Ian Kaniu, is a graduate student at the Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology, School of Engineering, University of Nairobi. He candidly told me the other day that he is out of facebook after signing up with great expectation: It is a waste of time - from the lack of in-depth and insightful chatting that (usually) ensures, he says.
This is a paradox of concurrence - when Kaniu was quitting from facebook that is the time I was signing up after some years of consideration. I must confess that I regret to have missed several opportunities afforded by this social arena.
He is not alone. When I was working with ADNET Communications Limited,during the installation of WiMAX for Safaricom we had serious dead lines to meet, one of my project engineer was quitting facebook too."Wastage of time," I here summarize his argument.
In one of the Kenyan media house which I have been working with as a feature writer - the management are privy that facebook distracts the writers.Thus a mouse and cat game to sign in while in the newsroom.
But, why did I join facebook at last? One, this is where everyone is - from my revered magazines like the Adventist Review, Harvard Business Review, MIT Entrepreneurship Review...here they are; great minds are here marketing their books... one of the Harvard University professor says that he recently joined facebook to market his book(s).
Two, through facebook, I'm able to connect with some of my primary, secondary and university friends after so many years, as we parted without exchanging contacts. Yes, with people of similar interest.
Thirdly, facebook is a news channel of its own kind. When one of my friends lost her loving father we were able to share the sad news by just dropping a line in the wall post. The Kenyan Daily Nation recently carried a story where one of the ladies was attacked and left to die by the road side. A good Samaritan come by... she took her to hospital... unfortunately she succumbed to death. The parent were able to be reached via embracing facebook to locate her home as someone who new her come across the message.
When you are out there to get other people view, on a particular topic, what I need is to ignite the discussion:"I'm finding it to be a opinion gathering stop over."
Fourthly,now, than before, as an entrepreneur with Sadifa Njema Civil & Construction Limited I'm embracing facebook as a forum where we can be able to exchange with our service consumers, providers and partiners, notwithstanding that signing up the company name is proving naught as I earlier made a mistake in signing it under age 13. It is my hope that the signing up of the company name will be accepted as it is.
"Kick off and perpetuate the quality of debate that can inform, educate, entertain,inspire one another to exploit their potential, and catalyze mind to think - to keep on flowing through," this is what I tell my friend Kaniu, adding that "facebook is a powerful tool for professionals and scholars, marketers and service consumers - everyone of because we have a heart to pour out. Facebook like any other tool can harnessed or misused by the users." What do you think?
2 comments:
Dear Robert O. Onsare,
Thanks a lot for your candid views on the facebook issue, and I totally agree with your opinion. Indeed facebook is a "must have" tool for professionals and scholars and is even more handy for entrepreneurs and marketers.
But as they say that every coin has got two sides, I think we need also to agree that there are some shortfalls that come with facebook, especially for those who do not sign up for the the above-mentioned reasons.
In my opinion, facebook is more of a social tool than of an intellectual platform to most people, to me facebook has taken over, the time and place for books and intellectual pursuit and I feel that more people are spending a lot time on facebook socializing. Just think of it, when was the last time you visited the library? or when was the last time you read a book (cover to cover)? this are just but a few questions that few people can answer. My main concern is the time that is allocated for chatting and socializing, I just wish that half that time could be allocated to other tasks that are equally/more important.
Even in lecture halls this days you find that students are now more concerned in updating their facebook status and commenting on their peers walls than on listening on the ongoing lecture. I am even more worried because nowadays in high schools, students are carrying (expensive) phones, now, how do we expect them to concentrate on their studies when their peers are just a few buttons way? Don't you think this is contributing to the deteriorating performances in education.
Indeed I agree that we must appreciate the fact that facebook has revolutionized the whole art of communication and socialization, but we must also address the challenges that come with it.
Thanks Ian Kaniu, for your insightful views.
You have raised fundamental questions that we can not ignore to respond to as facebook consumers. 1) How does it promote intellectual growth and the flow of important information? that is our reading culture and serious writing. 2) How does it affect educational excellence, as smart phones are now accessible to secondary school students? 3)What do we write and comment via facebook?
It's my dream - if facebook will be rightly harnessed - it will be one of the information super high way. Imagine of this scenario: If you can be able to be friend with post graduate students from across the world pursuing Nuclear Energy related areas - you will be able to share so much about what you are learning and researching on as you can easily compare notes and research development, example.
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