Yes, after a decade of retirement I encounter people on Facebook I lost contact with.
We are never going to pick up right where we left off; but, we are keeping up with each other's lives enough now, through Facebook. It's not like a daily chat, more like postcards from the old countries, where all the details are there, but the context has to be explained.
When I emigrated to America, decades ago, the chance of people to reunite were slim, or non-existent. Now, with a small click of the finger on Facebook, you can find such folks on Facebook. And with translations available so readily, we can read just about any thought expressed anywhere in the world!
We are reaching out; we are sharing. Will we grow more understanding and kind toward each other?
Or, do we need to meet and see each other's eyes to read intentions?
20 comments:
Interesting thought...I think ultimatly social media will bring all people closer together.
World Peace? Probably not, but increased communication should bring greater understanding...never a bad thing.
THx for making me think.
cranky
An interesting question; Like Joeh says, greater understanding is a good thing.
I am not a FB fan and although I have just started a FB page to promote my Mum's Book I am still anything but impressed. Too many details out there, I need my privacy. Have a great weekend Diane
That's why I'm on Facebook. People I lost long ago can be found.
Now, people I walked away from long ago, I'm not looking.
i dunno...i canned facebook almost 2 years ago now...it is the intentions that bothered me...we are a voyeuristic society...and one willing to stick their nose in as well...not always a good thing
In person, eye contact, a hug, a smile, the way I prefer it ....
I like facebook, and yet I dislike it so much.
If not for the fact that without it I would lose touch with so many, I would delete mine.
And yet I check it often, because that's how people keep in touch with me.
Go figure!
Hugs :)
I guess you could say that I have a love/hate relationship with social media in general. FB is an interesting beast. I like the way I can connect with loved ones who are far away at the click of a mouse. I don't like that people who I do not want to find me can.
Recently I have discovered a new and rather unsettling use of FB. A person who I became friends with online due to her extraordinary beadwork is now dying. Throughout her illness she posted on her blog about her illness. And then she became too weak to write and so said goodbye. So now I am part of a new kind of death watch on her FB page and it is something I am having trouble wrapping my head around. People are still posting on her page. Well wishes and prayers. It feels too voyeuristic to me somehow. Like I said I have a love/hate relationship with it.
I appreciate this post, Rosaria. It echoes my experience. Facebook is a tool and it worthiness depends on the use of it. I have reconnected with old friends as well and it warms my heart to just get a simple statement from someone who "knew me when..." And more importantly to me, I am able to stay connected to distant family and participate in a small way in their daily lives. I wish it would remain simple. All the new formats, bells and whistles do nothing for me and I find them irritating, but for the basic connections, I value it.
No FB for me; I prefer eye contact.
For me Facebook has never been a useful tool. I do check in on it maybe once a year to see how my friends are doing, but since the only 'friends' I allow are either already friends or online friends or family members, we communicate in so many other ways that I find facebook useless. And I don't play 'farm games'etc. so...
I may be missing something, but I'd rather phone, text, and blog than FB??
I have mixed feelings about Facebook...mostly, it doesn't seem immediate enough. However, it offers a sort of voyeuristic way to see what old friends are up to...without ever getting together (physically) again.
As almost everyone else has said, I have mixed feelings about Facebook. Basically, I like getting the business and community news from organizations I "like." Many of my friends, though, have different political views and I am often disturbed by their posts. It would be OK if they were posting simple differences of opinion, but we have gotten very ugly in some of the things we "say." Without that eye contact, we throw stones sometimes. I've found that there are people I like a lot in person whom I don't like at all on FB.
I've made a lot of friends on line. Especially if you're a word person, you can often recognize a kindred soul. Now I have a hard time remembering which friends I've actually met and which ones remain embers of interest across the planet.
It works both ways I think, if one writes well then intent should be able to be understood by the reader. If not then there is many more words needed to explain or walk back a misunderstanding.
fb Is cool for flash meetings, voice to voice is better and face to face best.
I will always believe the internet offers great capacity for comfort in distance, but the intimacy of eyes is most had in person. I love the last lines here. It makes me pause. I need a ticket. No. I need many.
I'm glad you have found a positive use for Facebook. I know it can be a good tool to connect, but I don't have an account anymore due to personal reasons. Like any social network, caution and using it for the purpose intended makes it fun, and informative...I love blogging but I know others who don't. It's just personal preference. I hope you continue to reach friends and family with it!
I went the other way- moved to Italy but all my family (except my daughter and her family) is in the states. FB keeps me connected and I appreciate it.
I'm not much of a Facebook fan but I can sure see where some folks benefit from it. For myself, I feel it's very invasive. Almost to the point of creepy. I'm just a little bit more private than that. So I never post there but I can see what my sister and cousins are up to.
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