social networking

I don’t consider Facebook one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, nor do I fear it’ll be the ruination of my own relationships. But oh, it’s so very seductive! And therein lies its danger. Real-life friendships require face time. And true love can wither while you Twitter.

Let’s be honest: Facebook is, for the most part, a virtual playground. Perhaps there are some who would disagree with me, who could produce substantive evidence that it’s "productive." So be it, and let me see it.

Balance. Again, we’re back to that. Facebook (and for that matter, Twitter) is no substitute for face-to-face communications, nor can it replace the cozier, thoughtful exchanges of its online counterparts–like LiveJournal, for instance. And yet, I’ve seen so many people topple down that rabbit hole. You, too? Where are they now, I wonder? 

Here, an excerpt from an August 25 article in the Wall Street Journal, "How Facebook Ruins Friendships."

Notice to my friends: I love you all dearly.

But I don’t give a hoot that you are "having a busy Monday," your child "took 30 minutes to brush his teeth," your dog "just ate an ant trap" or you want to "save the piglets." And I really, really don’t care which Addams Family member you most resemble. (I could have told you the answer before you took the quiz on Facebook.)

Here’s where you and I went wrong: We took our friendship online. First we began communicating more by email than by phone. Then we switched to "instant messaging" or "texting." We "friended" each other on Facebook, and began communicating by "tweeting" our thoughts—in 140 characters or less—via Twitter.

All this online social networking was supposed to make us closer. […] But there’s a danger here, too.

Go ahead, scribble on your FB wall. Tweet 140 characters on Twitter. Then come sit a spell, maybe read the entire article so we can discuss it. It’s Sunday, a day of rest. Put your feet up, and I’ll put on the teakettle.