THE CRITIQUE ESSAY
Theresa Sauter in her article “What’s on your mind? Writing on Facebook as a tool for self-formation” explores various instances on how updating profiles and statuses on Facebook can reveal self-formation with attachment to historical roots. The article explores past examples of self-writing and puts considerations on discontinuities and continuities between the modern and old practices. She reports that the discontinuities presents non-technologically and historically way of thinking about new media technologies use in the modern societies that fully understands the users more than any form of communication. Sauter argues that with inception of technological tools, social networking sites have provided the platform for self-writing
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The posting of statuses in Facebook is not just for communication but rather to shape understanding for self and to create normative ways of transgressing or sometimes acting. Sauter also argues that writing is a way through which people can shape their lives realities and relations often in an unconscious way. Facebook is a modern communication platform that people use to shape their ethics, values understandings and beliefs. The use of technological tools is becoming more and more involved in people daily lives and conduct. The techno- social hybridity plays a major role in the modern societies by shaping self-formation and practices of people. Self-writing has become one of the major activity in human technologies, networks and other entities. Self-writing provides the practice that governs human conduct and re-shapes human behavior in the modern psychological …show more content…
In her analysis, she presents how history has influenced the modern self-writing, and how the transfer of the writing process has been intertwined with the modern technology systems. She presents scenarios that make us believe that writing is not only an art of communication but a system used to reveal oneself and understand self. The practice is as old as time and it is part of the human nature. She has supported most of her arguments creatively, by using both the modern and old sources to present a clear transition and connection that is encompassed in the art of writing for self-formation. For one to understand the present systems, it is important to dig deep into history (Fischhoff, 2013). Sauter has creatively presented historical context of self-writing in the past by exploring the ancient Greek askesis. In her narration she has depended greatly on Foucault works to present the philosophical aspect in the art of writing. Her chronological presentations provide a vivid understanding on writing transition and its effect to the modern systems. She has also used Christian confessional, romantic autobiography, liberation and transgression and Writing in psychology to present a clear insight on writing and its effect on self-formation (Sauter, 2014). Her discussions and presentations are well structured to accommodate conflicting
I agree with the author because, actually when I was reading this article, I realized that all these issues are happening to me right now, we are always searching people to talk in Facebook, we are always wanting to have the best photo in Facebook, and the most important thing I don’t have time to read because social networking and I thing that is a huge problem for me and every single people in the world.
In his article, “Is Facebook Making Us Lonely?” Stephen Marche argues that Facebook is the vital cause for loneliness and is luring people away from social capital. According to Marche, social networking isolates individuals and creates distance, mostly amongst family members. For some, it is not only isolation but rather social loneliness. The author claims that health can also be effected by loneliness. Nowadays, due to very little verbal person to person communication, he writes that people have never been so separated from one another because of social media. Facebook users, Marche argues, have an addiction to profoundly visit their account constantly leading to the feeling of loneliness and in most cases depression. The author claims that social networking, instead of demolishing isolation, is unknowingly spreading it. Ultimately, However, Stephen’s argument fails to convince due to his abundant false assumptions and the articles confusing organization.
In Sherman Alexie’s poem “The Facebook Sonnet” Alexie brings up a controversy, over all social media because it absorbs society into the depths of dark unknowns and prevents physical face to face communication. Even though Facebook allows people to stay up to date with friends, whether they be new or deep-rooted, the platform tears its users away from substantial social interaction with others. People can connect to the world by the click of the mouse and know what is going on at any given time. Social media requires ones everlasting attention, and the addiction is almost comparable to that of a cigarette, one cannot give it up and is always thinking about when one can check it again. People become so caught up in trying to perceive what everyone else is doing, they forget that they have a reality to live and fail to maintain real relationships. “The Facebook Sonnet” belittles the social media platform by emphasizing how obsessed society is with making themselves look perfect for the screen. One is either gripping to their past or obsessing over the present.
The article “I’m So Totally, Digitally, Close To You (Brave New World of Digital Intimacy)” (2002) is written by Clive Thompson, who is also a blogger and columnist. The author aims to explain the users’ attraction of Facebook, Twitter and other forms of “incessant online contact” through his text. Since social networking has become a nearly ubiquitous aspect of human contemporary life, Thomson has effectively illustrated the invasion of the social media into human daily lives, how people are commanded by it. He later goes on to explore the benefits of social networking sites and a few challenges of the usage assumptions.
Brandon Stanton the author of Humans of New York successfully used pathos and ethos to explain his subject’s stories through the multimodal genre in todays social media world. Using pop culture, Humans of New York became a household name for expressing some difficult material happening in todays society. HONY became popular because the use of online sources to spark a conversation about issues in the world, has increased as well as the use of ethos and pathos in a post. Nearly eight to ten Americans are on Facebook (Greenwood), the possibly of people seeing these social issues online is increasing tremendously. The use for technology is rise as well as the human connection through the internet. Being able to connect to across the other side
With the proliferation of technologies, especially the Internet, social networking has become ubiquitous in the modern world. Social networking tools like Facebook, Twitter, etc. are the impetus that is ever facilitating rapid creation and exchange of ideas to promote and aid communication. Humans interact by being social, therefore sociology analyses the changes in the social trend. Understanding the sociological perspective on the effects of social media, we find that the social aspect has changed. Comparing the past and present status of our society, it is obvious that there has been a transformation which all points towards the evolution of social media. Social media has changed our culture and has impacted on the way people meet, interact and share ideas; it has changed the perception of how people should communicate with the society. Social interactions have been defined to be an exchange among individuals with the aim of strengthening the society. Social interaction is building block in every society when people meet and interact; they define rules, systems, and institutions in which they will live by. On the other hand, social media is known as a platform that allows people to network and socialize through applications and websites that have been innovated. Though social media could be used as a useful tool to communicate with friends, family and even with people you do not know, however, researchers show that social media is absolutely harming human's skills to have
In her blog “ The Fakebook Generation,” later to be published in the New York Times on October 6, 2007, Alice Mathias enters the topic of the most used social networking service worldwide, Facebook. Mathias debates on Facebook’s claim of being a forum for “genuine personal and professional connections” (438) and tries to influence her readers to ask themselves if the website really promotes human relationships. Alice Mathias, a 2007 graduate of Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire has wrote several more columns before, in which one of them was even awarded the Waterhouse Research Award.
Author, Rob Horning in his article, “Google Alert for the Soul,” discusses how the once maintainable notions of authenticity as a “unique interior self” have since become unsustainable through the modes of social media (thenewinquiry.com). In this way, as a social media platform, Facebook reflects a notion of post-truth in which, “objective facts are less influential than appeals to personal beliefs” (OED). Specifically, this thematic trend is evident within my own Facebook experience through recurring instances that illustrate an ability to utilize the site as a means of creating an idealized self and environment. Thus, these elements further aid in demonstrating the Internet of Western society as a space that ultimately renders authenticity
“The Facebook Sonnet” by Sherman Alexie brings up ideas and controversy over social media because it decreases face-to-face communication. Though Facebook allows people to contact old and new friends, it renders away from the traditional social interaction. Online, people are easily connected by one simple click. From liking one’s status to posting multiple pictures, Facebook demands so much attention that it’s easy for users to get attach. They get caught up in all the online aspect of their lives that they fail to appreciate real life relationships and experiences. Within Alexie’s diction and tone, “The Facebook Sonnet” belittles the social media website by showing how society are either focused on their image or stuck in the past to
The rapid growth of technology in our society has become more dominant than it was in the 17th and 18th century. Today, technology is used for almost everything in our day to day lives. But the most common usage of technology is for communication and industrialization. However, every good thing has its disadvantage if it is over used, and since technology has become very dominant, it is used by both young and older people but more predominant among the youth of the today. Even more, technology has brought about social networking such as Facebook, Twitter, my space, piazza.com, instagram, tango, and last but not the least texting. According to socialnetworking.procon.org, “47% of American adults used social networking sites like
The written word,now a weapon, is now digitized and feed through media. “A book is a loaded gun in the house next door. Burn it. Take the shot from the weapon.” (Bradbury 58). Not only have books become a media revolution so has social interaction. Social media allows for connections formerly unheard. “The problem, they say, is that we spend so much time maintaining superficial connections online that we aren’t dedicating enough time or effort to cultivating deeper real-life relationships.”(WSJ). This avenue of socialization allows for discretion of the true life and person of the poster. “And even worse, the human condition is beginning to devolve. We have become addicted to the vanity of social media unable to expose our lives to the world.”(Green). This media based socialization can overtake the lives of many. “When you add it all up, the average American spends more than 10 hours a day plugged into some form of media.”(Synder). Making the human race even more technology
“Social media allows people to connect with each other to create and share information. It is people-powered communication, an authentic dialogue motivated by a basic human desire to share information” (CIPD, Social Media and Employee Voice Report 2013). ‘Click’ and my message is on its way to my friend’s Facebook inbox hundred of miles away. The astonishing speed of how quick we can communicate in today’s societies, all thanks to social media. The invention of Facebook simplified everything we know about communication. We can connect to people whenever and wherever, sharing information has never been more convenient and exciting. In Shane Hipps’ Article, “ Is Facebook Killing Our Souls?,” he has no intention to impede technological advancements, instead he wants users to understand technologies with insights. According to my research, although Hipps ' points has some merits, I disagree with him because he overgeneralized the impacts that Facebook and other social media has on users’ behaviors and identities.
Social media such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Instagram, and Flicker was invented to keep us in touch and keep us closer to our family and friends. But according to How Facebook ruins Friendships “we took our friendship online” (Bernstein). First we began communicating more by email than by phone and then switched to instant messaging or texting. By joining social Medias online
Social network sites (SNSs) such as such as Friendster, CyWorld, and MySpace allow individuals to present themselves, articulate their social networks, and establish or maintain connections with others (Ellison, 2007). These sites could be used for work related situation, romance, connecting with individuals with shared interest, or creating a connection amongst college students. Facebook enables its users to present themselves in an online profile, accumulate ‘‘friends’’ who can post comments on each other’s pages, and view each other’s profiles (Ellison, 2007). Individuals can write on the wall of friends, send private message, comment on posts, as well as chat via instant messaging. Much of the early research on online communities assumed that individuals using these systems would be connecting with others outside their pre-existing social group or location, liberating them to form communities around shared interests, as opposed to shared geography (Ellison, 2007).
The proposal of each author portrays different attitudes and views among generations, each author discusses a similar idea of why each writer is different. Disregarding the audience each author focuses on, the main purpose is to argue whether writing has changed or remained similar through generation. One author believes that technology influenced writing as opposed to two authors who believe it is within the writer itself (authors interest). There is one author who believes that writing has not refined through generations. Despite the different attitudes towards writing, the authors establish a common talking point about what effects writing and why. Those who fall under the first camp of composing relate writing to self-importance. The second camp discusses how different types of support affect the style of writing, while the last camp believes delivery and articulation changes the way an author writes. Most of the authors agree that time has an importance as well as an impact relating to writing. Those who oppose do not believe that writing has changed or at least has not changed because of generations. That is to say that each camp discusses the ideas of that author in order to support their reasoning. The argument raised in this paper is if writing has changed over time.