Networking sites: regarding parents, facebook and the like

"I respect that your facebook acquaintances are people that you are able to converse with, to have dialogue with about important, global matters. I'm just saying that this type of communication isn't and shouldn't be a substitute for in-person interactions and real discussions."

That's why we say "I'm friends with him/her on facebook." Specifying this denotes a difference from traditional and psychological friendship. Friendship is often physical as well; you meet and meet with your acquaintances who then transition into friends. It doesn't have to be physical though: a pen pal can be a friend. But, online networking has changed this because of the field on which it is played. Friendship on sites like facebook, myspace and twitter are less established.

Internet studies indicate that online relationships between two parties are likely to involve one or both individuals' characters, inhibitions, and actions warped from what otherwise might be the case in the physical world. Online, you are able to take on a role, an alter-ego, a fantasy. This desire is not only fated to online-gamers playing Multi-Player Role-Playing Games (MPRPGs), like World of Warcraft and Final Fantasy. It affects a large majority of internet community members. This is part of the same reason that people who wear masks (e.g., masquerade balls or robberies) do things with less, if not no, regard for moral implications and negative consequences.

Regarding facebook, when my father defended his hermetic and addict-like behavior, I attempted to reason that his social skills were less than mainstream or orthodox, but that ensued in a heated argument. Unable to talk about it on Skype (another internet application of communication) without becoming frustrated, I texted him the quoted above. I think that our parents, of a generation who did not grow up with these technological applications, are encountering them in different, amusing, and sometimes detrimental ways.

At 24, I realize, there are just some mediums I am unable or unwilling to use. While our parents are capable of utilizing the same en vogue sites, they should be able to balance their post-facebook lives and the rate of wall notifications.