We are in a fast changing world. We are living in a highly modernized way of life. Nowadays, there are lots of highly advanced technologies being invented brought about by modern man. High technology is the trend of today’s generation. Probably, these fast and continued developments in technology would really invade and control human lives. This advancement of technology will strongly and powerfully influenced and changed the way we live. Indeed, advancement has made our life easier and more convenient. However, this may also destroy and shape our lives.
Our means of communication or interaction to one another is one of the most very obvious aspects of our life that transformed a lot. Many new inventions are being produced to make communication process more convenient and faster like telephone and mobile phone. And the greatest discovery that shifts and creates a new breed of social relationship is the internet wherein various social networking websites are created and offered like MySpace, Friendster, Twitter, Blogs, and Youtube. And the most popular social website used by millions of people around the world is the Facebook. By the rise of social networks especially of the Facebook, the social lives of modern individuals shift. There is already acquired new breed and dimension of human relationship. Many are engage and addicted to Facebook because it offers an easiest and fastest way to communicate and interact with others especially with your families, friends and special someone. Because of Facebook, long lost friends find each other again, families who are away from each other get updates every now and then and new friendship and relationships blossom too. The success of social networks particularly of Facebook lies in the simplicity and convenience it provides for the users.
On the other hand, if we examine and observe the true impact of Facebook in the society, it is destroying social relationships. Facebook addiction turns us not so social. It loses contacts with others and fails to keep friendships alive. Words alone cannot describe us clearly and visibly. It does not help us make more genuine close friends, because it changes the nature of friendship. Instead of asking your friend or someone out for coffee, it is really possible that it might turn in Facebook instead. We see many people with hundreds or even thousands of friends in Facebook, but how well and deep do those persons know each other. Posting pictures and information about you and chatting are not enough to know well each other and to develop a stronger social relationship. I believe, this can end good social relationship and the skill of forming friendship since our focus is on how well our page looks rather than how much we know and keep with friends. We have to remember that it is very easy to be deceptive on the Facebook,
Face to face contact is the best way for us to develop and build stronger social relationships. Because the more we interact and communicate face to face to one another, the more the intimate, healthier and closer our bond with each other. Although, Facebook helps us collect hundreds or even thousands of acquaintances, face to face contact is always necessary to form truly close social relationships. Face to face contact is more meaningful and truthful, because there is an eye contact. You can see and feel their true facial expressions, emotions, gestures, postures and the tone of their voice. In a face to face contact, you can really share and say what you really want to express. You can really listen and comforts others if they are in despair. You can really make decisions and solve problems. You can really build a true community.
Social relationship through Facebook is closely related and applicable to Levinas’ Theory on “The Face” and “The Other”. This theory tells us about the relationship between the “Face” and the “Other”, wherein the “Other” refers to the other person, someone else, whoever it is, that each of us encounters directly or experiences, while the “Face” refers to human face, a living presence; it is expression and it speaks to me and thereby invites me to a relation, and it is always begging “be for me”. The “Face” is the structure of relationship which may only happen at the times of contact to the “Other”. It means the totality of the being of the “Other”, The “Face”, which refers to the Other’s whole body, thoughts, actions, manners, character, values, spirituality and many more. The “Face” is making us social. It allows us to connect to one another. We exist and related to everyone. Sociality is a kind of essential facing. It simply shows that human existence is facing the face of the “Other”. If you don’t do that, you do not exist, you are not human. We are relational or social beings, so we have to be with the others always. The ‘Face’ is always “be for you” and “be for me”.
A Facebook is not the best way for us to be with the “Others” or facing the face of the “Others”. The “Face” which is a structure of relationship could not be possible to happen if we are interacting and facing through this social network, for the real essence and fundamental nature of relating is a face to face contact with the “Others”. In order for us to know well the Others’ true personality, emotions, expressions, values, manners and spirituality, we have to relate and interact with them face to face. On the other hand, we cannot surely know and get in touch with the “Others” because we are not facing and experiencing the “Others” directly and personally instead we are facing a digitalized and computerized “Other”. We are all human beings and as relational beings, we have to relate with real and true human beings also and not with a kind of machine or digitalized individuals.
Social relationship through Facebook can also be applied to Max Scheler’s theory on Person and Community. It tells us about a person as communal in nature. He is a relational and social being. He can never separate himself in the community, because the community is part of his essence and existence. And at the same time, part of community’s essence is from the person. They are correlation. However, in my own understanding and analysis, relating this to Facebook as a social network, the Facebook makes the person go away, live alone and go against with the community. Because, the person chooses to interact and communicate with others through a digitalized computer rather than to mingle and join on a direct or face to face contact with them. By this, he will never know and find his real existence and being. I have also realized that Facebook does not create and build a community. Eventhough Facebook held people together by pre-established interpersonal relationships, still it does not build a community because the engagement tends to be immediate, light and fleeting. It is impossible for them to make community because they are not living together. A true meaning of a true community is that, it is much longer term and involves fostering and nurturing a group of people who share a common interest. People are relating with one another directly and face to face interaction. And of course the persons living in a community are true human beings and not visualized persons. Persons in a community are directly talking, sharing, enjoying, laughing and helping with one another. It does not save the community but destroys it for it does not enhance and supplement real social relationship. It is a dangerous addiction that compels people to withdraw from reality and prevents them from developing social skills. Thus, Facebook is not good for building a stronger and healthier human social relationship.
Our means of communication or interaction to one another is one of the most very obvious aspects of our life that transformed a lot. Many new inventions are being produced to make communication process more convenient and faster like telephone and mobile phone. And the greatest discovery that shifts and creates a new breed of social relationship is the internet wherein various social networking websites are created and offered like MySpace, Friendster, Twitter, Blogs, and Youtube. And the most popular social website used by millions of people around the world is the Facebook. By the rise of social networks especially of the Facebook, the social lives of modern individuals shift. There is already acquired new breed and dimension of human relationship. Many are engage and addicted to Facebook because it offers an easiest and fastest way to communicate and interact with others especially with your families, friends and special someone. Because of Facebook, long lost friends find each other again, families who are away from each other get updates every now and then and new friendship and relationships blossom too. The success of social networks particularly of Facebook lies in the simplicity and convenience it provides for the users.
On the other hand, if we examine and observe the true impact of Facebook in the society, it is destroying social relationships. Facebook addiction turns us not so social. It loses contacts with others and fails to keep friendships alive. Words alone cannot describe us clearly and visibly. It does not help us make more genuine close friends, because it changes the nature of friendship. Instead of asking your friend or someone out for coffee, it is really possible that it might turn in Facebook instead. We see many people with hundreds or even thousands of friends in Facebook, but how well and deep do those persons know each other. Posting pictures and information about you and chatting are not enough to know well each other and to develop a stronger social relationship. I believe, this can end good social relationship and the skill of forming friendship since our focus is on how well our page looks rather than how much we know and keep with friends. We have to remember that it is very easy to be deceptive on the Facebook,
Face to face contact is the best way for us to develop and build stronger social relationships. Because the more we interact and communicate face to face to one another, the more the intimate, healthier and closer our bond with each other. Although, Facebook helps us collect hundreds or even thousands of acquaintances, face to face contact is always necessary to form truly close social relationships. Face to face contact is more meaningful and truthful, because there is an eye contact. You can see and feel their true facial expressions, emotions, gestures, postures and the tone of their voice. In a face to face contact, you can really share and say what you really want to express. You can really listen and comforts others if they are in despair. You can really make decisions and solve problems. You can really build a true community.
Social relationship through Facebook is closely related and applicable to Levinas’ Theory on “The Face” and “The Other”. This theory tells us about the relationship between the “Face” and the “Other”, wherein the “Other” refers to the other person, someone else, whoever it is, that each of us encounters directly or experiences, while the “Face” refers to human face, a living presence; it is expression and it speaks to me and thereby invites me to a relation, and it is always begging “be for me”. The “Face” is the structure of relationship which may only happen at the times of contact to the “Other”. It means the totality of the being of the “Other”, The “Face”, which refers to the Other’s whole body, thoughts, actions, manners, character, values, spirituality and many more. The “Face” is making us social. It allows us to connect to one another. We exist and related to everyone. Sociality is a kind of essential facing. It simply shows that human existence is facing the face of the “Other”. If you don’t do that, you do not exist, you are not human. We are relational or social beings, so we have to be with the others always. The ‘Face’ is always “be for you” and “be for me”.
A Facebook is not the best way for us to be with the “Others” or facing the face of the “Others”. The “Face” which is a structure of relationship could not be possible to happen if we are interacting and facing through this social network, for the real essence and fundamental nature of relating is a face to face contact with the “Others”. In order for us to know well the Others’ true personality, emotions, expressions, values, manners and spirituality, we have to relate and interact with them face to face. On the other hand, we cannot surely know and get in touch with the “Others” because we are not facing and experiencing the “Others” directly and personally instead we are facing a digitalized and computerized “Other”. We are all human beings and as relational beings, we have to relate with real and true human beings also and not with a kind of machine or digitalized individuals.
Social relationship through Facebook can also be applied to Max Scheler’s theory on Person and Community. It tells us about a person as communal in nature. He is a relational and social being. He can never separate himself in the community, because the community is part of his essence and existence. And at the same time, part of community’s essence is from the person. They are correlation. However, in my own understanding and analysis, relating this to Facebook as a social network, the Facebook makes the person go away, live alone and go against with the community. Because, the person chooses to interact and communicate with others through a digitalized computer rather than to mingle and join on a direct or face to face contact with them. By this, he will never know and find his real existence and being. I have also realized that Facebook does not create and build a community. Eventhough Facebook held people together by pre-established interpersonal relationships, still it does not build a community because the engagement tends to be immediate, light and fleeting. It is impossible for them to make community because they are not living together. A true meaning of a true community is that, it is much longer term and involves fostering and nurturing a group of people who share a common interest. People are relating with one another directly and face to face interaction. And of course the persons living in a community are true human beings and not visualized persons. Persons in a community are directly talking, sharing, enjoying, laughing and helping with one another. It does not save the community but destroys it for it does not enhance and supplement real social relationship. It is a dangerous addiction that compels people to withdraw from reality and prevents them from developing social skills. Thus, Facebook is not good for building a stronger and healthier human social relationship.
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