Facebook Essay

Is Facebook The Best Option?

I have been in the USA for one month. All these days, I have noticed that people in this town, Carbondale IL, are very well familiar with Facebook which is “a social networking website… open to anyone 13 years of age or older. Facebook users can create and customize their own profiles with photos, videos, and information about themselves. Friends can browse the profiles of other friends and write messages on their pages.” (Tech Terms Computer Dictionary, 2005) When I go to parties, international meetings or classes there is always someone asking me if I have a Facebook account. Although almost everybody is familiar with Facebook, I know there are two better ‘places’ to have cyber friends.

In El Salvador, my close friends are attached to Hi5, our nice cyberspace to make friends. When I first got an invitation, I simply deleted it because I did not want to waste my time with silly things. However, when you have more than ten people sending you invitations… you have to surrender, right? Now, I am kind of familiar with Hi5 and it is nice to see my family and friends, and friends of my friends, high school pals (who I almost forgot), etc. One day, a journalist friend sent a message to all his friends in Hi5 telling us that he was going to move to Facebook. I do not know if he got answers about that decision, but I just simply say in my mind: “what?! That place is so isolated, insecure, simple, and it does not have nice gadgets! Well, up to you guy, see you around…” Two to three months later, apparently nobody followed him because he was in Hi5 again!

The best cyberspace site that I accidentally discovered is called multiply.com. It is very good because it has almost everything you need to forget about multiple accounts to keep in touch with people. Blogs, polls, photos, videos, music, events, birthday reminders, agendas, and other things are packed in just ONE site. In my case it is very functional because last semester I wanted my students to work on a blog. Nobody had an idea about that term, but as soon as they got familiar with multiple.com, they had a new option to communicate in a private way, learn, and have fun. I do not know if Facebook would give me the ‘spaces’ to teach a class, send some private pictures to my co-workers, or simply hide the pop and romantic music that I like (with a space to paste the lyrics to improve my English). If all those things could be used in Facebook, I will definitely love it!

All the people that are very well familiar with Facebook, especially in the USA (Hempel, 2009) definitely found the best spot to have close contact with the people they like (or dislike). That is the place where almost everybody is, right? So, if I want to keep in touch with my friends in the USA, I am forced to start using Facebook as well as switching to Hi5 to take a look at my salvadorean pals. On the other hand, I know for sure that there is always a moment in your life in which you need your own space. If that is your case, you definitely need to look for other alternatives to communicate with people. If the cyberspaces you are using right now are functional to you, keep on working with them, but remember in this world everybody is competing to give us better options and it is our work to choose which one is best, in this case, to always keep in touch worldwide.


Source:
Cyberspace (2005). Tech Terms Computer Dictionary. Retrieved on February
18, 2009 from http://www.techterms.com
Hempel, J. (2009, February). How Facebook is taking over our lives.
Fortune, cnnmoney.com. Retrieved February 18, 2009, from
http://www.techterms.com

Covered Girls

It is difficult to understand the complexity of religions worldwide, especially if those are attached to orthodox perspectives. In her blog Women from Arabia, (2009, February 2) Wahidah presents some of the reasons why most Western people, especially Americans, have erroneous ideas of facial veils. She strongly argued that the mass media has created a bad image of this conservative society. So, what are the positive characteristics the veil is covering to the rest of the world? Obedience, the professional women’s roles, and the Western perception of freedom are just some of the key aspects that apparently the Western societies ignore.

Obedience is the main reason why Saudi Arabian women cover their pretty faces with veils. Apparently Mohammad, a prophet in the Islam religion, taught about the dignity every woman should profess. In El Salvador, there is a similar custom in a minority Christian religion which asks women to cover their heads with veils as well. They believe that women have to use veils as a manifestation of respect and obedience to their God. The salvadorean society, mostly Catholics, does not accept this practice because they think women are under men’s authority. Some others, like me, consider these kinds of “cover head” women as authentic examples of commitment and transparency to their own beliefs. Moreover, I have learned that you cannot judge someone for what he/she is wearing but, of course, you can perceive the good or bad attitudes no matter the suit, veil, or kimono he/she is wearing.

Fortunately some positive aspects, like the professional women’s roles, are flourishing in Saudi Arabia. They can have the chance to get academic degrees, take part in important places in society and of course, contribute in the political power of their country. Furthermore, Princess Lowowah, one of the greatest representatives of Women’s Rights in Saudi Arabia, is doing a great job in helping to change “little by little”, some drastic misconception of what women should or should not do in that society “without losing their traditions”. This is just one plus that should be applauded, but can these women have the opportunity to study majors that are considered “exclusively for men” (i.e.: Aeronautics, Mechanic Ingenering, etc)?

According to the Saudi Arabian people, the Western perception of freedom is most of the time “misunderstood”. If I were born in Saudi Arabia, for sure, I would have my entire faith in Mohammad, but that faith would not let me drive a car! I would not be allowed to play soccer, ride a motorcycle/bicycle, or watch a movie in a theater with my friends (boys and girls). Men in Saudi Arabian society consider that they treat women with respect and they work hard to give them everything they need. But, what if we could change gender roles for just one day? Will men be happy to be the “doll of the house”? I grew up and had a lot of fun in my childhood with a lot of boys, and it is nice to do whatever you want to do without being judged by your sex. For that reason, I do not know if I could survive in this conservative society.

As a conclusion, do women really need to cover their faces to dignify their life? Should they use veils to demonstrate their faith or integrity? Well, in the end, everybody is forced to respect and be flexible with other cultures. This is what makes our countries unique.