Facebook is…
Fun. I enjoy sharing pictures with friends, communicating via wall posts and private messages, getting notice about offline events that I would have missed otherwise, joining random groups and laughing at shared feelings and opinions, and ultimately I enjoy being able to find and connect with both new friends and old friends that I thought I would never be in contact with ever again.
Addictive. When I first signed up, I thought I’d be able to avoid the addiction. But now that I’m away from school, it’s so hard not to come on and find out what people are up to. The bigger your network is, the more that happens over the course of one single day for you to look at. I’m managing to keep the visits per day at a moderate number though…
Frustrating. While it’s a great way to keep up with what your friends are up to, it can also be painful to see images or hear of events that took place that you missed out on, either because you just couldn’t be there, or because they chose not to invite you. And I hope to God that no one ever breaks up with me over facebook. A text message (like Britney Spears) is bad enough, but changing your relationship status on facebook to indicate it’s over? That’s harsh. I wonder how many hundreds of people will find out about the break up before you do! I guess in this situation, it pays to be addicted and to be logging on frequently.
Creepy. Stalkerish much? Depending on how much information they decide to share, I can find out all these details about people without actually talking to them. If I meet someone, I can facebook (oh boy, I made it into a verb!) them to find out what they are like, or at least who they know. And I can look up friends of friends without them knowing. And let’s not forget about the news feeds…
Amazing. I have never been so amazed about the social aspect of computing and the ability for university students across the globe to come together and stand up for themselves before the introduction of the Facebook news feeds. The minute the news feeds were introduced to Facebook there was outrage across the networks. I was amazed to sit by and watch, as well as participate in, the huge movement against the news feeds and this new invasion of privacy. I am so proud to say that the people behind Facebook listened and made changes that now allow us to modify our privacy settings.
Ultimately, I like Facebook. I like that it helps me keep in contact with people in a fun, social setting. If I want something to be private, then I can make that happen. I don’t think I’ll ever get over the stalkerish aspect though… it’s creepy!
What do you think?