I see people hop online and while I check my 2 e-mails (UT and my Yahoo), I see others checking their F-G-H: Facebook, Gmail and then Hotmail. I don't have Facebook and my friends have tried to convince me to get it numerous times, but they never have any compelling arguments for me. Our conversation usually goes something like this:
Friend: "Hey! 'So-and-so' did this!"
Me: "Oh really. That's nice. How'd you find out?"
F: "Facebook. You should really get it."
M: "Mm hm... Why?"
F: "... 'Cause it's fun."
M: "How so?" (Ok, I don't actually say that)
F: "Because... it's Fun!"
So I should get Facebook because it's Fun... Maybe it's just me, but somehow that doesn't seem like a valid answer. The friend who I have had the above conversation with several times is not totally addicted to Facebook, but I think I would consider they're the type who goes on pretty often. From my point of view, I wonder if if Facebook is taking away from their current -live- relationships. For example, we'd be having lunch and I will see that they are scrolling through Facebook as we are conversing. Needless to say, they are not really paying attention to the present moment's conversation. Yet at the same time, their heart is not truly into Facebook-ing at that moment. Doing both things half-heartedly... or doing one thing very well... I think that's the question I'm really asking about Facebook and our relationships with people. This friend of mine will often share the latest Facebook happenings of mutual friends with me and although I appreciate it, I feel that the way they tell me about it has a sort of disconnect, like news reporters. You hear the latest news from them, but other than a moment's fascination, that tidbit slips away as quickly as it was came. This fleeting characteristic and lack of enduring quality is what I don't like about Facebook.
I'd much rather have a small circle of close friends (not to say that I'm not open to meeting new people and making new acquaintances) than have 300 Facebook friends, of whom I only -really- know about 50 of. I'd rather put in the extra effort and get to know my acquaintances so we can become better and closer friends, than spend hours browsing through their photos, only to leave a few quick comments as supposed 'interaction'. Facebook may give you the -facts- and latest happenings in a person's life. But we all know that we are more than that. The organic, face-to-face, conversations and laughs that endure ('cause it'll still be funny when we think back on it) are what make for good friends that become 'old' friends. Not simply because you've had them as Facebook friends since you created it after Highschool Graduation. It's not time that makes friends "friends" (yes it's a component) but it's the shared feelings and human interactions! And frankly, I think no matter how 'Fun' Facebook is, it's not gonna cut it for me.
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