Devon Pollack

Professor Gina Srmabekian

English 114A
8 November 2014
Outline: Facebook and Loneliness
Slide 1: Loneliness and Facebook Thesis
The feeling of loneliness brings people in search of friendship closer together through
Facebook so they do not feel isolated.

Slide 2: Three News Sources

Does Facebook Make you Feel Lonely?
- Discusses how the feelings of loneliness bring people closer together through
Facebook in search of friendship.
- Experts found out the lonelier someone is, the longer they would spend their time on
Facebook.
Lonely people share too much on Facebook
-

Discusses how people disclose personal information on Facebook, in order to not feel

so lonely.
-

Most of these users shared their relationship status and home address publicly instead

to just their close friends.

Slide 3: Quote and Pictures

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Compared to non-lonely people, lonely people spend more time on Facebook. Lonely
individuals who are shy or have low social support may turn to Facebook to compensate
for their lack of social skills and/or social networks in face-to-face settings (Does
Facebook make you lonely?).
First picture explains how a girl is involved with Facebook and the second picture
explains how a girl is inside on her computer and not outside.

Slide 4: Three News Sources Counterargument

Is Facebook really making people more lonely?
-

Facebook has no real friendships and it is just for phonies

lonely people are already loners in real life

If you are lonely go outside and meet someone face-to-face

Facebook alienates people from meeting people outside of social media

Slide 5: Two Scholarly Articles

Friend Me if You Facebook: Generation Y and Performative Surveillance
-

Discusses panoptocism

Many people are watching social media on Facebook just like actors on a stage know

that an audience is watching them.

-

Members of the Facebook community use it to build their so-called real

friendships. People offer themselves up for surveillance, known as unchanging subjects.

The Construction of Self in Social Medias, Such as Facebook

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-

Discusses social construction through Facebook because Facebook is basically its

own social world.

-

Facebook opens up new possibilities for people to present themselves.

Slide 6: Pictures of Panoptocism and Social Construction

First picture shows how Facebook is taking over peoples lives and how it is like a
prison. Facebook is a form of social network like a panopticon.
https://farm4.static.flickr.com/3728/13048344414_97fe015937_m.jpg
Second picture shows how Facebook is a social construction of reality.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Social-Construction-Of-Reality/616207171730006

Slide 7: Social Media Activism

http://www.fastcocreate.com/3026732/if-you-can-stay-off-your-phone-for-10-freakingminutes-kids-in-need-will-get-clean-water
UNICEF Tap Project and agency Droga 5 challenged people to turn their Facebook
network into a fundraising network to help provide clean water for people in need.
Just access the app and for every 10 minutes you do not touch your phone, sponsor
Armani will provide clean water for a child in need.
http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-ticker/mark-zuckerberg-sister-off-facebook171120233.html
Randi Zuckerberg says a temporary disconnect from the internet will not hurt and can
help people connect with their friends better.

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Unplugging and connecting to people in the real world just strengthens the
relationships you have with them online as well (Randi Zuckerberg).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UouP8cRYZ8
This video is called You need to get off Facebook and it explains how there is more in
life than just talking to people online.

Slide 8: Rhetorical Appeals

- The conversation surrounding this event is whether or not social media is a good thing
to meet people online.
- The reaction of the public is if you cannot be alone, then you will be lonely.
- The government can relate to this video by seeing how it had a positive impact on the
people who watched it.
-

These social activisms can be effective to the public by showing them that there is

more to life than just talking to people on Facebook.

- There is logos in all of these social activisms by showing the use of reasoning to stay
off of Facebook. There is also ethos by showing the emotion of his or her own individual
arguments.
- The picture explains that there is more to life than Facebook and people talk to their
real friends outside of that.
http://nedhardy.com/2010/12/27/you-need-to-get-off-facebook/

Slide 9: Sources

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Hilsen, Anne Inga, and Tove Helvik. "The Construction of Self in Social Medias, Such as
Facebook." AI & SOCIETY: 3-10. Print.
"If You Can Stay Off Your Phone For 10 Freaking Minutes, Kids In Need Will Get Clean
Water." Co.Create. Web. 7 Nov. 2014. <http://www.fastcocreate.com/3026732/if-youcan-stay-off-your-phone-for-10-freaking-minutes-kids-in-need-will-get-clean-water>.
"Is Facebook Really Making People More Lonely?" The Week. Web. 1 Nov. 2014.
"Lonely People Share Too Much on Facebook." New York Post. Web. 1 Nov.
2014.MailOnline, Sarah.
"Does Facebook Make You Lonely? Social Network Attracts Isolated People Looking for
Friendship, Study Claims." Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, 13 Oct. 2014. Web. 1
Nov. 2014.
"Mark Zuckerberg's Sister: Get Off Facebook!" Yahoo Finance. Web. 7 Nov. 2014.
<http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-ticker/mark-zuckerberg-sister-off-facebook171120233.html>.Westlake, E.j.
"Friend Me If You Facebook: Generation Y And Performative Surveillance." TDR/The
Drama Review: 21-40. Print.
"You Need to Get off Facebook." YouTube. YouTube. Web. 7 Nov. 2014.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UouP8cRYZ8.