Facebooking & Tweeting--the End of Intelligence & Couth

Obviously I blog so I'm no stranger or dissenter to electronic communication. I firmly believe that it has made business and documentation more efficient and more important, given virtually everyone an opportunity to participate in news and entertainment. However, when it comes to interpersonal communication and establishing and maintaining relationships, electronic communication devices, particularly facebook, twitter, and text messaging are the Armageddon of Nostradamus prophecy.

I'll admit, I was quick to embrace email for it provided a quick communication method for keeping in touch with colleagues, friends, and instructors. Further, it aided the tree hugger in me in saving paper. During my undergraduate years, instructors began accepting electronic versions of assignments in lieu of hard copies occasionally. By the time I enrolled in graduate school, each assignment was to be submitted electronically. Awesome! However, electronic communication has gone too far. When you receive important messages via text message such as, "I'm married" or "grandpa just died" something is seriously awry. People quickly became drones, addicted to text messaging and incapable of real interpersonal communication. These drones were even texting before full qwerty keyboards became standard fixtures on mobile phones. I've now accepted text messaging, but only now that I have a "smart phone". Prior to that depressing numerical keys several times to simply say "on my way" was just a demonstration in stupidity.

Just when I thought people couldn't get any more moronic along comes facebook and twitter. What is it about these alleged social networks that encourages idiocy? People have been fired for being on "sick leave" and posting vacation pictures during that time, had their homes burglarized after announcing extended vacations, and been victims of assault. I mean seriously drones, this is border line retarded. Actually I think it's beyond retarded. The facebook drones no longer interact or even live. I've been to happy hours with acquaintances and friends who peck away at their phones about how much fun they are having hanging out with the girls. Really? You must be kidding me if you think that having a phone glued to your hand with the facebook application running constantly is engaging in any means. It is downright rude. I limit my interaction with those drones. People with hundreds and even thousands of facebook friends demonstrate the shallowness and insignificance of the uber social network. Many of these people spend their days posting away instead of living. "Good morning FBF. I wiped my ass FBF. I'm breathing FBF. Goodnight FBF. It is utter insanity. They clearly have no lives.

I joined under pressure of friends and relatives to "stay connected" and the initial intoxication of catching up seemed worthwhile until you witnessed how little facebook members actually lived and how much they facebooked instead. I've not joined twitter but have visited friends' pages and it is even worse. It encourages all of the already intellectually limited to post short "tweets" instead of composing actual sentences--as if we needed another excuse not to learn the rules of grammar. Each of the tweeters and facebook addicts seems to get dumber with every post sliding deeper into the depths of retardation losing every ounce of refinement and manners. They post aimlessly day in and day out sending data through fiber optic cables and wireless networks all the while missing the real human connections that bind, uplift, and inspire us. What's next? The holy church of twitter? Facebook united methodist episicopalian baptist holy roman catholic synagogue? Religious organizations and leaders have already logged in and will be tweeting and facebooking during, before, and after regularly scheduled sermons. I guess you don't go to heaven unless you're god's facebook friend or follower on twitter. It's invasive, it is uncouth, and it is beating genetics at creating more retards.