I have an enormous feeling of being overwhelmed when thinking about The Social Web. I understand that this idea of all people having the ability to contribute to the content of the web as well as learn something from the web is the epitome of the Read/Write web. But to me, it is down right overwhelming.
When I think of The Social Web, I immediately think of Facebook, or as a friend & Facebook user calls it, The Happy Huge Time Waster. If I haven’t talked to somebody since third grade and have not actively sought that person out using other means, there is probably a reason. I don’t really care if some guy I knew in high school who is now living in Arizona is watching a Rosanne rerun at this moment. I don’t need people buying me a virtual round of drinks when what I really need is a real drink! And people who poke me through Facebook probably do so because they know if this is done in person, it is probably best to be well out of my reach. I say all of this having some exposure to Facebook. I was convinced some time ago by a friend that I NEEDED a Facebook account. I created the account very cautiously due to a great fear of identity theft. I did not put in too many personal details, I only became friends with people I was friends with in real life nor did I post any pictures. Changing my routine to include checking my Facebook account was the first hurdle to pass. As I began checking posts, I felt as if I was wasting my time. I was reading things my friends had already told me themselves either via email or a phone call. My disdain for Facebook was cemented when a family member passed away and another family member posted that fact on her wall BEFORE the rest of the family was informed. I do not believe that I have the right to know everything about everybody I know, and they do not have the right to know all about me.
Don’t even get me started on Twitter. It is a mini-Facebook. Granted, my knowledge of Twitter comes from the pop media and all the reports about celebrities using Twitter. In my opinion, Twitter is nothing more than an ego stroke; “Look at me, but don’t expect me to look at you. I am so important that you need to follow me and know my every thought, but don’t you dare think that I am going to respond to you personally.”
Whether or not this was the intended use of The Social Web, this is what it has become for a lot of people. I cannot see a constructive way of translating this to a classroom setting. I do understand the argument of online collaborative learning from an infinite number of sources, but that only adds to the feeling of being overwhelmed. When can one subject be set aside to examine the next if more and more information is being contributed?
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