A Facebook-free world

xLizardx · 12-30-2013, 10:57 PM

I like Facebook. Is it the most superior social networking site in terms of functionality? No, but it is the most popular and pervasive, and therefore provides the most important commodity for any social networking site: people. People are the resource that facilitates socialisation.
Are all of the people on Facebook worth socialising with? Of course not! Just as half the people you pass when you walk down the street are quite possibly douchebags. That doesn't mean that the street is a terrible street - it just means that you choose only the like-minded people to actually interact with.

Funnily enough, all of the "problems" you point out about Facebook can be resolved with a bit of common sense. Don't want embarrassing photos of yourself online? Then don't upload them. If other people take them of you and upload them, then de-tag them, request their removal, and maybe don't drink so much next time... or choose better friends, who aren't so callous as to post horrible photos of you.
Don't want to share intimate details of your life? Then don't share any! It's perfectly possible to have impersonal discussions, or to keep personal stuff to private messages.
Don't want to read other people's personal information? Well, firstly, you ought to develop a tolerance level for this sort of thing, because people can and will tell you that **** in reality too, but secondly... if you don't like someone's content, then guess what, no one's forcing you to keep them on your friends list.
And if you don't want to delete them, then simply "hide" the content.

If you use Facebook with an iota of pragmatism, then it can prove an excellent social platform.

And hey, guess what - if I only wanted to talk to people I'd actually met, then I wouldn't be using the internet. I've never understood some people's resistance to the idea of communicating with strangers. It's interesting [and lots of fun] to talk to people in places you may never get the chance to visit - like vicariously travelling, and really... we have this amazing tool for pan-global communication right at our fingertips. How narrow-minded and limiting would it be to only talk to the few people you went to school with who didn't turn out to be dickheads?

12-30-2013, 10:57 PM	#11 (permalink)
xLizardx Music Addict Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: UK Posts: 71	I like Facebook. Is it the most superior social networking site in terms of functionality? No, but it is the most popular and pervasive, and therefore provides the most important commodity for any social networking site: people. People are the resource that facilitates socialisation. Are all of the people on Facebook worth socialising with? Of course not! Just as half the people you pass when you walk down the street are quite possibly douchebags. That doesn't mean that the street is a terrible street - it just means that you choose only the like-minded people to actually interact with. Funnily enough, all of the "problems" you point out about Facebook can be resolved with a bit of common sense. Don't want embarrassing photos of yourself online? Then don't upload them. If other people take them of you and upload them, then de-tag them, request their removal, and maybe don't drink so much next time... or choose better friends, who aren't so callous as to post horrible photos of you. Don't want to share intimate details of your life? Then don't share any! It's perfectly possible to have impersonal discussions, or to keep personal stuff to private messages. Don't want to read other people's personal information? Well, firstly, you ought to develop a tolerance level for this sort of thing, because people can and will tell you that **** in reality too, but secondly... if you don't like someone's content, then guess what, no one's forcing you to keep them on your friends list. And if you don't want to delete them, then simply "hide" the content. If you use Facebook with an iota of pragmatism, then it can prove an excellent social platform. And hey, guess what - if I only wanted to talk to people I'd actually met, then I wouldn't be using the internet. I've never understood some people's resistance to the idea of communicating with strangers. It's interesting [and lots of fun] to talk to people in places you may never get the chance to visit - like vicariously travelling, and really... we have this amazing tool for pan-global communication right at our fingertips. How narrow-minded and limiting would it be to only talk to the few people you went to school with who didn't turn out to be dickheads?