Facebook is a great
tool for communication; it’s great for keeping updated with your family, favourite
pop star or even keeping granny amused with Farmville. But I think we take our
well-loved Facebook account for granted. “With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility”(Lee, 2002), unfortunately I struggle to see people
using this same valuable piece of knowledge when creating their Facebook
identity. Now what I’m trying to inform you is about when dedication goes too
far and obsession is present, many fall into worshiping an object. In this case
I’m referring to Facebook. How many of us know someone that idolises someone
else? How many of us know someone that smoking or exercise or even checking his
or her online accounts is an absolute must. Like it or not, they are being
gradually over powered; every decision, every plan, every action is dragged
through the ongoing muds of the diverse powers in ones life (Kuttainen, 2015). “Power is never
power in general, but always power of a particular kind, I take such acts· as
domination, authority, seduction, manipulation, coercion and the like to
possess their own relational peculiarities” (Allen, 2003, p.2).
Weirdly enough I was listening to a
song that helped me to make a connection with the overall power of Facebook,
the religious devotion to Facebook and the power of the user. Look at the
lyrics below of Be One by KillSwitch Engage and make your own interpretations
and connection.
With conviction You must stand your ground
Don't be deceived
Strength is salvation
It is so easy to live the life of a follower
We must kill the idols
Don't fall prey to seduction
With single-mindedness We must pursue the truth
Nevermore the victim
Let them say that we are not of their world
With the promise of life
We are strong
We will carry on
Kill the idols
No more disillusion
Let them say what they will (what they will)
Their answer to our higher calling
Is conceived by their hatred
Nevermore the victim
Let them say that we are not of their world
With the promise of life
We are strong
We will carry on
With the promise of life
We are strong
We will carry on
Be one, for your conviction
Be one for your devotion
You will be hated
For your dedication
You will be hated
You will be hated
With the promise of life
We are strong
We will carry on
Don't be deceived
Strength is salvation
It is so easy to live the life of a follower
We must kill the idols
Don't fall prey to seduction
With single-mindedness We must pursue the truth
Nevermore the victim
Let them say that we are not of their world
With the promise of life
We are strong
We will carry on
Kill the idols
No more disillusion
Let them say what they will (what they will)
Their answer to our higher calling
Is conceived by their hatred
Nevermore the victim
Let them say that we are not of their world
With the promise of life
We are strong
We will carry on
With the promise of life
We are strong
We will carry on
Be one, for your conviction
Be one for your devotion
You will be hated
For your dedication
You will be hated
You will be hated
With the promise of life
We are strong
We will carry on
(KillSwitch Engage,
2002) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJDNtHV-TII
Reference List:
Allen, J. (2003). Lost Geographies Of Power. Melbourne, Australia: Blackwell
Publishing.
KillSwitch Engage. (2002). Be One. Alive Or Just Breathing. Westfield, MA:
Roadrunner.
Kuttainen, V. (2015).
BA1002: Power: The Panopticon, week 2 notes [Powerpoint
slides]. Retrieved from https://learnjcu.jcu.edu.au/bbcswebdav/pid-1980978-dt-content-rid-2670853_1/xid-2670853_1
Lee, S. ( Writer). (2002). Spider-Man [Motion Picture]. United States:
Marvel Enterprise.
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Firstly, I'd like to commend you on your use of intertextuality; I found your comparison between two different genres (academic text and musical lyrics) really interesting. But now to focus on the main topic: Facebook. While it is an excellent tool for communicating, staying connected with a larger audience, and keeping up-to-date with the life of your favourite celebrity, I agree that Facebook and social networks alike, can be disempowering to us. The virtual space is so highly valued in our current society, particularly by the younger generations, that it has become second nature to update statuses, upload photos, share viral videos and so on. Being a member of Facebook myself, I have witnessed and experienced the compulsive nature of this virtual space. Since information is easily accessible on the internet, users discover a sense of freedom and empowerment, however that isn't the case (Turkle, 2015). In Turkle's reading, social theorist Michel Foucault states that the internet is just a discourse used to gain social control over a large audience. This suggests that the virtual world is, in fact, a disempowering environment and that the internet is just another discourse in which modern society operates in, in order to monitor the people.
ReplyDeleteReferences
Turkle, S. (1995). Life on the Screen: Identity in the age of the internet. Simon and Schuster Paperbacks: New York.
I agree that Facebook can be an addictive and sometimes a dangerous social networking site; that being said the views of facebook and the facebook community are in the eyes of the beholder. The lyrics to Be One by Killswitch Engage will most likely only relate to those with negative views on the social networking site. “What begins as undifferentiated space becomes place as we get to know it better and endow it with value” (Yi-Fu Tuan, 1977, p. 6).
ReplyDeleteThrough our experiences we create value for the place (facebook) and whether the experience is positive or negative changes from person to person. As you said some may use facebook as a stress reliever similar to that of exercising and smoking, some may use facebook as a place to connect with friends and family, or it may just be a place to play Farmville. Depending on what the users use facebook for will greatly depend on the experience had.
References:
Tuan, Y.F. (1977). Space and Place: The perspective of experience. London: Edward Arnold.