Faking Intimacy
"The Facebook Sonnet" by Sherman Alexie, ponders the fascination behind social media and how it is changing and shaping the lives of its users on a daily basis. Honestly, I could go on for hours when it comes to the topic of social media, in which, I 'm not a huge fan of myself. I hate how Facebook tends to fake a sense of intimacy. I hate how it makes us feel as if our commentary and constant "status updates" are really valued by others or if they even bother to look. Much less actually care about what we have to say. In some cases, they may very well be genuinely curious about the happenings in our lives or at least bother to glance over the post before moving on. Others just mindlessly stay glued to their screens and …show more content…
Before jumping to a sense of bitterness if not disgust as the poem progresses in the next few lines after that, "Welcome to past friends and lovers, however kind or cruel" (Alexie, 2-3) and "Let 's undervalue and unmend the present" (Alexie, 4-5). In which he makes a very good point referring to those still stuck in the past, whether they are trying to relive high school memories or clinging to a relationship that probably ended for the best. The trouble with society today is that people have a tendency to share too much about their lives and even the lives of others. Whether it 's doting parents living vicariously through their parents or someone ranting about their personal business that no one even asked to know, yet, there it is plastered across your screen - amidst a sea of cat pictures. There is no denying that Facebook is Heaven for the narcissistic and Alexie clearly points this out time and time again in a poetic, yet, blunt manner. I 've often contemplated deleting my account for this very reason because narcissistic people drive me up the wall, whether they know they 're being narcissistic or not they still manage to irk me with their pointless statuses. Some people can be blissfully unaware, too wrapped up in themselves and their material things to stop and think before they post. That 's the …show more content…
Quite frankly I find that appalling and I hate face-to-face conversations. I mean nowadays people can 't even sit down and have dinner with their spouses or friends without acting like one of Pavlov 's dogs every time their phone goes off or they get some kind of notification. It 's like we 've forgotten how to interact without a screen in front of our face 24/7 like an oxygen mask. I wouldn 't call myself a "technophobe" per-say but I will acknowledge that social media is dividing us instead of bringing us together like it was intended to in the beginning. It started out as a way to bring people together and reconnect with the people who might 've fallen out of your life, as explained by Alexie toward the end of the poem, "Let 's exhume, resume, and extend childhood" (Alexie, 7-8). Now, it 's just one big popularity contest for who can rack up the most "friends" and I highly doubt you 're actually friends with 2,000
"The Facebook Sonnet" by Sherman Alexie, ponders the fascination behind social media and how it is changing and shaping the lives of its users on a daily basis. Honestly, I could go on for hours when it comes to the topic of social media, in which, I 'm not a huge fan of myself. I hate how Facebook tends to fake a sense of intimacy. I hate how it makes us feel as if our commentary and constant "status updates" are really valued by others or if they even bother to look. Much less actually care about what we have to say. In some cases, they may very well be genuinely curious about the happenings in our lives or at least bother to glance over the post before moving on. Others just mindlessly stay glued to their screens and …show more content…
Before jumping to a sense of bitterness if not disgust as the poem progresses in the next few lines after that, "Welcome to past friends and lovers, however kind or cruel" (Alexie, 2-3) and "Let 's undervalue and unmend the present" (Alexie, 4-5). In which he makes a very good point referring to those still stuck in the past, whether they are trying to relive high school memories or clinging to a relationship that probably ended for the best. The trouble with society today is that people have a tendency to share too much about their lives and even the lives of others. Whether it 's doting parents living vicariously through their parents or someone ranting about their personal business that no one even asked to know, yet, there it is plastered across your screen - amidst a sea of cat pictures. There is no denying that Facebook is Heaven for the narcissistic and Alexie clearly points this out time and time again in a poetic, yet, blunt manner. I 've often contemplated deleting my account for this very reason because narcissistic people drive me up the wall, whether they know they 're being narcissistic or not they still manage to irk me with their pointless statuses. Some people can be blissfully unaware, too wrapped up in themselves and their material things to stop and think before they post. That 's the …show more content…
Quite frankly I find that appalling and I hate face-to-face conversations. I mean nowadays people can 't even sit down and have dinner with their spouses or friends without acting like one of Pavlov 's dogs every time their phone goes off or they get some kind of notification. It 's like we 've forgotten how to interact without a screen in front of our face 24/7 like an oxygen mask. I wouldn 't call myself a "technophobe" per-say but I will acknowledge that social media is dividing us instead of bringing us together like it was intended to in the beginning. It started out as a way to bring people together and reconnect with the people who might 've fallen out of your life, as explained by Alexie toward the end of the poem, "Let 's exhume, resume, and extend childhood" (Alexie, 7-8). Now, it 's just one big popularity contest for who can rack up the most "friends" and I highly doubt you 're actually friends with 2,000