The Facebook Phenomena

A common conversation I’ve been hearing as of late:

Person A: “Are you on Facebook yet?”
Person B: “Um, no.”
Person A: “You’re not – OH MY GOSH – you have to get on Facebook – it’s so awesome.”
Person B: “What is it?”

Can you answer that last question? My guess is there are a few different perspectives on the Facebook phenomenon.

First, there’s complete ignorance. I’m not saying that in a bad way - ignorance just meaning no knowledge about Facebook. ‘Never heard of it. No idea what it is.’

Second, there’s the “doubters from a distance”. They’ve heard about Facebook, but they are not buying it. ‘Is it a cult? It can’t be near as good as all the hype, plus I spend enough time on the internet, why would I want to add another sight to visit?’ This group tends to emphasize a desire for “real” relationships not those found in cyber space. They don’t like email either because it’s not “real” communication.

Third, there’s the “intrigued but either lazy or technologically challenged”. These are the folks who still haven’t developed their pictures from last year’s vacation. (I know, “developing” pictures is so 1990’s.) OR they are so intimidated by having to “set up their own page,” it debilitates them. ‘How do I set up a page? Do I have to know algorithms?’ They are also the folks who still think the best computer games ever were Castlevania and the Oregon Trail.

Fourth, you have the “I’m on but only for practical reasons.” ‘Mom wants to see pictures of her grandkids and lives in Arizona, so I post pictures so family can see the kids grow up.’ ‘I’m tired of my friends bugging me about it, so I’m on . . . for their sake.’ I’ve noticed that some in this category are prone to shift quickly to “Facebook addicts”(see below) once they get on, while others are not. This group tends to have 23 friends and checks their Facebook page twice a month.

Fifth, you have the “Wow, it’s fun to see what my old high school and college friends are doing without having to talk with them”. This group looks at all the pictures and pages of their former friends. There is little if any desire to get back in touch, but it is fun to see what people are up to. This group tends to be ‘on’ Facebook a lot in the beginning, but their ‘on’ time quickly wanes because the new information/pictures run out.

Sixth, you have “Facebook addicts”. Conversations with a spouse now primarily take place on Facebook. They check their page 5x a day and scan the Home page at least 10x a day. Now I need to divide this group into two categories.

A. The voyeurs. These are the folks who are always on, but never write anything. They only speak when spoken to and you’ll never see them volunteer information.

B. The “I want to be a fish in a fishbowl” group. They share everything that is taking place in their life on Facebook including their breakfast, clothing decisions, and list of errands recently completed or yet to be completed. You now know more about their life than you want to. You have no choice; it’s on your Home page.

Finally (I’m sure there are many more I could describe but for the sake of space and time), there are those “diametrically opposed” to Facebook. They see it as a sign of the end times. Anything that a lot of people do and are excited about must be bad.

What’s my point you may wonder? I’m not here to promote or bash Facebook. Facebook is a social networking site on the internet that has become very popular. On Facebook, you can post pictures, let people know information about yourself, and stay in contact with people on Facebook who you have deemed worthy to be your ‘friend.’ No one can see your page unless you let them.

I’ve found it to be a great way to share pictures of John with family and friends. I’ve also found it to be a way to get back in touch with people from my past. I haven’t re-started all sorts of relationships with past friends, but I have said ‘Hi’ and had a chance to find out what they are doing now (job, marriage, kids, etc.).

I sure hope a computer screen never takes the place of face-to-face relationships, but it is true that staying in touch is better than not staying in touch. And like anything in our lives, moderation is important.