Facebook Invents Digital Knick Knack
A possession should simplify one's life, not complicate or clutter it. I only keep gifts I can use. And for better or worse, I'm not afraid to tell someone when a gift they give me is impractical or useless (just ask my family).
When Facebook (a social network that connects people with friends) introduced gift giving - tiny tokens of appreciation, that live on your profile - I was appalled.
Each gift costs one dollar and serves no purpose other than to look cute. Its a digital knick-knack, an e-Chotzke.
Its no different from the crystal figurine gathering dust in your grandmother's living room. I thought we, as a society, had grown beyond this.
Worse, each gift costs one dollar. That's money that could be donated to charity, money that could help or support people - not benefit a company which will gross $150 million in revenues this year.To the best of my knowledge, there are no returns.
posted by Douglas Cress at 3:35 PM
7 Comments:
i have many crystal figurines and facebk knick-knacks-- they add joy and color to my life.
i think that there are enough topics about facebook on digg!
This comment has been removed by the author.
I also loathe gadgets and knick-knackery. (Ironically, I'm an engineering student. Go figure.) What total squandry of useful resources! I'd recommend to friends that instead of this shit, they just give me the dollar. Or a cup of hot fresh coffee. Coffee adds joy and colour to my life.
True, coffee is known to add color... to one's TEETH!
Actually, I was thinking of my shirt. Coffee is better than chewing on crystal figurines, which leave you with no teeth at all. One may always brush one's teeth to remove the stains. Or apply liberal amounts of soda to shirts.
Adhering to DC's non-complication and anti-clutter stances, I'd have to say coffee was the better gift, since coffee is both easy for the average person to obtain and imbibe, yet does not take up valuable living space. Further, one cannot order pie and crystal figurines from the menu of any restauant I have visited in my lifetime. Nor can one enjoy an after-dinner digital gift. Clearly, coffee is the better choice.
It all comes down to the meaning inherent in the gift. For myself, a chotzke is more of a burden - for others its a tangible token of appreciation.
Its my feeling, that such tokens are a reflection of our consumer oriented culture. If you're going to give, give the gift of utility.
Like JL, I'd prefer a fleeting gift I can use. That said, I'd give a useless gift (somewhat begrudgingly perhaps) so long as it brought joy to that person.
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