Facebook Can Make You Popular for Now, But Not for Too Long
- Cambodianess
- March 22, 2021 9:08 AM
By staying indoors for several days now, Samnang and Sothie have developed minor emotional stress. They still could not travel outside for their regular coffee.
To cope with their stress, they frequently communicate with one another via the social media platform. This afternoon, the two men were discussing the influences of social media, especially Facebook, in the context of Cambodia. In some cases, the use of Facebook can alter a person’s life almost completely in the opposite direction either from good to bad or vice versa.
Samnang: Hey, Sothie! For the last several years, a noticeable number of people are getting frenzy over the use of Facebook. Have you observed the same thing?
Sothie: In the case of Cambodia, yes. I have observed the same thing. However, in some European nations as well as other developed countries, the frenzy usage of social media has somehow softened down.
Samnang: So, what kind of platform do they use instead?
Sothie: In some of the countries, they started to switch to Twitter, WhatsApp, Viber, Line, WeChat, Instagram, Telegram, TikTok and more.
Samnang: Why?
Sothie: These above-mentioned social media platforms may offer users a greater sense of privacy than what Facebook has offered. Some users may feel a bit too public on Facebook. On the other hand, youngsters these days tend to refrain from being visible on Facebook. Why? One of the main things is that their parents are on Facebook, too. So, they do not want their parents to know what they are doing.
Samnang: Yet, in Cambodia, Facebook is still widely used.
Sothie: Realistically, that is correct. But…
Samnang: But…?
Sothie: I think that, sooner or later, its influence will decline.
Samnang: What is the reason behind it, Sothie?
Sothie: Alongside my own opinions and some other analysts, Cambodia’s tendency in the future will not be too different from the tendency of some other developed nations. In the future, people will lose interest in seeing personal posts or any other displays of personal wealth. From what I know, some people have already switched to other modes of communication such as Telegram. Furthermore, in Cambodia, youngsters below the age of 18 are very attached to the use of TikTok. They use TikTok so that they can escape from the parents’ sight.
Samnang: From your thought, when do you think Cambodian people will pay very less attention to Facebook?
Sothie: I am not a specialist in observing the evolution of social media. In Cambodia, I think the starting point has already begun. Perhaps, in the next three to five years, most people will pay lesser and lesser attention to the things that appear on Facebook. People will think more about their private life. This means people will refrain from making themselves shown and, at the same time, they will also be less interested in following the personal stories of others on social media.
Samnang: If that so, I will wait to see it. I am eager to see whether your idea will become a reality.
Sothie: Time is the answer, my friend. I, as well, will wait and see…
