I recently attended a panel session at Limmud Oz in Australia entitled “Is Facebook good for the Jews?” The panel – all experienced media professionals – spoke adoringly of the way Facebook has helped them share ideas with an ever-expanding network, and broaden their thinking horizons. It was akin to the ancient Talmud, they suggested, where a scholar would make a statement, and it would trigger a flood of discussion and banter.
I’m a very regular Facebook user, and especially enjoy the way Facebook has allowed me to share and discuss ideas with a diverse group of people, and to disseminate my own writing to a wide readership. While the panel’s observations are correct and resonated with me, these sophisticated Facebook users have missed the point.
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