Facebook : Connecting People [part 2]

In my previous post, I might have not been clear enough or probably too timid to really voice out my concern to the issue. Because I fear that I might be bombed with hate comments or whatever. But this time around, let me be frank.

I feel like Facebook have really lost it's purpose of connecting people. Again, I'm not saying it doesn't work. I just feel like it's more of a bonus nowadays.

Take a look around your news feed. What do you see? It may be just me, or it may be just for some people. But what I see are some individual, showcasing their lives. What they've eaten, what they have done, what are they doing, what are they thinking, what are their comments on a certain political/non-political issue, their day-to-day updates, etc.

I thought that Facebook goes beyond that. I thought that Facebook relish the idea of real human connection. Bringing people together. Chatting and sharing thoughts on their mutual interest. True, you can see it in certain shared posts. But if you looked carefully at those comments and read them one by one, does it really seem that everyone is connecting? All I can see is each and everyone trying to get their thoughts published. Funny way of thinking it though. Hahahaha.

Does 'selfies' and 'foodporn' really connects people? Does Facebook-venting and telling everyone about your frustration helps you connect to another people? Or does playing those games on Facebook really help you make more friends? I hardly believed that is the case.

Though, being an antisocial really puts you in a different perspective on how Facebook have come these past few years. Well.... I guess I'm not making any sense any more. But here's my question.

Was Mark's vision when he created 'Facebook' is the same as what was said during 'The Social Network' when Jesse Eisenberg was playing the role of Mark himself?

"Mark Zuckerberg: People want to go online and check out their friends, so why not build a website that offers that? Friends, pictures, profiles, whatever you can visit, browse around, maybe it's someone you just met at a party. Eduardo, I'm not talking about a dating site, I'm talking about taking the entire social experience of college and putting it online."

If it is so, then I rest my case. As it states in the above, all of my ranting would be just.... another rant. But if it wasn't, then my question remains.

Facebook : Connecting People

My recent tweet got me thinking, if Facebook were really created as means to connect with other people, why does it feel like Facebook is really just another tool to showcase our life for other people to see and comment, not really connecting? This may come as an antisocial comment to you all but think about it.

Malaysian Manners

Something refreshing happened this morning when I just got back from work. As I was walking down the alley leading to my apartment, I saw three cute little kittens eating what looked like processed cat food out of a Styrofoam plate. I tried meowing to the kittens but out of the blue, a Chinese grandma who was walking nearby responded instead.

"Cute, aren't they?"

"Why, yes." I replied.

"I gave them this ... " while showing to me the used pack of cat food in her hands. 

"That's nice of you."

"Well, we can't simply just let them starve right? They are kittens after all."

I nodded. Before she left, she smiled to me and said,

"Well, good morning and have a very nice day."

Immediately without her noticing as she walks by, my lips widen and a smile was carved onto my face.

This incident reminded me of how ironic it is that some of our Malay people aren't too friendly with strangers (especially to their own kin) while people of other races can show even more kindness and generosity towards every other living creature (humans and animals alike).

As a Malay, sometimes I'm ashamed to admit that most of the rude people in this country majority are Malays. Why can't we learn to be kind and compassionate towards others? Even a simple smile would do, is that so hard to do?