A Friendster addict
December 19, 2003 | 12:00am
Let’s all unite and build a better republic… – let’s all join Friendster!!!"- I heard this comment one day on my way to work on the daily Top 10 of the morning show on radio with Chico and Delamar. That morning’s episode was somewhat political – they wanted to get the listeners’ reaction to an actor’s plan to run for president, and one of their listener’s sent in this comment. And as far as I was concerned, that listener could be right.
One time a friend (but as I type this we’re no longer friends) wouldn’t stop bugging me about logging on to the Friendster website. When I asked him what the site was all about, he told me to just check it out.
When I did give the site a go-see I was just oblivious to it at first, registering just for the sake of it. But the longer I surfed the site, the more I understood what the fuss was all about. Now, I can’t blame those who are addicted to it. In fact, I have becomes one of them. The site is a good pastime for a boring stuck-at-home Christmas vacation.
It’s the latest craze to hit Internet and non-Internet junkies alike. It has been a source of addiction for so many people, especially students, that a number of schools have banned the site from their computer labs.
I don’t have to dwell on what this site is all about since most readers are probably familiar with it. But to give an idea to those who are still in the dark as to what the frenzy is all about it, here’s a few tidbits about Friendster.
I call this site an online sosyalan site. You go online to meet people (it’s up to you what sort of people you’re looking to meet), or it’s a thing you and your friends want to share. In my case, it did wonders for me, stumbling upon old friends whom I lost contact with for quite sometime, even the ones from abroad. I even realized that people whom I never thought would ever touch a keyboard actually drew profiles of themselves.
And how does one make friends on this site? This is where the word connection is put to good use. You get to meet your friends; and your friend’s friends and so on. It’s literally online people-watching, and one of the features that makes it quite addicting is that not only can you surf and look at other people’s pics, but you can read what their friends have to say about them. I guess if you’re really hooked, you would probably get stuck sitting on your behind the whole day.
Friendster is like my online yearbook since I get the opportunity to make testimonials on friends, just like I did in the yearbook. This is one of the most addicting features about the site. It’s not everyday you hear friends complement you or that you say nice things about them. But I make testimonials only for people I know. But I just don’t get it, some people ask for testimonials from people they hardly know.
And what is the downside to Friendster? I guess it’s that quite a number of people go into a popularity contest, with bragging rights about who has the most number of friends on their list, some even reaching the hundred-mark. Truth is, some of those on their list they don’t really know, so you wouldn’t necessarily call them friends. I don’t think it’s humanly possible to be able to get close to around two hundred people at any given time. So why bother? That’s why I go for quality over quantity; I don’t really add people I don’t know, unless they show some kind of initiative that they’re interested in getting to know you.
A friend of mine told me what he thinks about this site, though obviously he’s not one who’s crazy about it. He says that although it’s more accessible, it also makes the process of making friends less personal. Less personal because, you "mack" them, you don’t really "talk" to them. These two are way different from each other. You don’t get to feel how they are as people.
Nevertheless, Friendster has contributed a lot to our Pinoy pop culture. Who would have thought that we Filipinos could make a big deal out of it? First was text messaging, now it’s Friendster. I guess there aren’t any other people like us who can push something to the point of a national obsession, especially among the youth.
A Merry Christmas to all and more Friendsters to come.
One time a friend (but as I type this we’re no longer friends) wouldn’t stop bugging me about logging on to the Friendster website. When I asked him what the site was all about, he told me to just check it out.
When I did give the site a go-see I was just oblivious to it at first, registering just for the sake of it. But the longer I surfed the site, the more I understood what the fuss was all about. Now, I can’t blame those who are addicted to it. In fact, I have becomes one of them. The site is a good pastime for a boring stuck-at-home Christmas vacation.
It’s the latest craze to hit Internet and non-Internet junkies alike. It has been a source of addiction for so many people, especially students, that a number of schools have banned the site from their computer labs.
I don’t have to dwell on what this site is all about since most readers are probably familiar with it. But to give an idea to those who are still in the dark as to what the frenzy is all about it, here’s a few tidbits about Friendster.
I call this site an online sosyalan site. You go online to meet people (it’s up to you what sort of people you’re looking to meet), or it’s a thing you and your friends want to share. In my case, it did wonders for me, stumbling upon old friends whom I lost contact with for quite sometime, even the ones from abroad. I even realized that people whom I never thought would ever touch a keyboard actually drew profiles of themselves.
And how does one make friends on this site? This is where the word connection is put to good use. You get to meet your friends; and your friend’s friends and so on. It’s literally online people-watching, and one of the features that makes it quite addicting is that not only can you surf and look at other people’s pics, but you can read what their friends have to say about them. I guess if you’re really hooked, you would probably get stuck sitting on your behind the whole day.
Friendster is like my online yearbook since I get the opportunity to make testimonials on friends, just like I did in the yearbook. This is one of the most addicting features about the site. It’s not everyday you hear friends complement you or that you say nice things about them. But I make testimonials only for people I know. But I just don’t get it, some people ask for testimonials from people they hardly know.
And what is the downside to Friendster? I guess it’s that quite a number of people go into a popularity contest, with bragging rights about who has the most number of friends on their list, some even reaching the hundred-mark. Truth is, some of those on their list they don’t really know, so you wouldn’t necessarily call them friends. I don’t think it’s humanly possible to be able to get close to around two hundred people at any given time. So why bother? That’s why I go for quality over quantity; I don’t really add people I don’t know, unless they show some kind of initiative that they’re interested in getting to know you.
A friend of mine told me what he thinks about this site, though obviously he’s not one who’s crazy about it. He says that although it’s more accessible, it also makes the process of making friends less personal. Less personal because, you "mack" them, you don’t really "talk" to them. These two are way different from each other. You don’t get to feel how they are as people.
Nevertheless, Friendster has contributed a lot to our Pinoy pop culture. Who would have thought that we Filipinos could make a big deal out of it? First was text messaging, now it’s Friendster. I guess there aren’t any other people like us who can push something to the point of a national obsession, especially among the youth.
A Merry Christmas to all and more Friendsters to come.
* * * Email the author (or should I say Friendster the author) at ketsupluis@hotmail.com
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