Vincent AcelingFacebook - Great Medium or Great Waste of Time?
August 16th 2008 20:23
Facebook is just another social experiment to add to the likes of Friendster, MySpace, YouTube, etc. Many of my friends, colleagues, and family members urged me to get on... "It's the medium of the future, man!" I wouldn't disagree with this statement, as there has been an explosion of social networking sites to prove the importance of this medium; but Facebook really led me to ponder its real purpose.
I've had an account on Facebook for about 6 months now and let me tell you that the initial fascination I felt with it faded away fast. It's not that the website is unimpressive or a total waste of time, it's just that it is super-saturated with all these so-called 'social applications' that suck the life out of your productive, even leisure time.
Lame applications:
You get poked, super-poked, a hug, a bumper sticker, a request to see how much you're worth (or your photo at least), etc. When you're "found" by a bunch of your friends/family/colleagues/old school mates, these applications are inevitable! I remember the first time I logged on, I already had 20 friend requests and a bunch of sent gifts from various people in my life... I was shocked.
Yes, I was also flattered at first. I also enjoyed re-connecting with people from my past and catching up through an online game of scrabble, or sharing photos and stories. I was also flattered that many of my buddies labeled me as 'most successful', 'hottest', or valued my photo's initial net worth over $100K.
Then, I was sucked into those competitive applications... applications that heckled you to join and provide them with access to your contact information. I would get messages like, "Stevie just exceeded his personal best at Scramble... think you can beat him", or, "Julie got voted Most Popluar by her Top Friends... see how you rank." Just then, I was transported back into time to the halls of my Freshman year in highschool - a time when I really did give a damn of what people thought of me; a time when I was too self-conscious to even speak out loud... and a time when petty little things such as not being invited to some 'cool' kid's party labeled you an outcast or nerd.
I disliked and forgot those times... I reinvented myself in college and became such a success, that I don't need or want to remember anything of the sort. So why spend time on a social platform that does just that?
Useful applications:
Sure, there are a good number of resources connected to Facebook as well, such as groups for new parents, groups for food and wine enthusiasts, car enthusiasts, and networking groups. These resources could provide you with exposure and a good network of people, if you are starting up your own business or merely looking to stay on top of the latest trends.
There are also a few cool applications like, "Places I've visited", sponsored by TripAdvisor, where I can visually keep track of where I have been or where my friends have been. And, Yelp, where I can upload my latest restaurant reviews and extend those reviews to my Facebook network.
So there can be a useful and somewhat novel side to Facebook.
On Socializing:
Facebook however, is not an ideal substitute for the telephone and moreso face-to-face interaction. In fact, because you get the surreal feeling that you know where your friends are and what they are doing, you may treat a FB notification (e.g. poke, post, tag, etc.) as a false sense of personal interaction. This is unhealthy and detrimental to any relationships that you worked hard to establish.
Also remember, that Facebook makes it difficult to interact with just those people with whom you actually care to spend time with. Other people WILL find you. Yes, this includes those people who you may not want to find you; in which case FB becomes a great way to invite stalkers into your life. You know that weird trench-coat wearing kid always sitting in the back of the classroom or hanging out under the bleachers in the gym, or that freaky co-worker from your previous job that used to hang around you like a parasite? They WILL find you... unless of course you choose not to publish your school, real name, places of employment, associations, etc. In which case... noone will find you.
Guilt will keep you from declining that 'friend request' from a person in your past life that you did not really know and/or who didn't really know you. Why anyone other than a true friend would want to be on your friends list still puzzles me, but it happens. Some people seem anxious when their Friends list is hovering below 20 or so, thus compensating by adding and requesting friendships from you to the newspaper delivery guy.
Don't get me wrong though... there are many people from the past, with whom I was pleasantly surprised to receive a friend request from. And it's okay to just send along a casual, "What's going on with you... where have you been," message and periodically share updates. But what really annoys me is when people request you as their friend, and then never respond to your messages... I mean, what's the point??? Did you just want to peek into my life for gossip's sake? Were you just hoping to see that I wasn't more successful than you so you could brag about your accomplishments? Those people... I quickly removed from my Friend's list... two tears in a bucket (as one of my good buddies always says).
Overall the appeal of Facebook is dependent on your preference of use, but here are the pros and cons as I see them:
Pros:
Social Networking for start-up business owners and bloggers has high potential
Re-connecting with old friends and keeping in touch even if marginally, is nice
The knowledge base shared on Facebook is valuable if you can find it
If you're an old fart, you're hip factor may be increased by a few points, since you can say that you are on Facebook
Cons:
-Stupid applications are abundant and make you feel obliged to honor a friend's challenge or invitation
-Friends may embarass you... if you're not careful and diligent to check on your daily notifications, your 'friends' may post unappealing or inappropriate pictures that include you, or may make some idiotic comment that may incriminate you or air out your dirty laundry.
-Employers who have a presence on Facebook make it less fun for those employed... Big Brother is watching!
-You may attract stalkers if you're not careful.
-And finally, your time will be ultimately wasted if you're sucked into the hype.
So is Facebook overhyped? Personally, I think it is... until more discipline goes around which applications to include in Facebook, it seems like just another venue for procrastination and hyperreality.
Facebook you dummy!
Lame applications:
You get poked, super-poked, a hug, a bumper sticker, a request to see how much you're worth (or your photo at least), etc. When you're "found" by a bunch of your friends/family/colleagues/old school mates, these applications are inevitable! I remember the first time I logged on, I already had 20 friend requests and a bunch of sent gifts from various people in my life... I was shocked.
Yes, I was also flattered at first. I also enjoyed re-connecting with people from my past and catching up through an online game of scrabble, or sharing photos and stories. I was also flattered that many of my buddies labeled me as 'most successful', 'hottest', or valued my photo's initial net worth over $100K.
Then, I was sucked into those competitive applications... applications that heckled you to join and provide them with access to your contact information. I would get messages like, "Stevie just exceeded his personal best at Scramble... think you can beat him", or, "Julie got voted Most Popluar by her Top Friends... see how you rank." Just then, I was transported back into time to the halls of my Freshman year in highschool - a time when I really did give a damn of what people thought of me; a time when I was too self-conscious to even speak out loud... and a time when petty little things such as not being invited to some 'cool' kid's party labeled you an outcast or nerd.
I disliked and forgot those times... I reinvented myself in college and became such a success, that I don't need or want to remember anything of the sort. So why spend time on a social platform that does just that?
Useful applications:
Sure, there are a good number of resources connected to Facebook as well, such as groups for new parents, groups for food and wine enthusiasts, car enthusiasts, and networking groups. These resources could provide you with exposure and a good network of people, if you are starting up your own business or merely looking to stay on top of the latest trends.
There are also a few cool applications like, "Places I've visited", sponsored by TripAdvisor, where I can visually keep track of where I have been or where my friends have been. And, Yelp, where I can upload my latest restaurant reviews and extend those reviews to my Facebook network.
So there can be a useful and somewhat novel side to Facebook.
On Socializing:
Facebook however, is not an ideal substitute for the telephone and moreso face-to-face interaction. In fact, because you get the surreal feeling that you know where your friends are and what they are doing, you may treat a FB notification (e.g. poke, post, tag, etc.) as a false sense of personal interaction. This is unhealthy and detrimental to any relationships that you worked hard to establish.
Also remember, that Facebook makes it difficult to interact with just those people with whom you actually care to spend time with. Other people WILL find you. Yes, this includes those people who you may not want to find you; in which case FB becomes a great way to invite stalkers into your life. You know that weird trench-coat wearing kid always sitting in the back of the classroom or hanging out under the bleachers in the gym, or that freaky co-worker from your previous job that used to hang around you like a parasite? They WILL find you... unless of course you choose not to publish your school, real name, places of employment, associations, etc. In which case... noone will find you.
Guilt will keep you from declining that 'friend request' from a person in your past life that you did not really know and/or who didn't really know you. Why anyone other than a true friend would want to be on your friends list still puzzles me, but it happens. Some people seem anxious when their Friends list is hovering below 20 or so, thus compensating by adding and requesting friendships from you to the newspaper delivery guy.
Don't get me wrong though... there are many people from the past, with whom I was pleasantly surprised to receive a friend request from. And it's okay to just send along a casual, "What's going on with you... where have you been," message and periodically share updates. But what really annoys me is when people request you as their friend, and then never respond to your messages... I mean, what's the point??? Did you just want to peek into my life for gossip's sake? Were you just hoping to see that I wasn't more successful than you so you could brag about your accomplishments? Those people... I quickly removed from my Friend's list... two tears in a bucket (as one of my good buddies always says).
Employers on Facebook?
Overall the appeal of Facebook is dependent on your preference of use, but here are the pros and cons as I see them:
Pros:
Social Networking for start-up business owners and bloggers has high potential
Re-connecting with old friends and keeping in touch even if marginally, is nice
The knowledge base shared on Facebook is valuable if you can find it
If you're an old fart, you're hip factor may be increased by a few points, since you can say that you are on Facebook
Cons:
-Stupid applications are abundant and make you feel obliged to honor a friend's challenge or invitation
-Friends may embarass you... if you're not careful and diligent to check on your daily notifications, your 'friends' may post unappealing or inappropriate pictures that include you, or may make some idiotic comment that may incriminate you or air out your dirty laundry.
-Employers who have a presence on Facebook make it less fun for those employed... Big Brother is watching!
-You may attract stalkers if you're not careful.
-And finally, your time will be ultimately wasted if you're sucked into the hype.
So is Facebook overhyped? Personally, I think it is... until more discipline goes around which applications to include in Facebook, it seems like just another venue for procrastination and hyperreality.
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