The ugly truth: there is such a thing as too much facebook
Commentary by: Ryan Rosback
Issue date: 11/12/09 Section: Opinion
You all might have seen one of the many television commercials for Microsoft's newest search engine, Bing.com, where ordinary people in everyday circumstances respond to simple questions as if they were C-3PO with a severe mechanical failure. You know, "Xbox 360 - boxer briefs are comfortable and supportive - Boxer Rebellion - beat box - ice box- etc."
Sure. they're cute and sort of creative, I guess. And aside from making these people look like characters in an M. Night Shyamalan flick, it comes across as kind of weird. However, while I may not yet be entirely sure what exactly Bing.com is, its peculiar technique in advertising does raise one, surprisingly culturally relevant question to mind: "what has search overload done to us?" or for that matter, information overload.
And by too much information, I mean social networking, i.e. Facebook. Pardon the awful segway, but given abrupt, awkward and often eerily intrusive nature of sites like Facebook, or simply TMI to you acronym hounds, I find it appropriate.
Now, as youngsters in the golden age of 21st century technology, we are granted more information at our disposal than anyone else at our age in any point in time in the history of the universe. Think that's a bold statement? Ask one of your professors how they had to study back in college. Yes, back when studying was reading and taking notes, not posting status updates such as "grrr still 4 pages to go" or "OMG I hate studying."
Seriously, if we can't get through college with the assets we have now, we deserve to have our social security evaporated.
Back to my original point: Facebook. Bad. Well, not bad per say, just too much of a good thing, which, in this case, is bad. Yeah, that makes sense. And please don't get me wrong; I love Facebook. In fact, I am currently logged in to it while it write this column along with over half of the Pacific Index editorial staff. Go figure. I just believe that there is a certain extent to which it and other social networks should be used, and sadly, we are all so far, far past it.
Sure. they're cute and sort of creative, I guess. And aside from making these people look like characters in an M. Night Shyamalan flick, it comes across as kind of weird. However, while I may not yet be entirely sure what exactly Bing.com is, its peculiar technique in advertising does raise one, surprisingly culturally relevant question to mind: "what has search overload done to us?" or for that matter, information overload.
And by too much information, I mean social networking, i.e. Facebook. Pardon the awful segway, but given abrupt, awkward and often eerily intrusive nature of sites like Facebook, or simply TMI to you acronym hounds, I find it appropriate.
Now, as youngsters in the golden age of 21st century technology, we are granted more information at our disposal than anyone else at our age in any point in time in the history of the universe. Think that's a bold statement? Ask one of your professors how they had to study back in college. Yes, back when studying was reading and taking notes, not posting status updates such as "grrr still 4 pages to go" or "OMG I hate studying."
Seriously, if we can't get through college with the assets we have now, we deserve to have our social security evaporated.
Back to my original point: Facebook. Bad. Well, not bad per say, just too much of a good thing, which, in this case, is bad. Yeah, that makes sense. And please don't get me wrong; I love Facebook. In fact, I am currently logged in to it while it write this column along with over half of the Pacific Index editorial staff. Go figure. I just believe that there is a certain extent to which it and other social networks should be used, and sadly, we are all so far, far past it.
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