I'll go first.
1.) A photo of an old coworker posted by his girlfriend. The prior about a year, the latter never.
2.) A photo of an old childhood friend. Probably about two years ago for maybe five minutes.
3.) A photo of a friend. At least a year if not longer.
4.) A status of a facebook friend. Maybe spoke once or twice in high school; possibly never.
5.) A status of an old college roommate. At least 6 months.
I could continue on like this, and probably about 80% of the answers would be the same. Yet, when I post this blog to Facebook, I'm certain I'll feel better about the content and the message if I get several likes. Hell in the past, I've timed the posting of a photo or a link to match when I think the most people will be on Facebook in order to get likes. But if the people that are liking my posts are anything like myself, there is a chance they haven't spoken to me in months, possibly years. So even if I get a lot of likes on a particular post, does that really mean anything?
I'm going to go out on a limb here, and say that we are changing the make-up of self-esteem for future generations. Even someone who considers himself to be a well-adjusted, friendly and likable (pun intended?) guy feels differently if something I, I mean "he", posts on Facebook gets no likes or a lot of likes. What does that mean for adolescents that put their thoughts and beliefs out there and remain unreceived? In perhaps the most tumultuous period of transition throughout our lives, when we are already scientifically prone to low self-esteem and self-consciousness, this has the potential to be so, so harmful. What happens when they put something out there that they find is amusing and no one agrees? Do they start to question their sense of humor? Do they start to believe that what they think is funny isn't? Same scenario with a cry for help, a plea for someone to care and to recognize that they are suffering. What if this status goes unnoticed or overlooked? Even worse, what if someone likes it in an attempt at mockery? How about an actual suicide note? Sadly, these are not simply hypothetical situations (see video below). In a world where we are relying more and more on technology, both inside the classroom and in our personal lives, we are inevitably, and most likely involuntarily, putting more and more weight on what these superficial means of approval are worth.
On this day, when a major U.S. court case was settled in a fairly controversial fashion, I watch my newsfeed overflow with arguments, likes, and words of anger and support pass back and forth between people that I'm quite confident, over the past several years, haven't even taken the time to see how the other was doing. Yet here they are insulting, mocking, berating and belittling one another. And others have the ability to "like" these habits. Facebook will continue to remain the great enigma of our generation, for better and for worse, as long as people continue to use it in all of it's various forms.
So today I'm going to challenge you, if you truly like an idea or a photo that you see on Facebook, certainly like it, but give the person a call if you feel like they might appreciate it.* Let them know that you are thinking of them and that you hope they are well. You never know the difference you might make. And that is something I think we can all agree is worth "liking".
*Unless a hug is an option, always choose a hug.
Casey,
ReplyDeleteIf I had a Facebook account I would try this experiment. You make some pretty convincing arguments about how Facebook is reshaping people's sense of self, but I think some hope lies in the fact that more and more people are deactivating, and this is one of the reasons. One of the things I find scary about Facebook is that people are presenting the best versions of themselves, which really then is an artificial self. Others respond with jealousy (I recently read a study on this) that often makes them depressed that they're not living as exciting or healthy a life as the "Face" on their screen. I think the critical question for all of this is, "To what extent is Facebook making my life better?" We can apply this to our students as well; simply insert the technology in the place of "Facebook" and "my students learn more." Beyond all of that, students are jumping off Facebook in droves. Some of my colleagues who were so pumped about managing their class through Facebook are kicking themselves now because most kids have moved on to Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, etc...This is where I think we need to be careful about always trying to "meet students where they are" in terms of technology. They're always moving.
Enjoyed your post.
Rory's comment to your post has made me realize that maybe the change is even larger than self-esteem: Facebook has changed means of judging other people, right?
ReplyDeleteYou mentioned that one can evaluate someone's sense of humor from their Facebook posts. Even "Liking" is a new mode of judgment: since there's no range of Liking - only Like and Dislike - even a Like may not be as complimentary as one may think. What social media has done is expanded the society we live in - so that unfortunately MORE people can judge us and we can present ourselves in more ways.
I wouldn't necessarily say we should shy away from Facebook because it isn't making life better.
Facebook and other social media, I think, is pretty embedded in youth culture, and so I think the best thing to do for our students is to help them develop control and understanding as users.
Though I'm not much of a fbook user, I am pretty into Instagram these days. And I will admit that I do feel better when I get over 10 likes on a photo - I know it doesn't mean much, but why does it give me a sense of satisfaction? The points you bring up here are really interesting, especially about the way self-esteem and self-image are perceived so differently with all the social media outlets today. It makes me think of the “social dimension” of media literacy – not only do we need to learn how to think critically about information presented to us, but perhaps we need to learn how to critically about the social interactions we have online. But how can we teach this? Should we teach it? What would this “social learning” look like?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great post!
Casey, I appreciate your honesty regarding this subject. Your post really made me think about how I perceive likes. I realized, after some thought, that there were times when I would adjust my posts slightly if I thought it would get more likes. It sounds self absorbed and embarrassing when I say that out loud, but it's true. I used to let Facebook traffic and conversation affect my mood more than it should, but I know that it still has a firm grip on the lives of several people I know. scary.
ReplyDelete