Social Networking and Friends

[AaronEHarris]

Does anyone remember back when chat rooms were like the biggest threat on the internet? I do. And then at some point chat rooms sort of disappeared and forum boards became a big thing. And then myspace, friendster, facebook, and other social networking sites became popular.

I remember there used to be a Christian social networking site called hisreach.com that I enjoyed quite a bit, but it shut down after some time. I have seen a few sites come and go, but they all have the same problem: it's all about connecting with "friends." I really like the original chat room style of connecting with people because it allows for more freedom of expression and inheritance of wisdom.

Of course, I like seeing familiar usernames on the boards and I do not mind making a few new friends, but I don't want to just mindlessly add people to my friends list just so that we can share thoughts.

I think receiving the relationship title of friend is a big deal. To be someone's friend it takes sacrificial love, communication, and responsibility. I think this community forum is a good place practice expressing those qualities with strangers.

What do you think?

 

[wisebeardman]

nothing "social" about internet. want social go look at people face to face. want anti-social then play on the internet.

 

[BibleReader]

I've seen people face to face and they all have their heads down in a smart phone. I do find the tech culture "annoying" in some respects. LOL

 

[wisebeardman]

I've seen people face to face and they all have their heads down in a smart phone. I do find the tech culture "annoying" in some respects. LOL

that is why I say "tech" is a big problem in the downfall of society. plus it is making people absolutely stupid. its bad when you buy something that is 85 cents and hand the clerk a dollar and they have no idea what to do because the computer is down..

 

[maxwel]

I've seen people face to face and they all have their heads down in a smart phone. I do find the tech culture "annoying" in some respects. LOL

However...

When people all have their heads in their smart phones,
they can't notice I raced out of the house with socks that don't match.

Point for me.

 

[mystikmind]

that is why I say "tech" is a big problem in the downfall of society. plus it is making people absolutely stupid. its bad when you buy something that is 85 cents and hand the clerk a dollar and they have no idea what to do because the computer is down..

If i could pick one thing most responsible for making people stupid, it would not be tech, it would be tv! And even then it is only because of the rubbish people chose to watch, because you can chose to watch intelligent shows on tv, it is still possible, but the way things are going, for how much longer i don't know?

 

[Reborn]

I'll be friends with anyone.
.............as long as they agree 100% with my views.


That's why I'm alone.


Actually, I'm cool with anyone and everyone. People are groovy.

 

[AaronEHarris]

I disagree that technology makes people selfish or stupid. I think technology is a tool. Just like any other tool, technology can be used improperly. Responsible people do good things with resources. Irresponsible people do bad things with resources; they misuse it.

If you go back far enough in time, books would be considered technology compared to writing on a wall.

 

[NewWine]

Personally, I despise social networking site like facebook, google+ and whatever. There is a reason I didn't keep in touch with all my high school chums, and it took a while "reconnecting" on facebook to jog my memory as to why. I don't understand the need to post what one has for breakfast, or what toothpaste one chose at the store today. Maybe I am just old or old fashioned, as I prefer to speak to people face-to-face.
Besides it's healthier (for me) to be outside enjoying the sunshine, than being cooped up inside worrying who "liked" the latest status updates or taking care of a virtual farm.
Peace

 

[GracethroughfaithinChrist]

Some of the things you mentioned in your OP brings back memories. There was a time when i entered a bunch of text just to get a ball to bounce across the screen on a commodore 64 back in 85-86 and it was awesome then to my 13 yr old eyes. Then when Webtv came out many years later they had some message boards (alt.discuss) and live chat at places like talk city haha. Had a myspace too and after that chatted live at Yahoo with Christians there but it was not safe i dont think i ever got as much spam as i did then using Yahoo chat even to this day.
>> (fast forward) Just canceled a facebook account i had opened up a couple of weeks ago and have found this place to be one of the best places to socialize with other Christians through live chat and through forums. So in answer to your poll question....... I like a mixture of social networking mixed with chat rooms and forums

 

[AaronEHarris]

Gracethroughfaithinchrist, thanks for sharing your vote and thoughts about online interactions. My wife and I were chatting about this tonight at dinner and she brought up AOL Instant Messager (AIM) and the different chat rooms that were available. I remember being addicted to AIM back in middle school. I waited for my friends to pop online so we could chat. It was never really about surfing the internet because most web pages are for selling stuff and I didn't have any money.

Also, to talk about how technology is ruining society, I avoid using my phone at the dinner table. I am also thinking about limiting my computer usage to specific times during the day. However, I do not think that it interferes with my ability to get outside or take care of chores. I think its just a habit that people have created of checking into on a consistent basis. It is a bad habit that can be changed, if the person is willing.

Do social networking sites cultivate organic relationships or are they synthesized by multimedia and marketing strategies? In other words, can people maintain a strong and developing relationship online?

My wife just made a good point when she was reading with me: anyone who is online reading these forums is clearly interested in technology and social networking so it is difficult for any of us to argue that social networking sites are silly.

Thoughts?

 

[GracethroughfaithinChrist]

Gracethroughfaithinchrist, thanks for sharing your vote and thoughts about online interactions. My wife and I were chatting about this tonight at dinner and she brought up AOL Instant Messager (AIM) and the different chat rooms that were available. I remember being addicted to AIM back in middle school. I waited for my friends to pop online so we could chat. It was never really about surfing the internet because most web pages are for selling stuff and I didn't have any money.

Also, to talk about how technology is ruining society, I avoid using my phone at the dinner table. I am also thinking about limiting my computer usage to specific times during the day. However, I do not think that it interferes with my ability to get outside or take care of chores. I think its just a habit that people have created of checking into on a consistent basis. It is a bad habit that can be changed, if the person is willing.

Do social networking sites cultivate organic relationships or are they synthesized by multimedia and marketing strategies? In other words, can people maintain a strong and developing relationship online?

My wife just made a good point when she was reading with me: anyone who is online reading these forums is clearly interested in technology and social networking so it is difficult for any of us to argue that social networking sites are silly.

Thoughts?

Thank you for bringing up the subject here brother AaronEHarris,
We have to unplug sometimes just to get back in touch with reality and to a certain extent i agree that this age of technology is ruining or to a larger extent drastically changing our day to day lives. Smartphones,social networking, and chatting online is very similar to playing video games in my opinion as it takes a lot of time and money away from our individual relationships with our wives and families that we will not get back and we are replacing that God given companionship with staying occupied. There has to be a balance or it just won't work out. If we use our smartphones when we are waiting for a dental appointment, standing in line at the store or something similar i don't see a big danger there but when we spend half the day being absorbed into this technology our relationships are going to suffer the consequences.

i think if the parties involved with social networking are truly focused on establishing friendships through online social interaction they can maintain a strong and developing relationship online to a certain extent as we find our relationships develop a lot better in person where we can physically interact through eyes and ears with those friends face to face but if the intent of the parties involved focus rather on using social networks as a form of marketing they can not develop anything more than business type relationships at best.

Your wife brings up a good point there however in this particular setting at cc we are enjoying communion with other members of the body of Christ being led by the Spirit and not using this social network as a platform to promote our individual self or to network for the purpose of generating business contacts like we may do with facebook,myspace, or linkedin but at the same time it is in fact a form of social networking.

More on the subject later perhaps, it's about time i get offline and get to bed. Thank you for your thought provoking questions and statements here and i look forward to talking with you again in the near future

 

[AbbeyJoy]

I was in a Christian chat room actually I was in 2 of them one of them I got banned for reapeating a question..because someone didn't see what I was saying.. then the other I just quit there because there was too much drama and to much threat going around.. I think this is better for me

 

[VioletReigns]

The AOL & Yahoo chat rooms of yesteryear wore out quickly for me. I didn't like 'em. I loved MySpace back 10 years ago because it was an active format, you could create your own radio station, every profile was unique, and I became friends and corresponded with so man writers, musicians, artists, different social groups, all over the world! I hate the new MySpace. It's about as bad, if not worse than Facebook.

I don't socialize on FB much at all anymore. My timeline is at a standstill. I miss the good old days where you met people at the park trail, the lake, the coffee house, the mall, the diner in town, someone's backyard for a cookout, etc. And the only phones were inside the house where most calls went to the answering machine.

However, I do like communicating with people here on CC as it's awesome to fellowship with young and old all across the earth. It's a blessing to able to share with those who have the spirit of Jesus Christ - they're our true family!

 

[AaronEHarris]

Very true statements about Facebook and Myspace. One of the coolest things that I remember about Myspace is a friend that I made named StainedNail. He and I became friends and chatted about music. Eventually he invited me and my friends to perform some of our songs at his church for a big Christ rap event at night. He told me that this would be our night to minister to some of the teens at his church in Niceville, Florida. I had never heard of the city, but my friends and I were willing to risk the trip to an unknown place for a chance to minister. We drove up from Central Florida with just enough money to get there and back. Five guys were piled into my 2004 Hyundai Elantra for an 8 hour trip up to the panhandle.

Anyhow, I like to share that story with people because it showcases how Myspace was much different than Facebook. I don't think there was an activity stream, and if there was one it was not the focal point of the home screen. Myspace was really about creating a personal space. You could pick your top 8 and then it was up to you to check in with your friends and stay in touch. Facebook and Google+ is all about building up one's ego by gathering likes and friend requests. And then that data is farmed out to marketers to create ad revenue.

One of the most upsetting things about Facebook is that I rarely ever see what my close friends are posting because Facebook has a crazy system of deciding how many people it will expose your post to. Basically, the more likes you get the more people see it. But these are my friends so I want to see everything they post, not just the "popular" things.

So, now I am pretty much at the point where I only use FB for sharing my music. CC seems to be filling the void of FB and Myspace.

 

[Angela53510]

I have never done chat rooms, and I never will. I like to think, edit and spend time before I post.

As for FB, I use it as an outreach. I have many friends who are unsaved, and I post Bible verses, and what God is doing in my life. No one has gotten saved yet, but I have several friends who are now admitting they believe in God, and one Buddhist who realizes that he is not an atheist anymore. After 45 years, that is a pretty big step to take.

I do think people spend too much time on both devices and watching TV, particularly "reality" TV, which is totally scripted. I used to see people all the time, and now we "connect" over the internet. As an older person, I hate to say I long for the days of face to face interaction, but I do!

Of course, I am an extrovert, so being with people is a necessity for me. That is why going to church has become so important these days, in a place where peope talk to one another, and new people.

 

[AaronEHarris]

I have never done chat rooms, and I never will. I like to think, edit and spend time before I post.

As for FB, I use it as an outreach. I have many friends who are unsaved, and I post Bible verses, and what God is doing in my life. No one has gotten saved yet, but I have several friends who are now admitting they believe in God, and one Buddhist who realizes that he is not an atheist anymore. After 45 years, that is a pretty big step to take.

I do think people spend too much time on both devices and watching TV, particularly "reality" TV, which is totally scripted. I used to see people all the time, and now we "connect" over the internet. As an older person, I hate to say I long for the days of face to face interaction, but I do!

Of course, I am an extrovert, so being with people is a necessity for me. That is why going to church has become so important these days, in a place where peope talk to one another, and new people.

I find it interesting when you mention that you are an extrovert and you long for face to face interaction because I am an introvert and I enjoy having time in solitude, but I still like to interact with people. I learned recently that introverts are not necessarily shy people. Actually, introverts gain their energy internally, whereas extroverts gain energy externally. So that could be a reason why I enjoy online interactions more than most people. However, I do not mind spending time with my wife because I do not have to act or put on a special personality for her.

Angela53510, thanks for sharing that.

 

[blue_ladybug]

i don't do any social networking except for coming here to CC.. I don't have Skype, Yahoo Messenger, kik, Twitter or any of that ridiculousness.