I was reading this, and I know a few of my good friends have recently deleted their facebooks. I quickly hopped on facebook and began typing their names to send them a message to ask them if this was them that started this thread. However, Didn't quite get the message to them, because yeah...
I freakin' love facebook. I'm on it during my waking hours. I have a phone equipped with it. It doesn't have any negative effects on my real lifestyle. I literally LOVE facebook. Any disappointments with the site are actually disappointments with yourself. Don't blame your own psychological issues on a site that has helped to bring friends and families closer and foster new friendship. It has changed our world and soon enough, we will never be able to live without facebook being a presence in our world.
Skuj wrote:
See, I don't understand any of this. It's just people talking to each other. I use FB as a run-centric thing, posting my daily sessions (cus I sure as fvck won't do that here anymore), talking to other runners, and sometimes talking to other family/friends.
I will never understand people with 4000 friends. I mean, how the fvck do you manage to keep up with things? I keep my friends to 100 max, and I post status updates 1-2x most days.
I mean....what is the big deal? Spend an hour max per day talking running / old days / social stuff with PEOPLE YOU KNOW, I don't see the problem.
It's not just people talking to each other unless you record all your conversations. Then you'd have to index keywords in those conversations and post them on a company's website under your own name for the whole world to listen. That site would track your words and tendencies and sell the information to advertisers. FB is going public soon. They will have to answer to stock holders and attempt to turn profit. Do you trust them to not violate promises of privacy when earnings are low?
I pulled my account several months ago. I never posted on my profile or a friends' in over 2 years of having an account. I found it quite pointless and felt bad denying friend requests from old HS classmates that I was never close with.
Almost anything of real interest to me from FB shows up in my email inbox.
I occasionally browse, but frankly,it makes for boring reading: So and so is enjoying a latte at Starbuck's. Yawn.
Very occasionally, I hear from a student,perhaps from 25 or thirty years ago, which makes it all worthwhile.
Last year I got a birthday greeting that said, "I was in the class of 1980, never had you for a class. We didn't know each other, but you are very important to five people who are very important to me, so Happy Birthday."
Priceless.
Oh, and during season, it helps me know how late my athletes are staying up.
face to face social network wrote:
It's not just people talking to each other unless you record all your conversations. Then you'd have to index keywords in those conversations and post them on a company's website under your own name for the whole world to listen. That site would track your words and tendencies and sell the information to advertisers. FB is going public soon. They will have to answer to stock holders and attempt to turn profit. Do you trust them to not violate promises of privacy when earnings are low?
Whaaaat?
face to face social network wrote:
It's not just people talking to each other unless you record all your conversations. Then you'd have to index keywords in those conversations and post them on a company's website under your own name for the whole world to listen. That site would track your words and tendencies and sell the information to advertisers. FB is going public soon. They will have to answer to stock holders and attempt to turn profit. Do you trust them to not violate promises of privacy when earnings are low?
Yeah I agree with this 100%.
When I had Facebook, I used it as my default I'm-bored-entertain-me device. I could click through pictures and profiles endlessly because, in Facebook, everything is linked!
I realized that it syphoned my time away from me. I could pursue both my passions and work more effectively without it.
Now, when I'm away at school (i.e. most of the year) I deactivate my Facebook. When I'm home, I reactivate it, just to get back in touch with friends that I want to hang out with.
This is freeing! Fewer people to please or worry about.
To each his own. No two people are exactly equal on how they use Facebook in terms of time and what they are actually doing.
My friends who deleted their accounts like I did have all said it's such a liberating feeling because now, by not being on it, do they truely realize how much time they have.
In addition, if it was so important, how are they surviving without it? I am and have more time yet I wasn't on but once a day at most.
One friend admitted to being on for close to 3 hours every night and she has 2 small kids! Her husband grew sick of it fast as instead of sitting with him at night and catching up on the day, she would be camped out on the computer. Many of you might not do that, but many people do. I proved I don't need it by deleting it and my life is fine.
In this day and age of cell phones (calling and texting) calling free around the country, skype, and not to mention email, there are better ways to make contact.
Those who wish to post pictures, video, accomplishments, etc.... and are obsessed with checking in to see who responded and what they said. Yes, you know who you are and there is a lot of truth to that, as others have already pointed out.
This person or that person who wants to post what they are cooking every night for dinner and then waiting for a response to reply as to how good it was.
Friending people so they can read that Steve had an upset stomach last night and then looking for sympathy.
Posting race pictures and incessantly bragging about how much better they were and how fast they would have run if they didn't cramp up at 19 miles. Then 20 responses come. You are great, you can do better next time.
That is insecurity at it's best. Why? Most of the people reading it, all 200 friends, won't be people that you will ever see unless you are counting reunions that may or may not happen. Of course if you are in high school, that wouldn't apply.
Some will say, that's the point, to keep them up on your doings. To me, I say why? These people aren't your loved ones and you didn't feel the need to share things with these people before Facebook so why now?
A high school teammate loves to go on and talk about how he won the 30-34 or 30-39 division. Of course, he fails to mention that there was only 5 people in his division and they were joggers. Does it bother me, heck no, but I would be embarrassed to post such comments.
True story. The person above actually emailed me and asked me why I don't comment on his race results or his photos. I emailed back that I have my own life with my wife and family and don't have his kind of time. I also asked why is so important that I make a response. He said well on Facebook, that's what people do. To be perfectly honest, he was pissed off at me and the bizzare thing is that I hadn't even seen the post. He lives on there, I didn't.
Can there be a balance, sure. Many people on this thread are proof of that, but my post isn't about them, it was about those who are literally obsessed and don't truely realize the "time sucker" that Facebook is and how it is controlling a lot of what they do and more importantly, don't do.
I realize that many people are not going to agree with me and that's fine. But many aren't telling the truth and are obsessed.
Ha ha!
As a owner of shares of Facebook (bought on a secondary market last year), keep using it. I am hoping that the IPO will be my lottery ticket.
What the heck do people do on Facebook for 3 hours a night? I'm totally baffled by the thought of being on Facebook for more than an average of about 10 minutes a day.
Are you guys looking at random pictures this whole time? Trying to be witty and write well thought out responses to peoples status updates?
After reading this thread it is clear to me that different people use Facebook in different ways. If you can control yourself it's a great addition to your life. If you have no control I guess it's time to delete your account.
I can waste hours on this stupid site (letsrun) but for the life of me I can't figure out how people can stay on Facebook for hours. Obviously I have my own problems but Facebook isn't one of them.
I don't like people keeping tabs on my life.
I don't want them to grow stronger because I fail or feel like garbage because I succeed.
When I see someone doing worse than me on Facebook it makes me happy. I hate that.
So I deleted it.
I too am baffled by it. Honestly, you sound like you don't spend that much time and that' great, but a lot of people do.
During my busiest time on Facebook (maybe twice a day for a short time), there was always a dozen people or more that were on my friend's list who were ALWAYS on at the same time. If I checked in during the morning, afternoon, or evening, they were posting, had just posted or were responding to a post. Then if they were my friend, I had to see all the bullcrap they posted.
Actual posts that I read.
Cooking pasties tonight.
Bob was feeling tired and is laying down on the couch.
Suppose to be sunny today.
Not working tomorrow, going to sleep in.
I feel a cold coming on.
I'm bored.
It's hump day. I can't wait for the weekend.
etc.., etc....., etc....
I will also say that when I deactivated my account I received half a dozen calls on my cell phone asking me why and even more emails because they felt I de-friended them. So then, I have to be on Facebook for life and their friend's list for life? That's just beyond silly. Again I explained that we communicated before Facebook and would continue to, but just not through Facebook.
I have no clue as to the age of any of you who post, but I am 33 and find it a waste of time. Like most things, it has it's place and people can and do use it wisely for marketing or their job, but that's not the issue that I have with it.
A friend of mine is going on a cruise next month in the Caribbean and is buying 200 internet minutes up front so she can get on Facebook. I would call that obsessive. The 200 minutes is costing her and her husband some bucks and she said that's just a start!!!!! She said she has to see how far that will take her. She told my wife and I that she has to stay in contact and keep people updated on her vacation. Many of you would never do that because you aren't obsessed, but honestly, a lot of people are hooked and almost to the point of needing an intervention.
Have a good day!
Good points. I feel the same way on that subject.
face to face social network wrote:
It's not just people talking to each other unless you record all your conversations. Then you'd have to index keywords in those conversations and post them on a company's website under your own name for the whole world to listen. That site would track your words and tendencies and sell the information to advertisers. FB is going public soon. They will have to answer to stock holders and attempt to turn profit. Do you trust them to not violate promises of privacy when earnings are low?
ewafdfd wrote:
Yeah I agree with this 100%.
As do I. Who wouldn't?
mark zuckerburg wrote:
My friend deleted her facebook 2 years ago. Then one day she decided to see what would happen if she tried to sign back on with her "canceled" username and password... the next screen said "are you sure you would like to reactivate your account?" She clicked YES and EVERYTHING WAS STILL THERE! Like she never left. All her friends, pictures, wall posts.. etc.
so if you want to delete facebook, do it yourself by removing friends, deleting photos..etc. OR just have some self control and dont sign in.
BECAUSE IT ISN'T GOING ANYWHERE! ZUCKERBURG OWNS YOU NOW!
there is a difference between deactivating and deleting. Your friend is pretty stupid if she thought she deleted it.
What did people do 15-20 years ago before Facebook, Myspace, Instant messaging?
Oh that is right they lived normal lives where adults didn't gossip like 13 year old girls.
agentlank wrote:
What did people do 15-20 years ago before Facebook, Myspace, Instant messaging?
Oh that is right they lived normal lives where adults didn't gossip like 13 year old girls.
Maybe, but the world has changed and people are on Facebook and Twitter now. If you are not on it, expect it to hurt your career.
No one wants to hire/pay a Luddite.
Corporate wrote:
agentlank wrote:What did people do 15-20 years ago before Facebook, Myspace, Instant messaging?
Oh that is right they lived normal lives where adults didn't gossip like 13 year old girls.
Maybe, but the world has changed and people are on Facebook and Twitter now. If you are not on it, expect it to hurt your career.
No one wants to hire/pay a Luddite.
I live and work in a city with a large number of defense companies as well as a large number of government jobs. Last time I checked those companies as well as the government don't care to know whether you tweeted someone or tagged a photo over the weekend. Maybe if by corporate you mean hollywood or the fashion industry then your ability to tweet and facebook will get you a leg up in the world but in my world it will not.
face to face social network wrote:
It's not just people talking to each other unless you record all your conversations. Then you'd have to index keywords in those conversations and post them on a company's website under your own name for the whole world to listen. That site would track your words and tendencies and sell the information to advertisers. FB is going public soon. They will have to answer to stock holders and attempt to turn profit. Do you trust them to not violate promises of privacy when earnings are low?
Ma Kettle wrote:
Whaaaat?
Read it again, Ma. It makes a lot of sense. Then again I didn't marry you for your brains. :)