Moment of Zen 06/02/09

Is a conversation on a web based social network much more impersonal than a face-to-face conversation in reality and are we all today pushed to be part of such “web based” social networks? These were two different questions I am still thinking about after class.
Although I think it definitely depends on anyone’s personal opinion to decide either to prefer a personal conversation or to use one of many ways for web based social network members to interact, in my opinion a web based social network conversation is much more impersonal because you do not see your opponent and you cannot use any facial expression to clarify what you mean or how you mean it.
For sure, you could also use some “smileys” on the Internet to somehow “substitute” such facial expressions, but such a conversation still remains much more impersonal FOR ME. As long as I am an open-minded person I would prefer personal conversations instead of hiding behind an Internet profile or character. Even though this definitely provides a great opportunity for a lot of people to pretend a person they do not really are.
Furthermore, I think it is really difficult to say whether today we all are pushed to be part of a “web based” social network or not. As I already said in the fishbowl conversation in class, my best friend does not participate in any of these new media or social network tools, such as Facebook or MySpace. Although he is really computer literate and interested in the Internet as such, he never registered himself on any social network and he is definitely still alive. ;) He has got a girlfriend and he lives a normal life with friends like me and a good job.
I do not know why it is such a necessity today to join a social network. Although my best friend never did it, millions of other Internet users like me already participate on Facebook or StudiVZ and could not imagine a life without such social networks any more. I like the idea of searching for former class mates from school, but I do not use these social networks to simply “collect” friends or contacts to “put on the dog”. A handful of such friends are real friends of mine and I still have the opportunity to meet them in real life and a lot of these called “friends” are people I had to confirm to add to my “contact list” to be polite, but I do not want to meet them ever again in reality.
So, why do we register on such social networks on the Internet? All these above mentioned facts clearly show that we do not have to and that we are not really pushed to be part of such online communities. Is it just the curiosity to join in a conversation about Facebook or MySpace or what else? I can not give a precise answer at the moment, but I will keep on thinking about it to hopefully find an answer for me in the future.