Personally I think face-to-face meeting in person is the best way
of communication, but Facebook serves to keep in touch with people I no longer
have chances to meet frequently, such as those who live overseas or moved onto
other area of work. It is also true that meeting in person takes time and
energy, and Facebook allows quite ample leeway whether or when one sees their FB
friends’ post.
Facebook is something between mass media and individual communication.
It is one’s own online magazine to publicize their life and views. In contrast
with a private conversation, one post typically comprises only a few sentences
in addition to photo(s) or articles they’re talking about.
On the positive side, that is concise; on the other hand, that
could be abrupt. I sometimes wish I were a
bit more sophisticated and succinct at the same time, although that
is a bit challenging.
In fact, one of my FB friends was elaborating her view quite extensively
to the extent I admired her effort. Although being concise appears to be the
norm of Facebook, that does not mean everybody has to obey this apparent unconscious
mindset.
To me, Facebook is also a very American product – everybody tends to propagate
their perfect life, similar to a TV commercial. When I encounter a perfect example of
imperfection in my American workplace, I simply have to admire the typical American psyche to focus
entirely on positive sides. When I am tired of life, such
positive attitude is too bright to see.
Having said that, I may be doing the same when I rave about wonderful events in Facebook. On the other hand, for example, If I were seeing a friend who had just lost his/her job, I would never emphasize what a perfect job I have. (By the way, it is not perfect although I love it.)
Just like that, using Facebook skillfully is challenging to me, but it does facilitate staying in touch with people from various backgrounds, which is essentially enjoyable.
