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| Image Credit: http://www.technering.com |
Your typical diary that kept our crushes secret, allowed us to vent our frustration over any situation and just about anything that could be written down, died out all because Facebook wants to know what's on our minds. Seeing pointless statuses day in and day out, I wonder why would you post this to the digital world? What makes you think I want to know you dropped your drink or had a nightmare? Then I remember, before Facebook the only way to let someone know was through writing it a diary. Now it's more or less the same, except it's a little bit more public when the world knows your problems. But could we see a return of the diary?
The downfall of diaries started when blogs started being published. McNeill (2009) stated internet diaries (blogs) give access to lives in progress. Sound familiar? Blogs was the stepping stone needed to promote people and their lives. Don't get me wrong, blogs are still an integral part of our digital society, but it's Facebook that has everyone's attention. Facebook allows the users to connect with their "friends" and they can connect with more people through this publicity. I see blogs as a tool for people who are more opinionated then your average Facebook user. The best thing about blogs, you can be completely anonymous.
Van Luyn (2013) explained that genres tell us how to produce and to understand text. Facebook's genre is exactly what it says "what's on our minds". Without that little bit of writing, people might use Facebook as a important piece of information.
References
McNeill, L. (2011). Diary 2:0?: A Genre Moves from Page to Screen. Language and New Media (313). New Jersey: Hampton Press Inc.
Dr Luyn. A. (2013)- BA1002: Our Space, Networks, Narrative and the Making of Place, Lecture 6: Genre and Identity [Power Point Slides]. Retrieved from: http://learnjcu.edu.au
Image Credit
Surya, A (2013). Connect to Facebook + Blog: How to?
Retrieved from: http://www.technering.com/2013/04/connect-facebook-blog-how-to.html
A fonicle, Sean? I don't think I want to know!
ReplyDeleteTo me a diary is still a personal matter. Now that I'm up in years I write in my diary each night, a) so if necessary I can check what day it is when I wake up and b) so I know where I've been and what I've done. In my angst-ridden years I journalled in thick notebooks, and once or twice left filled books in the roof spaces of homes I was leaving. They did not have my name in them!
The best-known diarists – Anne Frank and Samuel Pepys come to mind – included historical events as a backdrop for relational accounts and personal unburdening. I suspect that in years to come we'll have millions of uninformed perspectives on world events but precious little personal revelation. Horrocks & Callahan (2007) offer a thoughtful investigation into the difference between who we are and who we want others to believe we are. Where the private journal provides an outlet for 'unacceptable' thoughts and feelings, the public diary, or blog (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_Diary) forces the ego to self-edit. This has the effect of making most entries superficial – or worse, of normalising the dark side of human nature.
REFERENCE
Horrocks, A. & Callahan, J. (2007) The role of emotion and narrative in the reciprocal construction of identity. Human Resource Development International, 69-83. doi 10.1080/13678860600563382
Hey Sean,
ReplyDeleteI to suffer from the same frustration as you when viewing countless wall post of my Facebook friends that are more similar to that of a private diary entry than a statement that could be made in public. However this essence of sharing is not unfamiliar to the diary genre, with diarists often sending diaries home when away to report on their more resent escapades (McNeil, 2011). This concept of sharing diary entries, is similar to that of Facebook users sharing wall posts. It can thereby be assumed that diary writing has always contained a public element, and the wall posts of Facebook users today contain enough element of 'diaryness' to remain recognizable within the diary genre (McNeil, 2011).
References
McNeil, L. (2011). Diary 2:0?: A Genre Moves from Page to Screen. Language and New Media (313). New Jersey: Hampton Press Inc.
I agree with the statement that you make about Facebook being dominated by pointless statuses. Some of my friends feel that it is very important for everybody to know exactly what you ate that day or what non-interesting things you have planned for the day. But i do think that there are still people out there that do not feel that it is necessary for everybody to know your deepest thoughts. In a addition to that, the most popular bloggers do select the information they want their viewers to know, even though most of them try to keep it in a diary genre ( McNeill, 2011).
ReplyDelete