So it seems like everyone these days has an account with Myspace, Facebook or Twitter.  There are also tons of other social networking sites, but these three are the most popular so I’ll stick to them. 

I saw a sign the other day at Hooters that said, “Follow us on Facebook and Twitter”.  I thought to myself, “who would follow this restaurant in the first place? Is it really that important that I am kept up to date with how good their chicken wings are?”. 

It’s kind of ridiculous the way these social networking sites are being utilized.  The sad thing is that a lot of people turn Myspace or Facebook in to their own personal little promotional page, and this is where narcissism screams the loudest.

I understand that you want to put your best face forward..  people put up Myspace pages in a fashion that promotes them in the way they want to be seen.  Here you put up your best pictures, your coolest videos, anything that projects the image you want people to see.

The problem comes from when people start shifting from reality to fantasy.  It’s okay to display photos or comments from true friends or events.  But when you start portraying a person that is less than 90% of you, then it becomes more of a manipulation or deception.  Why 90%?  Well, I just give 10% as a buffer since most people like to stretch the truth a little bit.  Try asking someone how old they are or how much they weigh

How about Twitter then?  Do I really need to know if my friend shampooed their hair just now?  Or what their thoughts are on the hamburger they just ate?  Sure Twitter can be a useful tool for celebrities with a big fan base or businesses that want to keep in touch.  But when Joe Schmoe uses Twitter to tell the world his mundane daily activities, then it can become a basic waste of Internet bandwidth.  It’s not his/her fault though, only those of the people that choose to “follow” Joe Schmoe’s tweets. 

So there you have it.  Twitter can be used or abused, but I won’t talk down to those who use it.  It’s a free service and a free world, anyone can choose to tweet or to follow a twit that tweets.  Go for it!

As for Myspace/Facebook and the like.. I say that the only problem with it is the abuse of people who live in a fantasy world and use it to stalk/harass/annoy people who live in the real world.  Like the people who ake fake profiles and pretend to be other people.  That to me is the scariest.  What is going through the minds of people who do this?  Do they not understand how weird/strange/scary it is to be like this?  I mean, get a life, a REAL life!  Accept who you are and be happy!  Make the most out of your REAL life, not try to pump up a phony one! 

To use social networking sites to keep in touch with loves ones is fine.  It can also be used for promotional purposes for businesses as well.  And if you are an actor/model/musician, then promote yourself by all means.  Just don’t promote yourself if there’s really nothing to promote.  By that, I mean don’t portray yourself to be anything less than what you truly are.. be  REAL.  Maybe you don’t have to be 100% honest about everything, but let’s aim for above 90%

All of these social networking sites have usefulness to them.  Provided we all try our best to be honest, there should be no problems with using these sites for any endeavor you wish.