Tales from Facebook

I really enjoyed the conclusion of Daniel Miller’s Tales from Facebook, especially section number two: How Facebook helps those who struggle with relationships. Most of this section made a lot of sense to me and I agreed 100% with the statements Miller was making, however, there are other parts that are debatable and would be fun to discuss in class. I will now focus on two quotes by Miller; one I agree with and one I disagree with.

I completely agree when Miller states that “Facebook provides an additional space for personal expression, especially more creative or extravert public presence.” I am Facebook friends with a lot of people I went to high school with, and I constantly see the statuses and wall posts they make. Some of these people were quiet and shy in high school, but on Facebook their messages are funny, creative, and sometimes entertaining to read. It makes me happy to see these thoughtful messages on Facebook because these individuals are using this social networking website as a platform to communicate their thoughts and feelings in a way they might not necessarily know how to in “real life.” Everyone has to come out of their shell at some point, and Facebook is an instrument that many people use to do this.

In the first paragraph of section two Miller states, “Another shy male spends a great deal of time on Facebook looking at the activities of others. But he almost never has the confidence to post about himself.” I do not like this quote because I am a pretty outgoing person who gets along with just about everybody, but I still look at my friend’s statuses, wall posts, pictures, and other activities they may be doing on Facebook. Just because you look at people’s activities online does not make you a shy person. We all look at people’s Facebook pages during class, at home, or at the library when we are sick of studying or doing homework. It is a good way to take our mind off of things, and it does not mean we are shy. Also, I rarely post things about myself because I don’t really enjoy doing it, but that does not mean I lack self-confidence. I am a pretty confident person but I don’t post too many things on Facebook. Miller and I have contrasting opinions here, but I can understand where his thought process is coming from.