I told YOU So

Habermas recognises that societies need both varieties of communication. But he warns that unless we choose our institutions and technologies carefully, we can find ourselves living in a world (or in his case, returning to a world) in which the system overwhelms the life world, in which we spend our time conforming to rules rather than engaging in dialogue, carrying our tasks rather than partaking of experiences we can share with fellow humans. Our lives will increasingly be lived according to patterns that have no meaning or significance.

I took this from Rowlands book because it has facebook written all over it. Habermas is saying I told you so! It is so true that the system (facebook) overwhelms the life world. So many facebook users depend on their facebook to stay in touch with others through the system rather than making a phone call or dropping by a friends house for a visit. It is so much easier for us to click on their homepage and send them a message or go through their latest photo album to see what they have been up to lately. We know so much about these people without even having to have a conversation with them. People I only knew in high school (ones I never hung out with) but were in my class are on my facebook list. I keep them there just to see what they have been up to in the last few years that we've been out of high school. We'll have nothing to talk about at our 10 year reunion because we will know everything about everyone already. LOL......

So why did we let our world be taken over by the system if it overwhelms the life world so much? I think it is all about Convenience. The days are too short and there are not enough of them in a week or a month to do all of what we can accomplish on facebook in a few hours. There are so many people I wish I had the time to see and sit and have drink with or go to the park with. I have no time to fit this into my schedule. Maybe if there were 10 days a week and 34 hours in a day. But I would probably use that extra time to catch up on my sleep!!!!!
Within those few hours of facebook a week I have time to catch up with my old friends I no longer have time to go out and have a drink with. We send messages to each other.... talk on instant messanger when we are both logged on the computer at the same time and we can comment on each others photo's. This is why I stay in touch with those on facebook! CONVENIENCE.