Tuesday, December 06, 2011

Facebook and twitter.

I still cannot find a useful angle to come to terms with Facebook. I am not a heavy user. I should say I am perhaps not an active user at all, although certainly registered. Given the reported popularity of the service, it is a strange enigma, as I tend to embrace new web services.

It is not the problem of Facebook specifically. It is a common defect, in my view, of Social Network Services. Perhaps the problem is not for everyone. It is a problem just for me, and the likes of me.

There is too much cognitive load compared to the benefits. I don’t so much like to see my friends’ candid photos or their casual observations. Surely these things are nice, but there are other interesting matters in this world too.

The thing is, I much prefer the brutal and swift way that people (or rather, issues) are connected in twitter. There, you don’t have to submit or respond to a friend request. The connections and comments are made without the embarrassing diplomacy and niceties. It is all about memes, not personal relationships per se.

Thus, I find myself in the domain of minorities, while the rest of the world is apparently head over heals on Facebook.

5 comments:

fperut said...

yes .. twitter is impersonnated, whilst FB carries an emotional load that is .. heavy to carry, and disproportionate vs the amount of information received.

Tsumabenicho said...

I enjoy a stanza of sweets on your twitter every morning.
Interesting fresh form on the web!

(ma)gog said...

I didn't know that more people are using facebook than twitter.

Recently, after two years of registration (just from curiosity as my daughter seemed having fun with it), I have finally started to enjoy facebook.

I am happy to have found some of my dear old friends and to enjoy exchanging trivial matters in everyday life, no debate, no criticism, just friendly welcoming is there. I have only 27 friends, but for me that's just enough, whereas my daughter has more than 400 friends including you!

As for twitter, I find it difficult to catch up with its speed. I am quite sure that my brain is not designed for appreciating the world of twitter.

Oli M. said...

I find I seek out Facebook when I am lonely and Twitter and G+ when I feel uninspired. Many times Facebook leaves me feeling lonlier than before, while Twitter and G+ leave me feeling more connected and empowered (albeit also distracted from my work.)

All that changes on my birthday--then a lot of people leave messages for me on Facebook!

kikucchi said...

I cannot agree more.