I was asked to set up a Facebook account for one of the departments at work this week; "No problem," I thought, "let's do it." I sat at my PC, found the site, registered the user name… and then it started.
At first it was the shakes, then a cold sweat, followed by a twitching right-eye and an unexpected voice that said “go on, find your boyfriend’s page and see if his profile says ‘In a relationship’ or not.”
I looked around and there was nobody there. Strange. Such a notion surely couldn’t have come from my own thoughts; I’ve steered well clear of social-networking politics since the days of Myspace, but things are moving on and here I am, being forced to jump into the spiders-web that is social networking, the potential maze of information overload that, in the wrong hands, can be a tool of destruction through tedious over-sharing of trivial nonsense.
A few weeks back on the Catch22 course one of our tutors asked us to join Twitter (follow me on the right, hehe) and I felt a thud in my chest, sweat prickling my palms and a muted voice within me screaming “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!”
At that point I figured I could have a problem.
But it was Facebook that got me shook – my hands were actually shaking as the searching began – typing in names and seeing faces from the distant past, the possibility that someone could look me up at whim, the peer pressure to divulge intimate details of my life right up to the brand of margarine I spread on my toast this morning – it was all too much.
So what does a Facebook-phobic journalist do in the ever expanding digital age? With social networking and futuristic gadgets galore becoming highly addictive for most, is it possible to overcome the fears of getting hooked and ‘search responsibly’ without being sucked in?
For a journalist, making much needed contacts without using social networking these days is like walking up 200 steps on the tube when the lift is coming - not impossible, but failing to use a major shortcut. So how do I overcome my Facebook-fear and reap the benefits of social-networks without getting 'too into it'? It’s a Catch22.
Or is it? Just when you thought I sounded crazy...
Newsflash: The University of California has revealed that highly addictive gadget-crazes captivating the world (including your new i-phone, sorry) are affecting our mental health - Data overload is impeding on our ability to focus and process information and, as result, the demand for Technology Rehab (I kid you not) is set to increase.
Aha!
That’s what I’ll do. Taking inspiration from the above, I’m setting up Facebook-ophobes Anonymous, a support group for those looking to overcome their dread of using the site, and all its affiliated networking trappings. Membership is free, we meet once a week and the group is a safe space to ‘discover solutions together’. Whatever your social networking issues, we have the answer. Let’s support each other people.
Ah yes, I can feel the love already...
P.S. For details on how to join, visit my facebook page :)
No comments:
Post a Comment