h a l f b a k e r yThis is what happens when one confuses "random" with "profound."
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Free Ends
A new meme that reconceptualizes 'friends' for the new industrial era. | |
One of the main purposes for social networking with new media
is
accumulating social capital. Having a vast list of contacts can
be
beneficial in any of the separated areas of modern existence:
sex
life, social life, professional life, private life, afterlife, real
life and
many others.
In other words social networks are an excellent
means
to various ends. The implication of having so many of these
modern
friends, is that many of life's needs and wants can be acquired
more
easily simply by being friends. Social exchange signifies what is
essentially
a
meaningless word for a purposeful social bond. Therefore the
new
meme 'free ends' or freeends should be barely considered before
complete dismissal by the online community.
[link]
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There's no "I" in Fre end. |
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I decided to be more extrovert, so I looked at someone else's facebook page. Does that count? |
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Friend is one extra letter from fiend. |
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What zen-tom said, but in fewer words. |
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The best way to approach this is to state the basic sociological marxist critique of modern industrial capitalism. The argument was that capitalism and factory labour changed human communities from skilled collectives of primary social relations (kinship and historical bonds) to an unskilled mass of secondary social relations and functionaries. In this new mechanical society people had to adopt a functional ethos. This new social arrangement accelerated technological development, and now we have computers. The Internet and social networks seek to resolve 'the separation' caused by industrial capitalism, however it has its own brand new characteristic forms of alienation. Mainly reducing people to content in information systems databases, that are profitable for the capitalist. People inside these databses are essentially reduced to commodity and their lives are open to evalution and appraisal. Inside this new social environment people engage in social exchange, and accumulate connections as social capital. These people who use this technology have taken the new identity "users". This concept 'free ends' is a parody of 'friends' inside these user databases, and comments on this reality of commodification, and social exchange. Indeed this new technological reality is being used to use people, for example exploiting them based on social sensitivies, when what little power can be held over someone when someone else has some usually embarassing information formative of identity. The idea of 'free ends' is a cynical reconceptualization of the way this technology is being used by what is still essentially a consumer society. |
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If anyone has a cached copy of my previous response to
zentom that I deleted out of sleepiness I'd appreciate a
repost. |
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Of course Freon Ends are banned these days.. |
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