Do you agree that society can reduce an idea to a simplistic/trivial level?
Take a look at social-networks. Facebook or Myspace for that matter, but let’s concentrate on the former, because I’m more acquainted with it. When Mark Zuckerberg created Facebook, he thought of it as a tool to keep friends/acuintances on campus in contact, to spread important news, to organize events.
What has happened was, when the general population was given the tool, many features were/are being exploited. Applications such as Meet New People, where the only information you get about one are the name, age and picutre or groups that tend to grow bigger and bigger for no reason. I understand petitioners trying to gather as much people as possible for their cause, yet I also believe that “MJ is dead” group having millions of joined people just won’t bring him back. Let’s not start on quizes. If it weren’t for Facebook I wouldn’t know what kind of a banana I am. So what? See the triviality. Give more feauters and get more exploitations.
On the other hand, take a look at Twitter. It’s philosophy is simple (not simplistic): post your current status in 170 characters. I do believe there are some minor exploitations, such as people constantly updating their status, for instance: I’m hungry | I think I’m gonna eat. | I’m going for a burrito. | I’m eating the burrito. | It was delicious. I want moar. But that’s as far as it goes. There is only one feature and it’s not nearly as much exploited as features Facebook offers.
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Well, it is in the site’s interest to have users spend as much time there as possible, so creating endless distractions that will keep users from surfing away is a profitable enterprise. I wouldn’t say that it is an act of ‘society’ that spawns these trivial features, but rather that it has been allowed to happen by the eagerness of people in general, and procrastinating students in particular, to spend their time doing fun, meaningless things rather than addressing important issues.
Yes.
When you get a bunch of people together in a social setting, well, they are going to act like a bunch of people in a social setting.
I like Facebook, because I can make a comment about something, and I am not having to email people, assuming they are interested.
“We looked at a house this weekend. Might buy it to retire there”
“Here are pictures of the kids from last night”
Anyone who doesn’t care, doesn’t need to look at it.
I honestly think the exploitation comes from trying to keep up with each other. Facebook creates something new, Myspace takes it and then they make something new and Facebook takes it….you see what I mean? It’s why you get tired of them all. It’s too repetitious!
Yes, but the generator of the idea must forget about what society thinks to have a chance at success. if you listen to the trivial, the naysayer, and the media, very little would eer get accomplished. Take the less beaten path and thrive in your mind.
Society is ruled by the LCD. So everything eventually gets broken down until it is palatable to those people with as much class/sophisitcation as those drubs that end up on COPS, arrested without a shirt on.
@evelyns_pet_zebra . . .I, sir, hope to one day be one of those drubs.
it’ll be muh big break
Twitter is being “exploited” by the minute… It’s used to share interesting links, photos, subscribe to blogs (instead of using e.g. RSS), the list goes on…
Anyway, I think much of it has to do with reputation. Take a look at my sister: MJ died, and all of a sudden she’s a fan. That’s how groups like that get their members – not so much to make a statement, but to feel part of something, I suppose.
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