When parents think of 'house party' and Facebook in the same sentence, they automatically picture this:
Or this:
and they remember those Daily Mail articles where Timmy
advertised his party on Facebook and the next thing they knew, they had
£300,000 of damage and an arrested son. Well, I want to argue that although the
Daily Mail may think Facebook gets a party started, perhaps it’s causing a
whole new level of apathy as well.
With the invention of Facebook
Events, it seems that the necessity for a reliable RSVP has diminished. We no
longer require a calendar or even a memory; we just pop onto Facebook and see
if we fancy the event happening that evening, causing us to plan our social
lives far more spontaneously. Clicking ‘yes’ on an event has become more a
recognition of it happening rather than an affirmation of attendance. Gone are
the personalised text messages or even the more civilised phone call, in fact
gone is any direct communication at all. Create event, invite friends, enter.
Now this is all fine and dandy if
you’re relaxed about the outcome of your party, but it seems to me that you
have to invite four times as many people as you actually want to turn up. Now
that sounds rather different to Timmy and his cheese and crackers evening.
Whereas in the past you would invite 10 on Facebook and 100 would show up,
arguably now it needs to be the other way around. Although that may be
comforting for parents, I would argue that Facebook is ruining the student
necessity that is the 'house party'.
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