Facebook has some very popular games that I've been "researching" lately. Okay, I'll just admit, I'm totally addicted to a couple of them. After repeated invitations from friends to be their "neighbor" on FarmTown, I decided to check it out. It is quite fun to design a farm, plow, plant, and harvest crops, and grow the farm into my personal creation.
While most of the game play is solitary, you can involve other farmers in your farm activities (they profit from doing so). You can have roughly twenty neighbors, who can plow and harvest for you, and water your plants as well. If your neighbors are unavailable, you can head to the marketplace, and enlist the help of other farmers. These individuals - essentially strangers - can be added to your "buddy" list in the event you'd like to work together again. So, it happens from time to time you become friendly with one of these people and want to add them as a neighbor. The catch is, you can only add Facebook friends as neighbors. In one case, I have added a farmer as a friend and neighbor, and it's been fun getting to know someone who lives in Saskatchewan, Canada.
The reason I mention this is because I have for some time felt as though social networking and Web 2.0 technologies (along with other technologies) are changing the nature/definition of friendship and what it means to be social. Last week, while on a business trip, I posted a request on my friend Jessica's Facebook page to please water my plants while I was gone. She knew that I was referring to the plants on my farm, but to others, the context wouldn't have been obvious. Are we really becoming virtual neighborhoods and increasing our sense of community? or are we watering it down and confusing friendship with acquaintanceship? I can see arguments for each, and would love to hear your thoughts.
Web 2.0 Gets Real
15 years ago
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I have had a few Farm Town requests on Facebook, but that's just something I haven't gotten into. I can honestly say in one case, that the guy must have way too much time on his hands and is trying to desperately connect with old classmates to fill some sort of void. I think he is definitely confusing friendship with acquaintenceship in this case.
ReplyDeleteBut for those of you that like the Farm Town thing, carry on!
I love FarmTown! I have to say that I still kinda have my wall up socially in the online world. The other day I hired someone from the marketplace to harvest. The person asked for my email address so he/she could add me as a friend. I didn't even know the person and said no, although I'm not sure why. It just felt weird. I think sites like Facebook give you a false sense of friendship. It's odd how when you are constantly updated on someone's life, you feel connected to them. But really, I'm no more connected to them than anyone else. If I were to see them face to face, we wouldn't be BFFs.
ReplyDeletefarmville is where it's at.
ReplyDeletenot farmtown ;)
and yeah, I hear you about the false sense of friendship thing. I rarely ever add anyone to my list whom I don't know.
The other thing this thread gets me thinking about is the evolving sense of "self" that social networking causes, at least for those of us who think about what to post and what not to. Younger people who have grown up with these technologies may not think carefully enough about it. But given that many of my Facebook "friends" are work colleagues, I do consider what I put out there, to make sure it's consistent with my professional "self" - anyone else iwth a similar experience?
ReplyDeleteGreat point you make about discretion. I find it stunning what some people are willing to reveal about themselves on line. A particular instance comes to mind from an earlier course where someone posted on a discussion board a personal anecdote that might have been considered salacious. Perhaps it's an individual's wanting to be known that can make online correspondence appealing - and since there's no real face time in the equation one may engender a false sense of security.
ReplyDelete