Analysis: The Fakebook Generation

“The Fakebook Generation”

What is it that compels the human race to waste so much of their time? Why do we sit for endless hours staring at a screen, watching television, checking email, surfing the web, or even going on Facebook and socially interacting yourself with friends through the Internet? What is so attractive to our generation that we believe that we need to stay connected to “friends” and virtually do nothing for hours on end? The author of the article “The Fakebook Generation,” Alice Mathias states, “Dwelling online is a cowardly and utterly enjoyable alternative to real interaction” (Mathias 3). What makes the online experience this way, is that you control what others can see and not see. You are in complete control of your virtual life.
Facebook and all kinds of social networking sites have allowed people to live a second life.
People have become dependent on the internet over the years, using it to catch up with old acquaintances or even finding out the latest stories of what’s going on in the area. Since the internet was introduced it has evolved greatly, causing social networking to become a huge part of our everyday lives. Having the ability to use social networking sites at all the time allows people to stay connected to friends, family and acquaintances. Commenting and liking on friends’ pages, posting pictures and talking about your current activities, have lead people to live “fake” lives. In the words of Mathias, “I’ve always thought of Facebook as an online community theater” (Mathias 2). She explains that Facebook gives us the ability to pick and choose what we think is suitable for the world to see. For example, a person may have taken several pictures while out with friends, but only put up the ones that they are most satisfied with and want others to see. Additionally, for the younger generation, Facebook is a form of escapeism where users transform their real lives into drama and genuine relationships into
jokes.
What makes this “fake” life so enjoyable and cowardly is that we are in full control. Today’s society is so judgmental and critical, causing people to become a lot more conscientious about how they as a person, reflect to the world. “My generation has long been bizarrely comfortable with being looked at, and as performers on the Facebook stage” (Mathias 2), Mathias says. This discomfort people have, has been causing Facebook users to fulfill another life that people would rather see instead of what goes on normally in life. According to the article, observing another person’s life is secretly is one of the main reasons Facebook is so widely popular. Users from all over the world enjoy this because it “indulges our gaze” (Mathias 3).
As someone who grew up in this generation, I have a good view on what happens on social networking sites. Whether it’s exaggerating the truth or creating something to satisfy people’s want for entertainment, everyone has their own reason for putting what they do on social networking sites. “We upload pictures of ourselves cooking dinner for our parents or doing keg stands at last night’s party” (Mathias 2) stated Mathias. Everyone does it. I’ve done it, you’ve done it, and we’ve all done it. We have our own filter, controlling what goes out publicly and what stays put.
Our everyday lives consists of interacting with people whether it’s online, on our phones, or simply, in person. In this day in age, we socialize more through the internet than anything else. The biggest contender would be Facebook. This social networking website allows practically anyone with access to the internet to socialize with friends and family. We don’t always want the world to see everything we do that’s why Mathias stated that dwelling online can be cowardly because we can easily filter out what people see and what they can’t.