By Hyoe Jin Park, El Dorado High School, Grade 11
January 24, 2011
Is there a new face to dating? The answer is yes! But whether the face is smiling or frowning is a different question.
With the introduction of Facebook there has been a defined shift in the way teens are communicating to one another nowadays.
“It is easier to talk to someone using technology because you are less nervous,” says Allison Sully, a junior at El Dorado High School (EDHS).
Most of the people admitted to the fact that when online they are more likely to say things they know they would never be able to in real life. The reason behind that was the fact that they are able to think through their replies when chatting online.
“If you don’t want to you don’t even have to reply!” says Quincey Worthington, a senior at EDHS.
Facebook is also allowing people to maintain long-distant relationships. Samantha Zepeda, a junior at EDHS, agrees that Facebook definitely helps her keep a healthy relationship with her boyfriend who attends school in Texas.
“If you want to know more about a person you can use Facebook to see what kind of things he [or she] is interested and what kind of people he [or she] hangs out with,” says Carly Seipel, a freshman at EDHS.
However, one can argue that Facebook may be misguiding.
“Someone else might influence what he [or she] says online. You don’t really know if what they say is true or not,” says Taylor Denis, a freshman at EDHS.
Other concerns about Facebook was that people “friend” other people who might not necessarily be friends in real life.
“I think Facebook provides a false sense of intimacy. You talk to people you wouldn’t normally talk to and say things you wouldn’t say in real life,” says Taylor Wagoner, a junior at EDHS.
Another thing Facebook lacks is reality.
“On Facebook, people can talk to other people without really connecting. You won’t know how the other person’s really like until you actually talk to them in real life,” says Shannon Galipault, a sophomore at EDHS.
