Facebook: Da Fug?

[stealthwise]

I had a friend of mine quit Facebook the other day. Said he couldn't stand it as a time-waster and doesn't know why he uses it.

That got me thinking, I've had friends not sign up, friends quit and join up again, but never anyone actually quit after using it for some time and NOT return.

Is it just that addictive? Is it because everyone I know seems to use it for basic communication and/or social planning? Do we as humans just like to stalk others, read their messages, see their photos?

My line in the sand is twitter, I just don't have the inclination nor the time to check out brief messages from other people constantly, especially the stereotypical "what did Rainn Wilson eat for lunch?" type posts I read about in mocking fashion all the time. I also never text, mostly because I don't care to have or use a cell phone (my wife has one for business and in case of flat tires, etc).

How about you guys? What do you use? What do you like/dislike using?

[Cassandra]

I have a Facebook and maybe log on once every few weeks to accept friend requests and stuff but I don't really get the 'hype.' I don't play any Facebook games or anything.

[Basque]

I don't think Facebook has anything to do with stalking other people. I think for most people it is quite the opposite - it's more about exhibitionism than voyeurism. In other words, people are desperate for attention, for some kind of contact with other human beings, for some acknowledgment that they exist and that what they do is meaningful and interesting to others.

I don't mean that in any kind of cynical way. I think those are all basic human needs, and before Facebook came along, people just found other ways to fill those needs. Facebook just happens to tap directly into that basic human need.

Aside from that, yes, there's also the fact that it seems to be everybody's preferred mode of communication these days. If I were to get off Facebook, it would have a very significant (and I believe negative) impact on my social life. It's become more or less indispensable to me these days as a communication tool. Facebook is how I found out about all the shows I go to, all the parties my friends are having, even things as small as going out for breakfast or dinner tend to get organized on Facebook. I know that people who are not on Facebook tend to miss out on a lot of those social gatherings, just because everybody forgets to pick up the phone or send an e-mail to notify them.

I don't think Facebook is inherently bad. There are many different ways to use it, and it's all about finding your comfort zone.

I personally haven't been able to find a good use for Twitter. I tried following a few people (Gail Simone was one of them), but the frequency of posts was overwhelming and I couldn't keep up with it. I can see how it's useful to some people, but it just hasn't worked out for me. I haven't logged in my account in several months.

I'm a huge fan of Tumblr these days. But that's kind of a whole other can of worms.

[Kevin T Brown]

I have Facebook now mainly to stay in touch with friends I've lost contact with over the years and to be "out there" for them to find me.

[Teal_Lantern]

I use Facebook a lot, mainly to talk to friends.

[Twopossums]

I just recently quit facebook myself. About 3 weeks ago and I don't miss it. I used it for about a year but really got so so sooo tired of it. The constant updates that somebody found a cow or killed a vampire. You mention Twitter and not caring about what somebody had for lunch well the is exactly what facebook is. I had a friend who would tell you he was eating somewhere nice and post a picture of what he was eating. And the oh so sickly cute story about their kid that is really just boring.

I do text. I much prefer it to calling most of the time and I use twitter. Twitter I use mainly for entertainment purposes. The people I follow are either funny or interesting. Not a lot of boring what I had for lunch today posts.

[Treacle]

I have two Facebook accounts (one personal and one for my blog, The Lingerie Addict) as well as a Twitter account for my blog.

I think if you're going to use social media, it helps to know why you're using it in the first place.

My personal Facebook is how I stay in touch with friends back home. My blog Facebook and Twitter are ways of staying in touch with my readers.

So neither one feels like a waste of time to me.

[capntightpants]

Facebook has helped me stay in contact with my friends after college, and organized kick its and birthday parties, etc.

I'm also much closer to the friends I made on Brian K Vaughan's message boards because of Twitter and Facebook.

I'm also a little tired of the "What I ate for lunch" Twitter accusations. Yes, there are people that do that. But no, it's not all that's on Twitter.

[Basque]

If anything this thread just proves that there are many different ways of using Facebook. I can't relate at all to the experiences of people who complain about the constant annoying updates or memes or games. I basically hide everybody I find annoying from my news feed and that takes care of that.

I also don't interact with very many childhood friends or people I've otherwise lost touch with. 90% of my interaction is with people that live in the same city as me and that I hang out with in real life. Facebook is just an extension of the real social network that we are part of in the city.

For me to say I hate Facebook would be like saying I hate telephones. "It's so annoying when people you don't care about call you to talk about stupid shit." Yeah, it is. So just don't hang out with the type of people who call you to talk about stupid shit! Or don't give them your phone number. Or get caller ID and don't pick up when they call. :P

[leafinsectman]

I have neither, I don't really do the whole social networking thing. I do think that Facebook is great for conencting with people you've lost contact with and I have an old friend who I wish I could find but its not enough to make me want to sign up.