Sunday 10 June 2007

FACEBOOK


So, facebook is the new 'thing' and Keith's all depressed, 'cos he got into blogging to join in and now everyone's moved on. He's considering deleting his blog! I did tell him that everyone in the world could read it, not just friends, but even that didn't help. SO if you don't want Keith to deleted his blog, PLEASE comment on it :)


Facebook though - wow, it's taking over the world, and I was filling in my 'details' thinking, I'm really too old to be doing this you know, I don't think anyone else as old as me would be on here, when I received a hello from an old friend - possibly older than me, certainly old by facebook standards but I'm using the word to mean a friend from 'way back when'.


So there you go, Facebook works, but why and how?
I looked up some stuff on google (http://eduspaces.net/csessums/weblog/9412.html) and there was a study about a 14 year old girl doing badly at school, but spending a lot of time on Facebook,and Dr CD Sessums finds as follows:
It seems clear that the online virtual community fills, to some extent, a void in her face-to-face community, satisfying some pressing need.
If you were to randomly poll several hundred teenagers and ask them if they find school boring, I’m willing to bet an overwhelming majority would respond “yes, and how!” Online communities offer a range of possible friendships, cliques, and means to experiment in ways that face-to-face communities cannot.

One could argue that many parents have trouble responding to the identity development of their children and become disengaged and disconnected from the thoughts and feelings of their offspring. Clearly if parents and schools are not offering meaningful forms of identity formation (i.e., membership) and negotiability then children will likely seek communities and economies of meaning outside of it.

VERY interesting!


Elyse got a DS for Christmas and to add a 'fun for all the family' factor we bought the Brain Training pack. My brain age has gone from 75 -28 and hovered places inbetween depending how tired or stressed I'm feeling, but one of the cute things about the game is that it gives you handy hints on how to improve your brain activity 'in the real world'.

One of the tips? Get out and talk to people!

As well as being a good way to maintain relationships, it also exercises your prefrontal cortex.

So, I have been sucked into the world of Facebook, but I think I prefer to blog - I'm just a gobby girl.

7 comments:

Dawn said...

For me - tho not really into Facebook, blogging's present, facebook's past.

I'm blogging all the way!

Unknown said...

Yeah! Blogosphere is by far the winner! I am on facebook and all my blogposts get uploaded onto there automatically. I have heard people talking about how addictive facebook is, but I haven't got there. I would always check blogs. I only look on facebook when I get an email telling me I have to do something!

I guess the whole face to face thing is what Richard was talking about in one of his early blogs about 'needing a hug'. Is blogging removing that personal, face to face communication? No way! Not from what I have experienced! If anything, I think it may have done the opposite for me!

Bec said...

I only got into face book last week, and while getting "up to date" on it was on there all the time and yes facebook can be addictive but so can blogging be if in that frame of mind I check both when i have time. Blogging gives us all a chance to go more in depth. (But it has been good to make contact with Kirsten Brown in the U.S and others like that that i haven't seen in yonks and thats what the purpose of it is i suppose. Blogging tends to be for people I know and am in contact with. Whereas I like to use facebook to contact people who live a bit further away and also those who I haven't seen in ages. :) Sorry lot longer response than I planned - but the girls are off today and driving me mad, so this is the closest thing to sanity and adult company - say hey?!? :->

Bec said...

Sorry - should read sad hey- whoops!

Liz said...

HI Bec - your little niece is so cute by the way!!

NO, I said Hey!, I thought it was some new way of agreeing with people, because I know what that's like.

OH, I've made myself laugh here - now that IS sad!

Bec said...

Ha ha, your comment made no sense but still made me laugh. Yeah she's a cutie nless he.
While i'm typing hope all goes well at the weekend! Enjoy -x-

Heather's place said...

Hi Liz - thanks for stopping by my blog.

I've done facebook but prefer blogs.

(So glad you remember Matthew - did you see his picture was on the front page of the ROOTS brouchure this year? He autographed one for one of his cousin's friends! You've inspired me to post on fairtrade chocolate - thanks)

H