Whither the Individual?

Brian Arfanis
Whiter the individual
Digital Media

We live in an age where it is considered weird and “out-dated,” if we don’t use the internet. In fact it is nearly impossible to live without the use of the internet in some way. Jobs, companies, groups, organizations all use networking as a way to outsource and get in touch with people. Many companies look at a potential employees Facebook page to get a better understanding of them. They check to see what people they hang out with, what their interest are and simply who they are. People use the internet and social media to keep in touch with people, to tell their life stories and to give their so called “ego” a boost. People love to feel important and share their ideas to as many people as they can. Facebook, YouTube, blogs and even MySpace give people that opportunity. The question is, are social networks like Facebook controlling us or are we controlling them? We are indeed expanding/extending our identity when we sign up for Facebook. Hundreds and even thousands of people can view the information we put up. Facebook has exploded into a worldwide community and in many ways it is controlling the user.
Without even realizing it people have become addicted to the internet. It is a whole other world in many senses. I personally cannot go a day without looking at my Facebook page. We indeed decide what goes on these networks but we let it control what we put. Users write something and put pictures up that will appeal to other users and it’s not always something that they believe in themselves. For example users lie about their age over the web and lie about their interests or “purpose” on the internet, just to get other users to follow them or give them personal information. When we join Facebook or other social networks we are expanding our identities and putting ourselves out there for millions to see which has its positives, especially for business’s and people who are trying to reach out. But the internet does draw us away from who we really are at times. We are a different people with different identities online in order to become “user friendly.” People often try to become something that they are not when online. Users can pick a part facebook profiles and come to their own conclusions about others. We don’t always have control of who sees our information and that is what is scary about social networks.
Technology today is amazing and can wonders for everyone. I was truly caught off guard after watching “Digital Nation.” I cannot believe people can attend meetings and talk with others through avatars on the internet. There is not even a need for personal interactions if someone can sign on to the computer and simply talk to others in the confines of their homes. Is this really the direction society is going? People won’t need to learn social skills or proper people skills because they can interact with people online. So they way of the future is through “hyper people” or avatars based on what I saw in the film.
The internet and its social networks do wonders for people. It allows people to become what they want and write what they want and show what they want and strive for what they want. It is in fact an addiction though and in many ways social networks such as Facebook control the user. It gives us the opportunity to put what we want up but we don’t always get the option of who sees it or how they interpret it. We are living in an age where people are relying on the internet more for interactions and social purposes rather then ourselves.