Honestly, never had I spent my time in asking myself if Facebook users could possibly become stupid either for investing a considerable part of their precious time in sticking photos on the Internet to expose these to a wide social net of friends and relatives or just for making insignificant comments on their routines which they would like to share with the rest. I should say that I do not agree in the least degree with this writer, although I must humbly recognize that since I introduced myself in Facebook, I have been spending vast hours of my time in entertaining myself, time that could have been used in reading an interesting book or in hearing a serious debate on the Internet for instance.
I think there’s nothing wrong in getting banal with something new. Maybe banality is just a part of a natural process. There are plenty of examples showing that people generally get banal or entertained to the excess whenever they are faced with something new. For example, adolescents getting banal as soon as they get in love for the first time, a little boy that could possibly get banal because his/her father has recently bought a new play station. Constantly, people get banal whenever they are faced with something that attracts powerfully their attention. Sooner or later, this symptom changes either because one gets tired or because there’s a new entertainment ready to replace the previous one. Therefore, this symptom of ‘stupidity’, or in better words, of banality evidenced on people, as soon as it has easy come, must easy go.
Concluding, the idea that facebook can make its users ‘stupid’ is totally unjustifiable. On the contrary, sometimes this label of banality or triviality described by some pessimist, apocalyptic observers on people who naively entertain themselves is just a sign of a transitory symptom which does not last forever and naturally changes almost imperceptibly as soon as something different appears like a serious book, a change of habit or just a different life situations.
19 comments:
Well, Nestor, I agree with you. I think there are plenty of good things we can do with our time. "Facebook" I call it circus and you know why. I laugh a lot at the comments and things that friends write and post there. We need to know that our life needs moments for serious research as well as moments to laugh as if we where children. I must say that I have learnt many things about my friends and about topics related to art, politics, general knowledge in Facebook. So, live a versatile life giving you time for contrasting things and be conscious about risks they could carry.
I agree with you Romi.Through Facebook people can comment and discuss about a variety of interesting topics...However,people should be aware of the drawbacks,the over used of this page can produce in their minds...as you said,it is good to use Facebook in our free time and not to take it as a necessary part of our lives as many people do.Flavia.
Well, I am a facebook user. However, I am a user who fortunately have become consciouss that hours and hours of entertainment could be risky not only for my health but for my mind. As you can read from my writing, I do not share in the least degree the point of view of that author. On the contrary, I question him on several points. What positive things I observe from facebook? Well, there are several, but some of the most important ones refer to the fact that I can find old friends and I can share some moments of my past and present life with a net of friends and relatives. At the same time, it is interesting to critically analyze the perspective of this author as well. In this sense, I think his point of view resembles that of an Argentinean author called Julio Labake, expert in education and psychologist, who worked as Director in the Pedagogic area, especialist in adoption and author of plenty of books. Basically, he wrote a book called 'La Revolución de la Sensatez', where he talks about a postmodern world conformed by people depicted as totally immersed or absorved in a reign of entertainment, and with the hidden intention to keep that world of consummers attracted to effimerous experiences and thus attached to a consumming world. Well, I'm going rather beyond. Personally, I think that facebook, if consummed with care, it is a positive technological advance that can improve the quality of our lives. Bye.
I agree with you Nestor, I don't think Facebook is going to make us stupid, and besides, as Romina said, we all need some time for entertainment. I believe that certain people cannot cope with the evolution of things in general and they blame technology for everything. As when they say that young people are becoming stupid, I believe that we as adults are responsible for teaching them how to be critical instead of making them look as idiots just because they know perfectly well how to manage internet and other technological tools.
Yes, Mariana totally agree with you. However, I think that the author who wrote that article has a different perspective. In this sense, this author cannot figure it out how is it that facebook users publish things that are irrelevant. For instance, people getting up in the morning and taking pictures of the cat swallowing some milk or the dog sitting in a chair. So, while for some something is relevant to publish, for others it is not. I think facebook has to do with entertaining oneself, as Romy said, but the problem seems to arise when this entertainment takes more time than the normal. Well, see you.
I totally agree with all of you guys. I personally think that Facebook is an amazing tool to keep in contact with relatives and friends that live abroad, or that is the use I give to it. I completely disagree with this thing of "users getting stupid". I think the author related this webpage with others such as Fotolog, and thougt of all the things this page provokes in adolescents nowadays.
In addition, I do not think that Richard Bernstein is a Facebook user, so he does not know what it is about, unless how "normal" people uses it.
In my opinion, "Facebook" is nowadays a positive "tool" to keep in contact not only with friends and relatives from this country but also with others around the world. It is true that we have to take "Facebook" as an entertainment in our free time, but we have to be concious and don't take it as a necessity in our lives. I think that there are other things, such as some programmes on TV, which make people "stupid".
Hi, Daniela. I get your point and I coincide with you in disagreeing on Richard Berstein's perspective, I mean, with his assumption that Facebook could produce in their users a certain degree of 'stupidization', as the title seems to suggest. Interestingly, today I got by chance into facebook, since I am an user but fortunately not an adict yet, and I was surprised with the irrelevancies published there by an old friend of mine. I was surprised up to such an extent with what she published, that I asked to myself: Hasn't this person got any other more important thing to do rather than posting such things? In this sense, I think that Berstein could have thought exactly the same thing before publishing his interesting article. But careful, this does not mean I agree with him. Simply, I'm just guessing what could have been the possible motivation for writing such a good article. Ok, bye- bye.
Hi everyone, I totally agree with Dani and Vane, I think Facebook is very useful, especially to contact people that otherwise you wouldn´t be able to ( like people living abroad or to find friends or mates that you have not seen for years)Apart from that,we shouldn´t "blame" Facebook if there is people that spend many hours using it, I guess this people have already a problem with or without this social net.Finally, I would like to add that it is very common that some people ( specially old people) critisice things that are new and maybe they do not understand or do not use. Some of them think that kids that publish their pictures in fotologs are stupid as well, I do not agree with that at all. I mean, we shouldn´t judge people because we do not share the way they think or behave. That would make us narrowminded persons.
Definitely, I won't fall in the mistake of considering old people as 'THE' negative critics of kids for posting pictures in fotologs or for criticizing those who are capable to cope with the new technology like computers. In this sense, I'd like to ask this person if once in her life has she adopted some sort of critical position for, let's say, being unable to ride a bicycle when being a child. In the same sense, it is normal for many old people to hold a critical view for perceiving themselves as being unable to cope with new technology. I really cannot understand at all why is it that some people circumscribe old people to that idea. Is it that there are stadistics supporting such a fact? On the other hand, adopting a critical thinking towards a social trend, involves a certain degree of judgement. In that case, this does not imply that people adopting such positions like Berstein are narrow-minded. On the contrary, not analysing things in a critical way and accepting everything that is offered to one, as falling from the sky, is an evident syndrome of a tunnel- visioned person uncapable of projecting her or himself beyond of what is fashionanle. And by this, I'm not referring to Facebook, which I enjoy as a consummer like many of you. Ok bye bye.
Hi everyone, I agree with your opinions, specially with Daniela`s since I use this modern tool to keep in touch with people I don`t see that often, too.For example, Facebook gave me the oportunity to find a friend who I hadn`d seen for at least 10 years and thanks to it this summer we colud get together.
As regards elderly people, I would add that I don`t think we should generalise when we say they are all against modern technology. Pesonally, I know many old people who try really hard to learn how to cope with these things not to fell useless and to have something in common with the new generations.Well, that`s all for now, bye bye
Well, it is not precisely me who is generalizing about old people being against new technologies. On the contrary, I am emphasizing on the problems that this group should sort out when dealing with computers, instead of labelling them as 'the critics of the new things'. Like you, I also know elderly people trying hard to learn how to use a computer. When I said: '...it is normal for many old people to hold a critical view for perceiving themselves as being unable to cope with new technology.' I was not referring to all the elderly people but just to 'many', to a particular group of people, without generalizing. Ok bye.
Hi Nestor! Well, now I can say that I disagree with you. Firstly, when you say "it is normal for many old people to hold a critical view for perceiving themselves as being unable to cope with new technology. I really cannot understand at all why is it that some people circumscribe old people to that idea. Is it that there are stadistics supporting such a fact?"
Well, of course I do not have stactics with me to know that in most of the cases older people tend to critisice younger ones, I mean, It happens every day! and I would like to add that I said that SOME people like to judge kids or adolescents,SPECIALLY old people, I did not mean ALL of them. Maybe I was not clear.
In addition, if someone perceives himself o herself unable to cope with new tecnologies; that allows them to critisice the ones that can ?? I do not think so.
Finally, althoug it may be true that adopting a critical thinking towards something involves certain degree of judgement, If we critise anything, like new technologies, without have used them or known them,In my opinion that would be prejudice.
Well Jesica. I've never tried to critize you. I'm just trying to defend my arguments. That's all. But let me build a sort of analogy that will serve to explain why sometimes 'old people', some of them unable to attach themselves to new technology, criticize the rest that can do it. Have you ever observed what do children normally do after being rejected by their soccermates for being bad soccer players? In some of the cases, they seat on a bench or over the grass to critizise their mates that are playing. This is something that happens naturally and regularly, every sunday, on every place where people gather to play soocer matches. Now, have you asked yourself why is it that these children behave in such a way towards their soccer mates? or why some old people unable to cope with computers critizise those that are able? or why some people could in some way critizise their bosses, after being fired for being unable to cope with new technologies or computers in their jobs, experimenting thus the perplexity of being unemployed? Well, as you can see criticism is something that arises naturally from the cirmcumstances of life. How can one judge if such people are right or are wrong for using their critical analysis? Well, bye bye.
Hi people.For me the fact that facebook can make its users "stupid" is not justifiable. I'm a facebook user and I find it very interesting. It has a lot of great things and you can be in contact with yours friends or relatives. It's amazing. I totally disagree with the idea that it could make its users stupid. For me, Facebook is a fantastic tool. As Andrea said, you can find people and keep in contact with them or you can join to different groups and discuss about a variety of interesting topics. See you!
First of all, I would like to say that I really like this article. I agree with those who say that Facebook is a tool for getting into contact with people that we care about but because of our routines we cannot see as much as we want to. Personally, I don’t use it much but I don’t see anything wrong with it. Of course, one person shouldn’t overuse this but I don’t think that overuse will become a person stupid.
To be honest, I had never used Facebook in my life because of two reasons. One of them is that I have not got internet at home and when I go to the "Cyber" I do not have much time to "surf" in the net. Another reason is that I am not interesting in this type of things, although I will try to enter to Facebook to give a better opinion. However, some friends have told me about it and I think that is a question of entertainment
and not "stupidity" and if you want to be with your friends having fun I consider that Facebook is positive way to do it.
Hi there! I can see that you have debated very hard this topic! The only thing I want to add is that there have always been two sides, one positive and one negative, in relation to these new technologies and pastimes. Television, for instance, has been through the same discussion and the use of cell phones, were also debated as the device that can "stupidize" people. I thnk that people who are against such things are in a way afraid of these new advances and they try to reject and underestimate them. Perhaps, they cannot face the truth, that they are getting old and all the things that they knew have disappeared. So they have not got anything to do but start saying STUPID things about what they don't know.
Well,here my opinion, Nestor. I belong to the group that some of you call" some people(specially old people)", "elderly", "they are getting old"... On the one hand, as Andrea said, many people, among them me, "try really hard to learn how to cope with these things" but I don´t know if they (we)want to deal with this technological stuff because
"they feel useless" or because they want"to have something in common with the new generations". I think that older and younger generations have many common things to share, apart from technologies,and these things are deeper than the ones that we are referring here. "Old people" try to update on the latest technological developments because they simply live in today´s world and they are part of this system...either working or studying or just living. It is known that learnig everyday keeps you mentally healthy. On the other hand, with all due respect, I don´t like the analogy about "bad soccer players", instead of defending your argument, you seem to agree with Jesica when she said:"(..) we shouldn´t judge people because we do not share the way they think or behave (...)." I perceive a sort of contradiction; in one of your replies you rejected the fact of considering "old people" as "(...)the negative critics(..) ", and perhaps unconsciously, you established the same idea that she expressed before. In addition to this, "we shouldn´t judge people because we do not share the way they think or behave", however, we do exactly the contrary to this... we judge or prejudge "old people", and we use terms as "narrow-minded" if they don´t think as we do..."they cannot face the truth(...)" wow! how dispiriting this sounds! We must be careful with the words that we use to support our arguments , or our corrections as teachers. Although I don´t know most of the "kids" who give opinions here, I´m absolutely convinced that none of us want to include any kind of discrimination in the discussion, despite the neglectful words that we used in our statements. As regards Facebook, the real motive of this debate, I wouldn´t consider STUPID to imagine that site or space or page( remember that I am not technological)as one Big Brother in our "home", who controls us and who observes us when we use it...To conclude, that is like this, you can send me a message in Facebook, I´m included there but I don´t know how, when and why.
Congrants, Nestor.You "have woken up our real US" ( A question to analyse: Is the human being essentially DISCRIMINATORY?)
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