Facebook: Self Identity

Facebook is a place where one can express themselves, learn about others, interact and more specifically, create a means of self identity and express their "ideal self". People use the internet to exemplify their dreams, do things they would never have done before, and alter or re create their image to how they want and desire to be. It is interesting to see how people create themselves to be more desirable, interesting, open, cool and so forth. Essentially, Facebook allows one to be what they cannot be in reality. After I started thinking about this I questioned if I have ever used the internet to create an image of myself that I know I could never create in reality. And I do not think I ever have. I feel that in many ways this is a postive use of technology but it can also be dangerous. We are using technology to create and illustrate a false image of ourselves ( for example, online dating services, profiles, online games etc.) Could the combination of the real world and virtual world, regarding self identity be a set up for broken expectations and false hope in reality? Could the build up of one's ego cause a drastic downfall for that person in reality?

Are We Obsessed?

Are we obsessed with Facebook? I have been trying to convince myself that I do not have a problem, that a day can go by without logging on to this social networking site and conversing with friends and family members of my daily activies. This method of communicating is the way of the future, it is our future here and now!! Thus, we all are interested in it in some weird way or another. I was thinking about theorist; Marcuse and how he reviews the concept of rationality, as he argues that technology can reflect human liberation. I found that really interesting especially when comparing human liberation with mechanism like facebook, the crackberry and other addicting and time consuming sites, and technologies. As much as technology does free us from our restrictions and geographical barriers, it also dominates our daily lives. We become so fixated on its use and flexibility that it takes over our physical selves and we become trapped in an online or technological setting, in our own little world and ignore everyone and everything around us. For example, when I am on my cellphone I do not pay attention to my surroundings. I am concentrated in my own little world and I have become very dependant on being able to take my conversations everywhere I go. With that being said, does the use of technology truly excel our human liberation or is it just a way for society to become disinterested with their surrounding world and absorbed and obessed with a piece of technology? Does anyone think that maybe Facebook and crackberries are actually devaluing our human experiences and alienating us from other individuals?