And then, there is no empiric evidence that Facebook socialization is less "real" than a bunch of friends chatting at the coffee shop.
Freedom of speech is another advantage of the site. In 2009, Facebook received criticism for including controversy groups. Barry Schnitt, a spokesman for Facebook, said, "We want Facebook to be a place where ideas, even controversial ideas, can be discussed." It can be used for positive activation of citizenry. In February 2008, a Facebook group called "One Million Voices Against FARC" organized an event that saw hundreds of thousands of Colombians march in protest against the Revolutionary Armed forces of Colombia.
Adapting new educational information about the psychology of technology to schools would add to the correct use of social media and other sites. Facebook will disappear or not, but other sites will appear. It is now obvious for all researchers that online networking is changing the way individuals socialize but there is little education on how technology has impacted on our psychology. On the other hand, social media makes individuals conscious about their own and other’s impact instantaneously, allowing behavior to change positively towards it.
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