To Socializing and Beyond!

To Socializing and Beyond! 

Society in general has continued on an increase towards, well, increase. Quick feed back time for questions asked, faster internet speeds, speed dating. However, this increase of increase has allowed one person to touch another person thousands of miles away. A new technology has particularly influenced my ability to reach and touch another. I will argue that the forthcoming of social networking has connected more people in more locations fulfilling Marshall McLuhan’s global village theory.

For centuries pen and paper were the means of long distance communication, the pony express was followed by the invention of the telephone which could vocally connect people from far distances. With the rise of technology the introduction of text messaging and emails, now opened the gate way to faster, and less personal, communication. The difference, however, between social networking and emailing is the advantage to add a picture. Even before photography, images were cast on cave walls to transfer information or relay some kind of message that words could not express (Wikipedia, Cave Art). The connection being that with the ability to view a profile of another person, a profile that allows the viewer to access pictures, thoughts, other friends, a connection from a distance now becomes as close as a click of the mouse.

An excellent example is from my own life, where I am able to communicate with my good friend Rowena Umblas from Manila, Philippines. Rowena and I created a very strong bond while I stayed in the Philippines, and with the use of social networking, I can send her a message, chat with her via instant messaging, send her pictures of what I am doing and view her pictures as well. A few months ago Rowena went through a broken relationship with a secret crush, although I was unable to console her physically through pictures and messages she was able to vent her frustrations and I was able to listen and comfort. The connection we have is still strong, and I accredit that to the creation of social networking.

Marshall McLuhan theorized that with the electronic age came the global village. McLuhan says, “As electrically contracted, the globe is no more than a village” (McLuhan, 1995). A village is a small community of people relying on one another for food, protection and shelter (websters.com, Village). To create a global village would suggest that one watches out for another and provides some sort of means of survival. McLuhan goes on to describe the “heightened awareness”, meaning the increased responsibility that has now been laid on the shoulders of society due to this “villagization” of the globe (McLuhan, 1995). Social networking allows myself to be involved in hundreds of peoples lives and for them to also be involved in my life. My sister recently moved away to college. She was my best friend and with the use of Social networking, particularly Facebook, I am able to see her new apartment, roommates, and adventures into the life of an independent college student. Therefore, whether that village is in the Philippines or a neighboring state, the awareness increase creates a need to correspond with people, a need to let others know how you are and what you are doing. Experiment with this increase awareness to communicate by not communicating. Long-term electronic solitude reflects on your ability to create relationships (Wikipedia, Solitude).

Although social networking has created a long distance connection between people, it has also created an opportunity for the unwanted to be connected as well. Take Susie Granger’s daughter who was sexually assaulted by a man who found on her social networking site, “Please don’t allow your children to go onto MySpace,” Granger says,” It’s a very unsafe environment for them to be in” (CBS News, 2006). Other cases have been made on ignorant people being murdered, raped, or kidnapped because of their connections on social networking. The freedom related to this technology echoes McLuhan’s global village where it takes everyone to take care of it.

Overall, social networking has increased our awareness to communicate with people, deepened those connections using pictures and messages, and created a village out of a globe. With my theory of increase of increase, as technology increase their will be an increase in the use and ability of social networking that will allow people to further their relationships and even touch more lives then one ever thought possible.

Work Cited

Cave Art. (n.d.) Retrieve January 2009. http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cave_art

Crieser, John. (2006, February). “MySpace, Your Kid’s Danger?” Retrieved January 2009. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/02/06/eveningnews/main1286130.shtml

McLuhan, Marshall. (1995). “Essential McLuhan”. In Eric McLuhan and Frank Zinrone (Ed.). Basic Books, New York, NY

Solitude. (n.d.) Retrieved January 2009. http://wikipedia.org/wiki/Solitude

Village. (n.d.) Retrieved January 2009. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/village