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If one resides in Facebook's virtual reality for any length of time, it may come to influence attitudes and beliefs to place and space, and thereby shape personal identity. Cyberspace is another form of geography that needs to be seen and experienced in order to exist (Barnes, 1997). Is Facebook leading us down a rabbit hole to hell? Maps inform us how we . . . conceptualise the world (Kuttainen, 2015). Whether one talks about geographical places on the globe, or virtual geographies of Facebook - one needs to ask, what is the purpose of these maps, and to whose interests do they serve? Who is being empowered or disempowered in these geographical or virtual spatial relationships?
The Facebook design has many layers of truths, and one has to sift through the etheric planes of consciousness to delve into the true nature and purpose of Facebook. The upper layer has been designed to optimise user's movements; it is an 'empty vessel' into which "users pour their text and photographs, hearts and minds" (Madrigal, 2013). Another purpose/layer, may be to entice users to buy products on offer, as various advertisements are sited: traffic and leads, domain, page post links, multi-product, just to name a few. What are the motivations, present or hidden in Facebook's many recesses?
According to (Wood et al, 2006), maps tend to get distorted and twisted out of shape to become something else. Maps may be inaccurate or misleading and may hide many differing truths. Facebook, a major networked virtual space, may seem innocuous on the surface, but when one drills down to its purposes and agendas, it may be a trap. Unsuspecting users may be ensnared to buy products (commodification of things) they may not want or need. It seems to be in Facebook's interest to have one under its trancelike spell; spending more time Facebooking, rather than pursuing 'real' relationships and 'real' geographies to find one's true identity in life.
See through Facebook, for what it truly is!
References
Barnes, G. (1997). Passage of the cyber-flaneur: Retrieved from http://www.raybird.com/essays/Passsage_Flaneur.html
Kuttainen, V. (2015). BA1002: Our Space: Networks, narratives and the making of place, Lecture 3 Mapping. [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from http://learnjcu.edu.au
Madrigal, A. (2013). http://theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/05/how-facebook-designs-the-perfect-empty-vessel-for-your-mind/275426/
Wood, D., Kaiser, W.L., & Abramms, B. (2006). The multiple truths of the mappable world, in Seeing through maps: Many ways to see the world (pp. 1-12). Oxford, UK: New Internationalist.
hyperlink: http://www.fastcodesign.com/3044350/facebooks-10-year-plan-to-become-the-matrix
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Such interesting concepts and ideas are discussed in this blog. I agree that the geographies and ‘cyber-map’ of Facebook can be twisted and distorted. Users of Facebook, such as myself, find it difficult to conceptualise what is true and what isn’t. I find the following argument quite relatable: “How do we act if we don’t know what’s true? Isn’t life hard enough already without adding to it the uncertainty of there being multiple truths?” (Wood et al, 2006, p. 2). The issue of multiple truths is certainly one presented by the hidden consumerism of Facebook. Facebook is a construction tailored to each individual user; it adapts and distorts every user’s ‘reality’ by basing products on what each user prefers.
ReplyDeleteJust like maps that have the ability to empower and disempower societal groups, so does Facebook. Through the option of liking statuses, pages, photos, etc, the users of Facebook can empower others. The number of likes can be related to issues of power relations between users and groups. Facebook can also empower products and company through using ads.
I wonder if users will ever stop and think about what they are being subject to through social media sites such as Facebook. After reading this blog I certainly will try to.
References:
Wood, D., Kaiser, W.L., & Abramms, B. (2006). The multiple truths of the mappable world, in Seeing through maps: Many ways to see the world (pp. 1-12). Oxford, UK: New Internationalist.