Since setting out to start writing this editorial, I have looked around on Facebook four times and hit the refresh button on my Twitter probably twice that many.† I’ve found out two things: 1. it’s really easy to sit and stare at these sites for long periods of time. 2. everyone is really excited for the new episode of “Glee.”
The obsession with social networking sites is a craze of our generation that becomes an addicting distraction in our daily lives. The provost of Harrisburg University of Science and Technology, Eric Darr, attempted to point out the dependency that we are creating for ourselves by banning all social networking sites including Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and instant messengers on campus for an entire week.† According to NPR, this was not meant to be a punishment to students but instead to open their eyes to the effect that these social networking sites have on their lives and their relationships. The sites were blocked from the University’s Internet network this week. Of course, this could only deter students from using the sites, not actually prohibit them. Students living off-campus or using smart phones were still able to access the sites. USA Today reported that, based on the provost’s observations, only about 10 to 15 percent of the 800 students at the University participated in the experiment.
This low response rate does not surprise me at all. Social networking sites have become a necessary part of how we begin and maintain relationships. Web sites like Facebook provide college students with a way to stay in touch with friends and family from home or other schools, as well as get to know people on campus.† Social networking sites also help to advertise clubs and events in a more effective way than posters or flyers.† By taking away these Web sites, Darr not only took away the students’ favorite form of procrastination, but also drastically changed their social interactions.
This is an interesting experiment, but one that is unrealistic. In an age where every electronic device that people own has Internet capabilities, there is no way to avoid the influence of social networking. It has become such a common way to communicate that if someone doesn’t participate, they often just miss out on the information being shared. It is much easier to stay in contact with my friends who use Facebook, Twitter, and instant messengers than those who do not.
In the same NPR interview, Jaron Lanier, a computer scientist who was featured on Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people of the year, gave his opinion on Darr’s challenge to his campus. He refers to social networking sites as “anti-human software.” When asked to explain what he meant by this, Lanier said, “I mean, basically what’s happening is you’re representing yourself on a database. Then you live according to that database. You fill in checkmarks saying this is what I’m interested in, this is who I am, this is the music I want to hear, and you become a caricature of yourself.”† Lanier is right that social networking can become more about the networking than it should be.† They allow people to spend a lot of time manipulating how they are presented to their peers.
So, in the end, although Darr’s experiment was a failure by face value, it does stir up a discussion about whether or not these sites are being used in a productive manner.† I think they are a necessary part of the social interactions of our generation.