On the Virtues of Facebook

[MadHound]

17. So, how much is Mark paying you for this?

Let me go down your points one by one.

1. "globally and near-instantaneously share experiences by text, photo, audio, or video." That is true. It has also been true about email, telephone, and other communication devices for a long time, since long before Zuckerberg was a gleam in his daddy's eye. To claim that FB made a great breakthrough in this realm is laughable on the face of it.

2. What FB does goes way beyond marketing, it is invasive datamining at its most cutting edge. Not only does FB glean data from your profile and posts, it follows you around the 'net to glean that data. Yes, many other sites do the same, but FB has taken it to a new level, what with picture tagging, face recognition, and a whole host of other tools the better to track you with. You compare this with public conversations in bars and clubs, but unlike FB, in a bar or club, if somebody is leaning over to eavesdrop, I have the option of politely telling them to fuck off and mind their own business(and if that doesn't work, take even stronger options). With FB, I don't have that option. Oh, one other thing, conversations are generally considered private, no matter where they are at, unless both participants agree to make it public. Again, with FB, there isn't that option.

3. I generally agree with what you said, however two caveats. First, FB enables the dispensation of this kind of crap in a manner unheard of before. Second, allowing people to feed their narcissism by posting this kind of crap only adds to society's problems.

4. As you said, that's your opinion. What I find, and what most researchers have found in this regard, is that by enabling people to argue, debate and communicate with others from the comfort, and perhaps anonymity of their own homes has lead to more rudeness, coarseness, hostility and overall cheapening the value of the virtual public commons. Sadly, this is now bleeding over into real life as well as people take the manners, or lack thereof, that they learned on FB and elsewhere out into the real world and expect the same sort of results.

5. What does Facebook bring to humanity? Zuckerberg himself has stated that he wanted to bring the social experience of college to the internet. Oh boy, the cliques, the gossip, no, you don't have to grow up and become an adult. Worse, FB quickly degenerated into providing the social experience of middle school. Wow, what a great contribution to the world. And just because it allows people to share lots of information quickly doesn't mean a damn thing unless that information is valid and truthful, which on FB it all too often isn't. Furthermore, what were once innocent pleasures, like having your picture taken with a glass of wine in your hand, can now be used against you, like the teacher who was fired when such a picture turned up on FB.

Sorry, but I find that FB has done more harm to society than good, and that the good it has achieved can also be achieved in other ways. I don't do FB, for the reasons I've stated and others. If I want to get in contact with people, I email, phone or *gasp* write them. The information that can be found on FB can be found elsewhere just as easily. As far as the social experience goes, thanks, but I'm all grown up now and don't feel the desire for the social experience that FB provides. My fervent hope is that within the coming decade FB and other such social media dries up and goes away. We'll all be better if it does.