The Facebook phenomenon

Facebook undoubtedly has a serious impact on our society, particularly the youth who are susceptible to new ways of life, thoughts and technological developments. Facebook or FB has transformed the way we communicate with each other. It has redefined our human responses and instincts.

In recent times, media has brought a few disturbing to light. A young man declared in a FB posting that he intended to take deadly revenge on his opponents. He then executed this.  I think, after a posting the message, it become a matter of reputation for the perpetrator to execute his avowed plan.

Another young man wrote a suicidal note on FB before taking his own life - a novel or romanticised way of drawing the curtains on own life.

Then again, it is common for onlookers to take snaps of a victim of a roadside incident rather than calling the police or an ambulance.

Young people in social gatherings nowadays hardly ever greet the elders and enquire about their well-beings in a traditional way. They casually say, ‘How are you, guys,’ much in the same manner as they talk among themselves. Then they join their peers and talk about FB and YouTube stuff on their iPhones. Don’t expect them to spend some time with the elders. It’s not that they are not aware of the tradition. I feel they are rather immune to how small gestures of politeness can mean a lot and generate well-being. They are more used to the manners of social media like FB, which are short, quick and pre-mediated. There are exceptions of course, but, I don’t feel optimistic. I have a few nieces and nephews in Sydney, who were fond of me and interacted with me as kids. As they grow up, I find them too gradually moving away from that trodden path.

There are few things about FB I am not comfortable with. For example, urging a FB friend to wish another friend on her/his birthday. Wishing someone should come on its own. This applies as well to someone who is on the receiving end.  With FB coming into play, our true feelings are ignored or bypassed, or even compromised. Some FB friends even wish RIP to someone who has passed away. FB does not tell us to abbreviate our sentiments. But this transformation of human response can easily be traced back to FB’s approach to promote visuals to express our emotions. 

Faruk Kader is a consultant hydraulic engineer living in Sydney, Australia.