The Fascination With Facebook

Since I've already done a post about Twitter, it seemed only right that I spout my opinions about Facebook so here goes.

I joined Facebook a few years ago and within 24 hours I'd been poked by two people, been invited to join the mafia and had a sheep thrown at me. Huh? At the time I was juggling a family with ridiculously long work hours, so I dumped it. I simply didn't have the time or the patience to figure it out. Which is exactly what I did with Twitter and am currently doing with LinkedIn. Essentially I like to do stuff I'm good at. If I don't get the hang of something straight away, unless I definitely need whatever it is,  I'm liable to just abandon it. I generally return at a later date, but if it's new and unneccessary then it'd better make sense.

I'm fairly good with IT. I get the hang of new software relatively easily but I have very limited patience for things that takes up my time without entertaining me. Annoying tasks such as setting up printers when you don't have the original disc, that sort of thing. It's not fun. It's not entertaining. Messing about online downloading drivers that never work first time gets in the way of my original task. It also makes me feel stupid because it shouldn't take that long. After the first quarter of an hour there is always swearing and usually threats to launch bits of hardware through windows, which is ridiculous and knowing that makes me even more angry. My SheHulk rages are of course completely wasted because printers don't generally respond to threats.

Unlike my need to print lecture notes and Paypal packing slips, Facebook isn't an essential in my life, so when I tried using it and didn't understand what was going on I just opted out. I later discovered that the trick is to treat Facebook like pick & mix and only bother with the bits you like. If you don't like sherbert saucers or playing Texas Holdem Poker then ignore them and pick the bits you do like. 

Despite some academic studies (which I know I should bother referencing) suggesting that spending time online stops people being sociable in real life, I find that Facebook keeps me connected to people. There are people I regularly speak to on Facebook that I would have almost certainly lost contact with, such as old work colleagues, simply because I no longer physically see them on a regular basis. With former colleagues and an increasing number of relatives, Facebook is how I find out the major events in people's lives. Unfortunately I also find out their scores on Jewelled Blitz, Mafia Wars and how many bushels of imaginary tomatoes they need to harvest, but Facebook apps aside, it's a nice low key way to stay connected to my friends. I can send birthday greetings, congratulations, comisserations and of course join in an assortment of ongoing discussions. This week alone I've given my opinion on whether a friend should have her hair cut, welcomed my great nephew to the world, promoted a friends band and planned a trip to next years V Festival.

Whilst some of my Facebook friends only have occasional contact with me, there are other people in my life that I regularly speak to on the phone, text and see face to face, so with or without Mr Zuckerberg's creation we'd have stayed in touch - those people now talk to me on Facebook as well.

When I use Twitter I think what I'd like to say and share it knowing full well that it can and will be viewed by people I don't know. When I post things on Facebook I'm talking to a group of people I know in real life. Having a brain in my head, I'm well aware that what I say isn't private, but the context of my conversations is that of somebody speaking to people she knows. If I'm whiney, depressed, random or on my soapbox, I'm doing so in a virtual room full of people who know the real me. I know that the virtual room also has a few people in it that I don't know, such as people in the networks of my facebook friends, but since I don't do anything illegal or post scantily clad pictures I'm not too worried. What does worry me on the other hand is people who don't use their brains when they operate their Facebook accounts or rather people I know and care about, who don't use their brains when they operate their facebook accounts. 

Auntie Claire's Facebook Tips

• Don't accept people as a friend if you don't have a clue who they are.
• Don't accept people as a friend if you know them and hate their guts.
• Don't use your Facebook wall to issue death threats.
• Don't share details of your sexual exploits on your facebook wall. (This is particularly important if you've decided to add your parents and grandparents as Facebook friends.)

You've probably guessed that some people use their Facebook slightly differently to me and observing their online life, frankly makes me glad I'm old! I'm not much of a party animal these days but it's comforting to know that the internet does not contain photographs of me flat on my face in Bolton, Blackpool or Manchester town centre after too many bottles of Diamond White. Not because I haven't been as drunk as a skunk and fallen on the floor in all of those places, but simply because it was before everybody took their camera phones on nights out, captured every minute and uploaded them to Facebook. When Steven Sasson invented the digital camera I'm sure he didn't realise that he was ruining the lives of many in the next generation, but at some point those revealing profile pics, online arguments and digital photographic record of every social occasion will come back to haunt a lot of people.

The Facebook pick and mix allows users to do different things, I primarily use it to talk to my friends and the thing I love about it the most is the fact that I can post something on my wall and my real life friends respond. I have a full blown 24 hour support network. My friends gave me helpful suggestions on how to get eye drops into a small child - without the use of a headlock. They've also been there for me on those days when I wondered what on earth I've done with my life reminding me of my good points and / or telling me to shut up moaning and get on with it. You can use Facebook to do a lot of things. You can sell things in it's market place, promote your business with a Facebook Page and show your support for any and every cause under the sun. You can use it productively or you can waste several hours a day on it but if you manage to find the usage that works for you (and ignore the online antics of some of your relatives)  Facebook can be fascinating and an added bonus is Mr Zuckerberg lets you can type as many characters as you like.