I'm not going to say it is stupid. I'm sure it is very smart. I'm sure people enjoy stalking others on it and that a lot of people have found old friends they hadn't heard from in years. HOWEVER, the fact remains that I DON'T NEED IT! I don't need it and I don't want it. Trust me, I have everything I need. I even have most of what I want, so if I ever did find a use for Facebook that didn't include all of the inherently SHITTY things about it, then I might sign up.
A recent post on Gizmodo has stirred these emotions in me. They wrote an article that I just disagree with on SOOOOOOOO many levels... here is an excerpt:
I will grant you this: Facebook, much like Twitter, has a lot that sucks about it. A tremendous amount. You're exposed to inane human behavior on a scope and volume unprecedented in the history of mankind. And yes, there are privacy eyebrow-raises that are warranted—it's a little weird that people I barely know anymore see where I work, where I live, and who I'm talking to. And there's plenty of crap. Pokes from creepy people. Photos of idiots. Moronic comments. Racism. All the worst parts about our species, sandwiched between poorly-targeted banner ads.
And yet, Facebook is a spectacular tool.
So what is the problem with this picture??? It is a spectacular tool, but it opens you to privacy concerns like no other tool I know. The bottom line is that if I'm not already communicating with you through email or phone, THEN I PROBABLY DON'T WANT TO BE COMMUNICATING WITH YOU AT ALL. Yes, that goes for you psycho ex-girlfriends and "friends" I had 20 years ago in high school. Let's be honest... We aren't speaking with each other for good reason. We have NOTHING in common. Why would I want to know anything about your life now? And why would I want you knowing anything about mine?
Social networks are the most anti-social things I've ever seen. In what world is logging onto a website and silently scrolling through the daily goings on for a thousand "friends" without ever having to interact with them considered "SOCIAL"??? Isn't that the epitome of ANTIsocial?? If I can find out what my brother had for breakfast 3000 miles away without having to speak to him or have him know that I know, then what is social about that??
I suppose if I had a business where I wanted my customers to be able to get to know each other then something like Facebook would be sweet. Or if I was a celebrity and wanted my fans to feel like they were special because they know what I'm doing RIGHT NOW, then Twitter would be cool. But the fact is that I don't and I'm not, so as a tool I'd say Facebook is about as handy as a 20lb hammer to a guy with no arms.
So my retort to Gizmodo is that I'm sick of people telling me how great it is. Just because everybody uses it doesn't mean it isn't still incredibly stupid. How many lives has Facebook destroyed? How many jobs have been lost because someone just had to check it during work hours and their boss saw? How many marriages have been ruined because someone hooked up with an old flame on Facebook and decided the grass was greener? Wanna know how many problems facebook has caused me? ZERO.
I'm not wasting any more time ranting about it. Besides, I've got just about the same number of regular readers of this blog as I have Facebook friends. Oh, wait... that would be none!
