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What an interesting article. I have discussions about social media with people my age (65+) and they always centre on whether Facebook is good or bad, trivial or not. Since anyone’s use of FB and other social media is only as good, bad, trivial, etc as they and their chosen friends make it, these discussions are pointless.
This one, however, is meaty and raises a number of issues. In fact, a book I’m reading, To Rise Again at a Decent Hour, by Joshua Ferris, has the protagonist dentist strip his surgery and his life of everything to do with computers or cyberspace, including smartphones (“me-machines”), tablets etc. His staff can’t work, refusing to return to paper systems, and he gives up and buys everything new shortly after. He says we are all enveloped by the online, computer world, irrevocably.
I’m particularly interested in what this says about virtual encouragement, as it seems to be one of the conventions of Facebook that anyone who needs help gets it, instantly and seemingly without too much thought (though sometimes the encouragement is personal and thoughtful). I guess this is better than nothing, but recently I was shocked to see someone being told that they should just be themselves,no matter who was upset, and that no true friend would judge them. How can a true friend not judge you? Usually that judgment will be favourable, but if it is always favourable, no matter what, how sycophantic and empty is that?
As for solitude and togetherness, that’s a really interesting thing, for me. I have never understood what other people mean when they speak of “spirituality” and probably never will, but I find the interweaving of solitude and communication the internet provides, with the individual always able to turn the thing off, has changed my life and those of most of the people I know.
Relations to people are quite different, richer in my view, and to information: I know people now who must look up everything in their day, instantly, on the web, often on Wikipedia. This includes names in the news, items on a menu, the history of an acquaintance’s country, and a thousand other factoids. It gives people a sense of control to know more, of course, and conversely, a sense of panic if they can’t immediately fill in all knowledge gaps as they arise.
Anyway, thanks v much Natalia, you are a follower of Plato, or was it Socrates, no I don’t look things up, I just get them wrong, but some ancient philosopher, who said “The unexamined life is not worth living.”