By By Ronald Diemick
Face-to-face communication seems to be slowly dissolving as techology evolves and social networking forces its way to the forefront of personal interaction.
Posting information and networking with people all over the world have become the lastest trends in communication with Web sites like Facebook.com, MySpace.com and Livejournal.com enabling people to easily connect with others.
These free Web sites allow quick and efficient comunication, as well as the ability to keep track of acquaintances, including friends and family members who live far away.
The disadvantage: it’s moving people away from social interaction and can consume their life if they are not careful. Checking away messages on instant messanger has been pushed aside in replace of reading posts on Facebook and comments on MySpace and LiveJournal. It is almost like living a second life online.
Each one of these sites have their own unique features that attract users.
Livejournal, a simple blogging/journal writing Web site, allows users to publish whatever they want, whether it is posted in the form of a journal or an actual article. Friends can be listed, and their posts can be read.
Members can personalize their journal layout, including adding profile pictures for an added bit of flair. There isn’t much information about the actual user other then name, birthday and location, but there are privacy options, so comments can be restricted, and only permitted users can view wall posts. So if venting is the goal, Livejournal might be the way to go.
“It’s [Livejournal.com] not bad,” Holly Nikodem, a junior, said. “Often times I have full conversations with people in Livejournal comments instead of talking through AIM.”
Facebook also proves as a means of full communication with wall posts and private messaging. However, this service has a more unique concept. Using their college or university e-mail addresses, students are able to sign up and are then registered in the database for their universities. They can post as much or as little information about themselves as they want, including pictures, information on their favorite movies and books, class schedules, hometowns, majors, campus residence and even a link to their boyfriends/girlfriends. Besides connecting to people at their own school, students can “friend” students who go to other schools. Groups with posting boards can be created so that people can discuss similar interests. There seems to be a stronger sense of community on Facebook than on Livejournal.
“I guess to keep up with what’s going on in my friend’s lives and to keep others posted on some of the things in my life,” Georgina Shultz, a sophomore, said about her own personal reasons for using Facebook. “And to keep track of clubs I’m in and stuff like that.”
Last is the 400 pound gorilla that is MySpace.com. The site is essentially one part Livejournal with its blogging features and one part Facebook with its school and work community building aspects. Yet it also has its own unique features: it collects other data and lets users build lists of favorite songs to compare them with other’s choices. If users want to completely engross themselves in befriending and finding out things about other people without actually talking to them, MySpace is definitely the way to go.
Not only does MySpace have features to keep track of information such as likes and dislikes, it allow members to contact people through the Web site. In essence, users never actually have to leave their machines to the part in human interaction. If they want the whole enchilada when it comes to friend networking Web sites with a community atmosphere, MySpace is the ideal choice.
That being said, all three are fun. They have all their own quirks and differences, but limiting time spent on these sites might be best. Users can and seem to be easily spending hours on these Web sites, while giving procrastination a whole new name and domain.
Even though sites like Livejournal, Facebook and MySpace can help users stay in communication with one another, they seem to be preventing people from physical contact. As communication technology continues to evolve, social face-to-face interaction appears to be diminishing.
So instead of only trying to get to know people through these social networks, attempt to meet people the old fashioned way, face-to-face.