Can Someone Explain Facebook/Twitter?

[Crankin]

I don't get the point about how some use Facebook instead of calling, because calling takes too much time. If I am sitting at my computer, using Facebook, isn't that taking up time? I could be doing lots of other things (like leaving for work!) instead of being on TE right now.
I also have moved a few times. I have kept in contact with friends from my last interstate move, which happened way before any form of electronic communication. It is hard to make new connections, but I did it.
My thing with all of these forms of communication is that there is less and less face to face human interaction. It's scary to me. I also think think that the technology aspect of Facebook is somewhat non intuitive to me. If I had to find information about cycling routes there, I'd never find it.
I wonder if there are others like me? I still write down things on paper.

[OakLeaf]

You know, people probably had these same discussions when the telephone was invented. "Why can't people take the time for a personal visit or a handwritten letter? It's so impersonal..."

[Blueberry]

Posting again to clarify - since I'm one of the people the OP reacted to in the generalization that has sparked so much discussion...

I do like Facebook (and I have used twitter and still have an account). What I object to are the people who post 10 status updates a day, and expect everyone to follow them with rapt attention. Not for me. I know how to ignore, and do. I don't even log on every day. But, it is nice to keep up with some people that I might otherwise lose touch with.

CA

[salsabike]

You know, people probably had these same discussions when the telephone was invented. "Why can't people take the time for a personal visit or a handwritten letter? It's so impersonal..."

Exactly. Email as well.

[tulip]

I've never done Facebook or Twitter. Now I might consider opening a Facebook account for my work, but not for personal use. I have better things to do with my time. I have no use for Twitter.

I recently received a LETTER from an old friend who lives far away. It was so nice! I have yet to write her back, but I certainly will. I like letters.

[shootingstar]

FB and it's convenience, is not going to happen in my family ...when those who have internet don't respond by email in a timely manner all the time nor do they email often. Also 3 members of my family don't have internet access. 1 of them is a sister who's trying to save money. She's really tight on her budget to pay off her mortgage solo.

Others are my parents. Not computer literate and different language.
I don't expect my nieces and nephews to suddenly bond alot closer to their aunts and uncle..they have many of them anyway.

And my close friends who are quite computer literate..they only send me pleasant emails occasionally. I'm happy with the the updates.

I can't force loved ones to use FB, if they aren't using prerequisite technology at this time often with me.

Does this mean less bonding? After hearing stories how little some people trust even some of their siblings....gosh, I trust mine, all of them 100% even if we're not on the phone/email/FB/Twitter/letter every week or every month.

[SadieKate]

Does this mean less bonding? After hearing stories how little some people trust even some of their siblings....gosh, I trust mine, all of them 100% even if we're not on the phone/email/FB/Twitter/letter every week or every month.

Bully for you that you have such a great family. Some of us have very dysfunctional families but that's a different conversation.

Shall we go back to the agreement that FB can be a benefit for some? Pick and choose your own communication style. Under your argument I should call my dad even though he can't hear me.

[shootingstar]

Great Sadie that FB works for your situation.

For those involved in counselling for bilingual, multilingual families....some family members can't even read the language of mother tongue or 2nd adopted language. Guess audio clip should work if they can work the technology.

Verbal works..even if horribly imperfect..I can't even understand my mother 40% of the time. I've lost alot of my Chinese speaking fluency. Can't read Chinese. Translation software for certain languages is time-consuming since words are used creatively by human beings.

With an immigrant population increasing in North America...phone is still the best method in some families.

A note for all future counsellors. When you do cross-cultural family counselling. Technology will not solve linguistic gaps. We still have the world insisting on English fluency, despite translation software.

We're just grateful father can speak English over phone...but he won't be around forever.

[papaver]

For those involved in counselling for bilingual, multilingual families....some family members can't even read the language of mother tongue or 2nd adopted language. Guess audio clip should work if they can work the technology.

Verbal works..even if horribly imperfect..I can't even understand my mother 40% of the time.

That is sadly a side effect of FB. I speak French fluently but I find it very difficult to write it, so I hardly ever do. So for my French speaking friends I prefer to pick up the phone.

[SadieKate]

Ha! Then there are people like me who can stumble through simple written French but are flummoxed by spoken French.

Yah, I took multiple years of Spanish, German and French throughout my school years and drove my teachers nuts. Aced the written tests and failed the spoken tests. Guess that's why I typeset and proofed in 12 languages for the UC Press. Great visual memory. Horrible sound memory.

[NbyNW]

That is sadly a side effect of FB.

Um . . . I'm pretty sure these kinds of problems existed before FB.

I don't think anyone is saying that FB is the be-all end-all of communication tools, it just happens to bridge a gap in some cases.

I've got friends who post in Chinese, which I can barely read, and one friend who posts in English when he wants to reach his English-speaking friends, and in Norwegian when he is directing updates to his Norwegian community. I don't mind this in the least.

I'm not saying these are the deepest, most substantive or meaningful interactions or anything -- but when opportunities to hang out with dear friends are rare, it's nice to know that they're out there living their lives and doing well. Or if they're not, as others have said above, it's also nice to know if there are ways to lend support even from far away.

Shootingstar - I hope your family is able to figure out a solution to the language barrier. My own family has had to muddle through with similar situations, sometimes you just have to get creative. Good luck!

[Pax]

I don't get the point about how some use Facebook instead of calling, because calling takes too much time. If I am sitting at my computer, using Facebook, isn't that taking up time? I could be doing lots of other things (like leaving for work!) instead of being on TE right now.
I also have moved a few times. I have kept in contact with friends from my last interstate move, which happened way before any form of electronic communication. It is hard to make new connections, but I did it.
My thing with all of these forms of communication is that there is less and less face to face human interaction. It's scary to me. I also think think that the technology aspect of Facebook is somewhat non intuitive to me. If I had to find information about cycling routes there, I'd never find it.
I wonder if there are others like me? I still write down things on paper.

I share your concerns Crankin, less and less personal interaction seems to, in part, aid the growth of our current societal trend towards rude and boorish behavior. Many of the things I read on FB and on other online communities showed people behaving in ways they (hopefully) wouldn't in a face to face situation.

[papaver]

For me: it makes me see more people in real life! If someone posts that he is going to a ... lets say cycling event ... i can ask if i can come too.

[jobob]

I don't get the point about how some use Facebook instead of calling, because calling takes too much time.

But when you call someone, you're telling her "drop everything you're doing and speak to me NOW".

With facebook or email, you give that person the ability to respond when she's ready.

It's not about your time, it's about your recipient's time.

Just a thought ...

[sfa]

Jobob's got it right--I get on FB when I have the time for it, which is generally very early in the morning before my family gets up or late at night after the kids are in bed, dishes done, lunches packed, etc. I would be FINE with people calling me during those times, but they don't. They call at 8:00 at night when I'm trying to do a million things and I end up getting my kids to bed late because the person on the other end of the phone who DOES have free time right then wants to chat and I don't want to be rude by saying "look, could you just email me please?" FB lets people keep in touch who have wildly differenent schedules (also works great for different time zones--FB was how my sister and I kept in daily contact when she moved to Norway).

Of course, I've never been a fan of phone calls. I don't like talking on the phone and never have. I wrote lots of letters to friends and family when I was in college, but email came around about a year after that and it was a godsend to me.

The other obvious benefit of FB communication is that you're communicating with a lot of people at once. Instead of spending time on the phone relaying information to one person, you're updating your whole family and your complete circle of friends. When you're part of a big family like mine, that's really nice--no more of the "well no one told me that!" when you forget to tell one person about something going on. Case in point: I was heading out to Girl Scout camp on a Friday afternoon (and in charge of the group so I couldn't bail on them) when DH called to tell me he was taking our son to the ER with pneumonia and the flu, going directly from the pediatrician to the hospital. Because I couldn't drop everything and didn't have the time to call everyone (I did make one call to my sister; once I got to camp there was no cell phone reception and DH wasn't allowed to use his phone at the hospital) I posted that news on FB, which let everyone know what was going on--far flung friends sent virtual support while local friends stepped in to bring dinner to DH in the hospital, walk and feed our dog, and get a change of clothes for both DH and our son. I'm not saying these things wouldn't have happened without FB, but it sure made things a lot easier!

Sarah