Facebook: just not into it

          I’m not sure what it is about Facebook, but I just can’t seem to get into it.  That’s not to say I don’t sign in on occasion to see all the wonderful things going on with my “friends” but I’m still not into it.

          That’s why my Facebook page has so little to offer (I’ve got a total of about six pictures on it!)  It’s also why you may not hear a response from me for a month if you send it to me via Facebook.

          I’m not usually repelled by technological advances, although I’m not what you call a social bug either.  It’s probably the latter element that keeps me away from it.

          For someone who could care less about what’s going on in everyone’s lives every minute of the day, Facebook has little value.  Frankly, I don’t know how people have the time to provide all their updates (although I do credit them for their tenacity).

          While I find it interesting when “friends” (again, in quotation marks) tell of something that just happened in their lives, I do wonder about some of the features on Facebook, such as the status feature.  So you’re happy right now – does it really need expression through Facebook?  And what about the “poke” feature.  What does it really mean when you’re poked by someone?  Would I ever poke someone I know in person?  Maybe... but probably not. 

          That being said, I do enjoy Facebook every once in a while.  Call it a guilty pleasure.  Ironically, it’s probably because I'm not so sociable.  I don’t have to actually go talk to someone I haven’t seen in a while to get an understanding of what’s going on his or her life.  I’ll just go onto their site and get a pretty good idea of what they’ve been up to.  Even the pictures are telling.  Ah, they have another kid now.  Ah, they live in a different house now.  Ah, they’re living with different people now (those are the bad discoveries).

          I admit, it’s not a healthy way to keep up with people.  But I think just about everyone does it to some degree, and those on Facebook expect their friends to keep up with their happenings.  Facebook friends know things about each other without even talking… kind of strange, but we tend to find out about people even without networking sites.

          The biggest issue I have with Facebook is the amount of “friends” I have.  I don’t really have that many friends (it’s true).  They’re more like acquaintances.  Normally, I would never keep in touch with these people, so why do I feel like I always have to accept their friendships when they ask?  I don’t want to be a jerk about it, so I usually end up accepting.  But at the same time, I don’t want to hear about every update in their lives (and I know there must be some way to turn this feature off that I haven’t figured out yet…)

          My final concern with Facebook is the whole privacy thing.  Police are using social networking sites like Facebook to identify people who commit crimes, which I guess is a positive thing.  But it’s also a bonanza for stalkers and thieves, I’m sure.  Marketers, too, are reaping the awards of having all this personal information public.

          You take the good with the bad, I guess.  For making contact with old friends, Facebook is a marvel.  It’s also a fun time to snoop.  But for all that it has to offer, I still prefer e-mail.

          I know – it’s so old school.