I'm talking about formspring.me.
Usually, this wouldn't bother me too much. I would normally attribute such things to stupid and short-lived trends in the web-savvy population, but after seeing so many formspring.me accounts springing up on my Facebook news feed, I got to wondering how such things develop and what it means about the general mentality of the users. Because it is so easy to stay anonymous now, specifically in reference to these online accounts, what does that mean about people today?
Could it be we are staying anonymous so we can ask genuinely interesting questions without having to remain excessively PC as society dictates we ought to be? That may not be a bad thing at all. Often the media blows delicate situations out of proportion, using a speaker's lack of political correctness as an excuse to create rifts in society and stir up situations that benefit no one but the media outlet's bottom line. Anonymity has also been beneficial in terms of allowing bloggers and political dissidents to spread awareness of governmental corruption or certain types of sensitive information.
However, I know everyone who is reading this is also very well aware of what damage such anonymity can cause. Cyber bullying is one such example. In March of this year, a 17 year old girl committed suicide because of anonymous abusive comments left on her formspring account. So what does this mean?
I'm not too sure, actually. I'm tempted to think that this type of freedom is more detrimental than constructive and fosters the growth of an entire generation of adolescent cowards. It isn't my intention to sound high and mighty, swinging the torch of truth and pretending to be self righteous, but I want to really take a look at what the use of anonymous user websites and platforms are doing, or rather, have done.
As it was the rise of formspring.me that brought this to my attention, I will use it as my core example. Of course there are countless other examples, such as Facebook's "Honesty box" application or even the use of instant messaging accounts on AIM, but it would be redundant to address each one separately, not to mention exhausting and nearly impossible.
A few of my friends have used created formspring accounts, linked them to their Facebook profiles, and shared the link with everyone. From looking at these accounts and what questions people have posted, I can't say that I have been particularly impressed with what is going on. There is the usual playful banter between friends who can be easily identified by a unique typing style, trivial questions about random events, and other unremarkable comments. Not a big deal, but I see no reason for this platform to exist if anonymity isn't necessary for this type of communication to begin with. The argument for amusement can be made, and I'll accept that, but I'm simply saying that the anonymity isn't lending anything to the user experience.
Questions like "What do you want in a partner" however, really are troublesome.
First of all, if you are an individual who is interested in another person, wouldn't it be best to understand what kind of person they are attracted to by, dare I say, getting to know them? Second, even after knowing what this individual wants in a significant other, would you go through the effort of changing yourself to fit that ideal before getting to know them? What many people treasure about relationships includes the process of changing together and knowing someone's "before" and "after" tendencies. Third, whatever happened to manning up (this applies to girls too) and saying these things face to face?
There is nothing wrong with a lack of confidence, but I feel there is a difference between being shy and a coward.
On the flip side, what can be said about people who create formspring accounts intending to share parts of themselves that actually hold substance and value as opposed to those who do it simply for the amusement factor?
I truly don't know what to say about this. On one hand it's somewhat awkward, because what it means is that there are friends you have who don't feel comfortable enough with you to ask certain questions. I wonder, isn't feeling comfortable with another individual the basis for forming a friendship with them? I understand there are definitely some questions you would not ask, but if this person wants to tell you, don't you think they'd tell you when they feel ready?
It's very interesting how the internet changes the way we think and act around each other. I wish there was a way to compare social interactions from the beginning of modern man's evolution until the present.
I need a better background in psychology than AP Psych and Psych 101 with Prof. Maas.
ZIMBARDO!
No comments:
Post a Comment