first draft essay 4

Submitted By splus20011112
Words: 1349
Pages: 6

Jordan Hau
English 125 Tricia Khlief
Essay 4 Final Draft

The Life without Facebook I have been the only one who does not have a Facebook, of course nor a Twitter or Instagram, in my class since middle school. The more I matured and witnessed the changes of social networking, the more my attitudes changed towards it. In my earlier teenage years, I was not very sure that I wanted people to know that. Although I had persisted my own thought quite consistently, it was still hard to not feel a bit outdated and unsocial in that midst of self-identification of adolescence. Under the instigation of my friends, I gave in and registered for Facebook in high school. In those mere six weeks of ownership of a Facebook account in my life, the more personal experience of social media further confirmed my repellence to it.
There is never a single person who could hold back their instinctive response, “Why?!” when they know I do not use Facebook. Although having been asked this question for numerous times, I still find it hard to answer.
As I grew older and became more certain of my own cognition, I realized the question itself was part of the reason. From when, has the reason people not use Facebook worth being asked more than the reason people use it? From when, has using social networking become a matter of course, and not using them become an abnormality? Social media are permeating in our culture and occupy our minds and behaviors until we are overwhelmingly intervened, but could not get away because it has become part of our life already. This immense impact of social media horrifies me. There is nothing wrong about social networking. In fact, it is undisputable that Facebook made our lives so much easier—communication becomes faster, connection with old friends becomes easier, information becomes more reachable. However, it is people’s manipulation of them that diverts from their intended usage changed their social meaning. Life with Facebook becomes so transparent. No offense to people who love to post every single happening in life, as if a McDonalds’ drive-through is so special that needed to be shared with all the friends. As you scroll down your news feed, you are like watching the live broadcast of your “friends’” trivial daily lives. You just know every single thing that happened to them that “catching-up with friends” has no meanings anymore. I have heard from my friends’ experience that there were times when they sit down with a friend they have not met for a long time for a cup of coffee, and what they were catching-up with each other were all read and liked on Facebook already and they still had to maintain that curiosity and enthusiasm as if it was the first time they heard of it.
Of course, I do not want to deny that, at times, information flows too slow to me without Facebook. I was ambivalent of my decision, especially when I miss out important information or assistance on homework from the classroom groups, or news coverage from various Facebook pages. Oh, but no. I would rather miss out some information and find them out myself rather than scrolling through other people’s stupid cat videos or ridiculous duck-face selfies.
Not only does social networking show what you are doing, it also reflects who you are, not matter to what extent of authenticity. When people post sentimental comments on the dawn drizzle, or share a profound quotes about relationship, “friends” usually would start speculating what happened. Did they break up again? Is she still not recovered from her depression? The posts may, nonetheless, just be a mere random thought, but the exposure of personal thoughts just invite others to overthink, and create an impression, not matter positive or negative, of you. And as this happens a lot, we, viewers of others’ life, feel like we understand them very well. But in real life interaction with them, we might not see the same person as we see on Facebook. None of the images presented is