The other night I was at the grocery store, when overhead an announcement rang out. “If you love shopping here, why not join our Facebook page!” It seemed to make more sense to add the store to my fan list, as opposed to becoming a fan of sunshine or brushing the roof your mouth. (Really. This is a real fan page.)
Is it just me, or do you feel like Facebook has run its course. I take a look at it every day or so, but it has been forever since I have updated my status, put up new pictures or even made a funny event, like grocery shopping. I am finding that even those “friends” you keep just for their crazy wall posts and statuses don’t have anything to say anymore. It seems as if Facebook is just a place to play Farmville (I’ve never played, maybe it’s fun?) or just a glorified birthday calendar.
I think about quitting every once and while, but never quite pull the trigger. While Facebook doesn’t have nearly the cachet it use to, I know that the day I quit will be the day something great, funny, awkward or just plain weird will happen, and I would have missed it. Besides with my birthday coming up, heaven knows I don’t want to miss all of the “Enjoy your day. Do something fun” comments from people I don’t talk to the rest of the year.
Maybe I shouldn’t be so cynical about this strange communication tool. Lest we forget, Internet Boyfriend would have just been another guy I didn’t talk to in real life if it wasn’t for Facebook. I don’t keep my ear to the ground quite like I use to, and there are a ton of engagements that I would have never learned about with my online gossip. (Although, I’m going to need a real invitation to your wedding. I’m probably not going to show up if I just get an invite to your Facebook group.) And luckily for me, I have asked two dates to Preference on Facebook, thus avoiding blowing up hundreds of balloons. (But, let’s not talk about the third guy who never responded.)
I guess the main purpose of Facebook is still being fulfilled, that of keeping up with far away friends. Although I don’t know how much I keep with them, especially after the initial “what I’ve been doing since we last saw each other” message gets sent. Most of the time I just look at all of their pictures, wish I was in more of them and wonder what kind of friends we really are if we need Facebook to keep us together.
Maybe it is time we send Facebook to its watery Internet grave, much like Netscape, chat rooms and Myspace. Or maybe, just maybe it’s time to reclaim Facebook, relive those glory, constant status updating, wall writing, poking days of early Facebook! Come on, 2007 wasn’t that bad, was it?
3 comments:
2007 was a pretty great year! And I have to agree on ALL levels! ESPECIALLY with Wedding Announcements. There is no way I'm going to spend $10-$20 on a gift they "registered" for to not have them spend the few dollars to print the announcement and the $0.41 to mail it to me! Thank goodness for the blogging world! :)
I definitely go through phases of being a Facebook-aholic. Just earlier this week I was constantly checking my page waiting for something funny to happen or for someone to write something on my wall. Now I'm back to casually checking if I get an email that someone did something and otherwise leaving Facebook alone.
Are you thinking about Facebook?
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