I Don't Need You Because I Have FaceBook!

8 replies
Reflecting on my childhood in the rural parts of the East Midlands (UK), I fondly recall how I would walk down the street and everyone we passed took time to say hello. Even when they were too busy, they would smile as they passed and everyone sort of knew everyone or that is how it seemed.

I don't really know what happened in between but suddenly I find myself in a world where we are all too busy to talk, we walk past others with heads down and avoid connecting at every opportunity. Even when people do take the time to speak, it is almost an intrusion on our time and our privacy.

After all, if we spend too much time chatting with real people, we are missing out on all our virtual friends waiting for us in our isolation.

Is it because our virtual friends are like minded, is it that we can be who we want or is it just that somehow somewhere along the way, we forgot to talk to real people...
#connecting #facebook #friends #tony grant
  • Profile picture of the author JeffKan
    Tony,

    I grew up in a small town in Missouri (US) and it was the same thing. Everyone smiled and said hello. Now you see everyone walking around with their heads down.

    While this is good for us as Internet Marketers, I feel that people are forgetting how to communicate in person. Just look around in restaurants. I am guilty of this! Checking my email, checking into foursquare, and texting instead of visiting with the people I am eating with.

    However, this is a culture shift that is in full swing. I don't see it stopping anytime soon. So I guess that means I have to let go of the past and embrace my bright future in Internet Marketing!
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  • Profile picture of the author KimboJim
    Good post for people that are constantly on Facebook, but I am one of those weird people that doesn't really use Facebook.

    I use it to market, and I use it to get myself out there for BUSINESS. But, when it comes to friends, I don't have any on Facebook. I have associates and clients. My friends are in the real world. I refuse to consider my "friends" on Facebook actual friends.

    I never understood how people got so sucked into Facebook. I've seen it (and Twitter, LinkedIn, etc) as a good marketing platform and nothing more.

    Real friends are people you can touch, hug, talk to and go places with. They aren't people who send you a random arrangement of alphanumeric characters in the hopes of emulating friendship. It's like looking at a picture of a tree and trying to pretend you are in a forest.
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  • Profile picture of the author buckeyes09
    Most of the time I compulsively check Facebook for a minute or two because of my online ADD.

    As a side note, I remember the old days of Facebook when only a limited amount of colleges even had it. You could even enter your class schedule to see who's taking the same class.
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  • Profile picture of the author GT
    I live in a small town and we still greet each other in passing, most of the time. But I will admit there are times in a store when I see someone and avoid them because I'm in a hurry or not in the mood for discussion.

    With my online friends, on the other hand, I can respond to their comments at my own leisure, when I'm ready for it, when it is convenient for me. And they can do the same. We know we will not always get immediate answers, but we know we will eventually get an answer, and that is okay. I very much like that system!

    GT
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    • Profile picture of the author BrianDuck
      I am living in Saint Louis.More specifically crowded city,flocks of people who share their thoughts like an emigrant bunches of flower.Reveal to this big world through social networking.
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      • Profile picture of the author WikiWarrior
        Interesting post Tony. The internet has definitely changed communication irreversibly and in some ways it's a double-edged sword. I watched a talk the other day actually on this very subject. I think you'll enjoy it:

        Sherry Turkle: Connected, but alone? | Video on TED.com

        For me being able to chat online is much easier and pretty much a lifeline as I am not a good communicator face-to-face and most of my friends live 2 or 3 hours drive away.

        Like KimboJim I never really got into Facebook except for marketing use but I feel much more connected being able to chat online in other ways because it's easier to control on my terms. I get way more out of the conversations than I would do in person and get to connect with like-minded people like all the great Warriors here. It's empowering for me because I get to communicate a ton more than I would otherwise.

        It's no substitute for being face-to-face of course and making a real emotional connection but perhaps it's one of the reasons others also like connecting virtually and don't feel the same urge or pressure to make the effort in person.

        I don't think anything has changed as far as people actually wanting to make a connection with others. Everyone wants to be liked and loved and the internet/technology will never change that. For better or worse though technology has re-routed a lot of the conversation. We've gained many benefits but also lost some things in the process.
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  • Profile picture of the author jhonybravo222
    The best gift you can give to anyone is the gift of attention.
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  • Profile picture of the author RnGWriter
    Facebook was meant to compliment all your social relationships but it was never meant to replace them! But it is sadly what has happened. The idea was that you could share photos and video and virtually everything on the internet but it has become so addictive among people who would prefer to interact at a cold distance. At the end of the day, even if it was for marketing purposes I would much rather knock on the doors of my prospective clients and talk with them directly rather than through social media. Might be not be as effective but is certainly old-school
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