Are We Too Connected?

My post today is a simple concept but one that I have found myself thinking about a lot. Are we too connected? I don’t know about the rest of you, but I have my phone and ipad with me at all times. Plus, I have a laptop computer that I use at home. I realized when hanging out with a friend last week that maybe I should try harder to disconnect myself from the world for an hour or so. We couldn’t even watch a movie without my email making my phone beep! Then he would say “Do you need to check that?” and of course the answer was “Yes.” But do I really need to check my email when it comes through? Will the world end if I don’t respond to people in a timely manner past 5 pm? Probably not, but I find myself responding immediately to emails, posts, etc. It doesn’t really bother me too much because I make myself available for people to find me if needed, however, I know some of my friends are not the same. Once 5 pm hits, the computer goes off. Just think of how many devices you use per day and for how long to stay connected to others. What do you think? Are we too connected? I believe the answer to be yes, but is it sometimes bad to be so connected?

Facebook and Preconceived Notions

So my name’s Taylor, and about ten months ago (September 14th, 2012, to be exact), I was accepted into medical school at the Texas Tech School of Medicine. I was so excited I may have cried a little. About six months ago, I joined a Facebook page for the Texas Tech School of Medicine Class of 2016. And my excitement disappeared faster than a dad at a dance recital.

The people posting to this Facebook page were the most annoying people I had ever seen! I’m spending the next four years with these kids? This is the problem with meeting people on the Internet before you meet them in person. You develop opinions about them based on three or four comments on a public forum.

Take for example Jessica* (name has been changed- God forbid my future classmates stumble upon this post), who posted the most obnoxious and annoying questions on our page. Which textbook edition should we use? What are the professor’s office hours like? Where will I park during the year? And all I could think was “Really, Jessica? It’s February! Why do you need to know where you’ll be parking next August?” It was so irritating! I couldn’t handle her questions, and she had me worried that my entire med school class would drive me as crazy as she did.

But when I met Jessica at welcome weekend, I actually enjoyed her company. (It helped that she bought a few of my drinks). She wasn’t the annoying gunner I thought she was going to be, but it was still hard to get that image of her out of my head. To this day, anytime I see that Jessica has posted on our Facebook page, I groan.

Then there is this boy Drew* who was as awful in person as he was over the Internet. This kid got into a fight (and I do mean fight) with current medical students over what textbooks to use. All I wanted to say was, “I’m sorry Drew, have you been in medical school before? No? Then shut up!” Instead I closed my computer down and avoided him like the plague at welcome week. In fact, any time I saw Drew, he was relatively alone.

Did this guy completely alienate himself from the group before he’d even met any of them in person?

And if Drew could do that in five comments, could I?

 

Guest Blogger: Taylor Warmoth

Too Young For Facebook? Not Anymore

If any of you have been watching the news lately I am sure that you have heard the rumors about Facebook allowing new users under the age of 13 to join the site, and yes the rumors are true. Facebook has been tossing around the idea for a few weeks now and are trying to find a “safe, child-friendly space on the site” (The New York Times). Here are my thoughts on this:

1.       Allowing users under 13 is a marketers/advertisers dream! Target, target, target those kiddos and start getting them hooked on your brand while they are young and don’t know any better ha-ha.

2.       I personally don’t think these kids will know how to responsibly use the site but I guess that is where parents would need to step in and monitor the use (like they really will)

3.       Privacy risks are already a big issue and so imagine how bad it will get when a young adult posts things online that can come back to bite them in the butt later. They don’t understand the seriousness of privacy concerns or even how long a photo can stay out in the cyber world

4.       As a part-time dance instructor, I allow certain students from the dance studio to be my friend and see my status updates. However, if the young adults that I teach tried to add me, I would have to deny it. Sad face but in my opinion they aren’t mature enough to know me on that level and to respect my Facebook page. What’s to keep them from posting stupid, pointless things on my wall? They don’t need to know when I am out at happy hour. Ha-ha.

5.       Facebook should just create a Facebook for kid’s version that is completely separate and then transfer the profile, etc when they hit a certain age. The end (just a thought and pretty sure that would be complicated)

6.       Isn’t cyber bullying a huge issue right now? I don’t think allowing young adults another site to intimidate and harass others is a good idea.

I could literally go on and on about this but oh well. Honestly, from the PR side, I understand the pros of allowing under 13 users on Facebook. From my personal opinion, I don’t like the idea. What do you think?