Social software is probably one of the most amazing aspects of technology today. People can communicate from almost anywhere in the entire world. However, it doesn’t truly seem to be a blessing – in fact, I feel that it isn’t much of a blessing at all. According to Michelle Kasprzak we as individuals need rules and guidelines to prevent information from overwhelming us and being too chaotic. She states that “The internet is thought of as nearly boundless, with millions of pages devoted to a dizzying diversity of subjects, and seemingly no end to the number of lists and discussion boards one can take part in. Introducing limits to a component of something that is seen as limitless makes our online experience more like our everyday experience, wherein there are more definite boundaries and edges.” While social media sites are semi-mediated, there is still a plethora of information to be interpreted and processed by people every day. It still appears to be almost limitless and tremendously overwhelming. People want connections but can’t maintain over 5 friendships at once, let alone the several thousands of followers some accumulate. The website “Bumplist” is a good example where you can focus on who you’re communicating with and not get overwhelmed by the sheer number of individuals in your online life.
Furthermore, Social Software as become more invasive. There is now a blurred line between privacy and public information. According to Danah Boyd in their article Social Network Sites: Public, Private, or What? they state “The Internet lack walls. Conversations spread and contexts collapse. Technical solutions are unlikely to provide reprieve from this because every digital wall built has been destroyed by new technologies. The inherent replicability of bits and the power of search make most walls temporary at best.” Essentially what is said here is that social software lacks a sense of boundaries that the real world provides. Social software is a helpful and powerful technology capable of connecting people from across the globe but it may not always connect you with people you want to see. There are somethings you just can’t avoid with social software and it’s something you have to accept if you engage in it.