I know from past experiences that interactive computer life can be addictive. For instance, Facebook. I have had a Facebook for about four years and have checked for new wall posts from friends, new tagged pictures, or even just recently added photos or status updates from my friends everyday for in total, no less than two hours. I would consider this an addictive habit. On some days even, I would say that I am on Facebook for even more than two hours. When I should be doing homework or writing a paper or doing research I find myself constantly getting distracted by this evil social network. No matter how much I say it is great because I can keep in contact with my friends and family, sometimes I believe that Facebook does more bad than good.
One problem is, Facebook is not even as interactive as Second Life. The more applications and more sociable you can be with people I feel as though the more addicted one could get. Especially due to the fact that you can meet people in almost human form and talk to them and interact with them on the spot makes this whole world so much more addictive. I do not know all of the facts about Second Life however I feel that this whole virtual world could be very time consuming and that time can literally fly by if you are not careful. It is extremely easy to get locked up on trying to figure out what you want your avatar to look like and all of those minor details can add up. Once you have this figured out, those are only minor details then you get into everything else that Second Life has to offer and exploring this virtual world is a process in itself. Something new can appear every day! You can travel somewhere else everyday and learn something new; it is like living in the real world except you are glued to your computer. That’s why I want to know how addictive this can be.
To me, "passed experiences" makes sense, like something that passed us by and is gone. But the correct term here is "past" as it "past/present/future."
ReplyDeleteIt's one of those commonly confused words that profs love to use as a snare for students.
Help the poor reader with this tangle:
"I have had a Facebook for about four years and have checked for new updates in total for approximately at least two hours a day."
Read it aloud, and rephrase it how you would say it. Hint: the problems emerge after the word "updates." How much of the rest of the sentence do you need? What's the most important issue you want a reader to recall, later?
Decide that, and nuke the other qualifying words.
Finally, tell me about how SL time flies! Sometimes I wish my hundreds of hours had been spent as a sword-swinging barbarian slaying dragons or even as a big-shot "SLebrity" in some virtual nightclub. Instead, my time got consumed adding walls and textures to our House of Usher. At least it was job-related time in SL!
Brick warning...why is Facebook "an evil social network"?
ReplyDeleteFix that poorly supported claim. Perhaps FB isn't evil...it's the addiction to it?
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ReplyDeleteWhen I should be doing homework, writing a paper, or doing research, I find myself constantly getting distracted by the evil addiction to this social network.****
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with Meghan as I am constantly checking my facebook and I even have facebook on my phone. I think facebook is "evil" because it gives people the illusion of friends. Because one can always see what is happening to everyone, they feel connected to them. However, just because someone is "facebook friends" with someone doesn't mean they are friends in reality. Thus, facebook gives this false sense of community to the individual seeking friendship online.
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ReplyDeleteThis addiction is real and...strange. I feel stupid, sometimes when I realize that "I am sitting here in front of a computer, It seems to me that I spend lot of hours talking to it!". A question come at those times: is this a good way of living? -_- The addiction is valid too for the persons we meet on the net, when we tie up...it's going hard, and a other question come: where is the true? pff! (this picture is wonderfull!)
ReplyDeleteI like how Sarah provides one way to unpack that term, "evil." But the illusion of friendship still does not rate the term "evil" to me.
ReplyDeleteI save that level of malevolence for something that harms a person. Perhaps if a Facebook user lost a spouse or a job because of constant use. Still, is the Web site to blame, or is that person's action to blame?
Cars kill lots of us, and some folks label them "evil." But I'm not comfortable with such a sweeping term. I don't think the term "evil" can work for most technologies...perhaps a bioweapon or an H-bomb could be considered "evil," because other than deterring others from using similar weapons, they have no useful purpose.
"evil addiction" in Meghan's qualification is a clumsy use of words, but it avoids the sweeping generalization. It would work better if it were stated "I find myself constantly distracted, almost to the point of addiction. To me that seems unhealthy."
ReplyDeleteI just don't like the word "evil" here. It overstates. Let's save "evil" for the monsters and murderers in our midst. Using it this way cheapens the word.