On Why I Left Facebook
Posted at 3:39 pm on Tuesday, June 9, 2009, in Technology, and tagged facebook, gmail, google, yahoo.
I’ve probably hinted at why I’ve left Facebook, at some point or another, but to needlessly go in length on such an inane and insubstantial topic, just because I can, here goes (and what better forum than a grade-a blog)… Simply, it is a waste of time.
I was having drinks with a land developer this past Saturday evening at a local bar. He asked my why I had left Facebook, and I described the now-ubiquitous networking utility like this: It is a high school reunion every night. And why would anyone want to subject themselves to that?
Facebook has its uses, there is no doubt, primarily as a reunion organizer for high schools and colleges (but also elementary and middle schools, even neighborhood cul-de-sacs). Other than that, it borders on useless. It replaces Evite, and may serve as a contact manager, but after reconnecting with friends, there is not much there (except a poke or two, and an entirely necessary vampire app).
Some people may say that it has replaced their email, but that could not possibly be true. Have you ever tried to send an attachment to someone, or check spelling, or blind-carbon copy someone while using Facebook email? Have you ever told a potential employer to send you interview details to your Facebook account? I didn’t think so. Facebook may complement an email account, but it will not replace one. Related, a company is much more likely to block access to Facebook than they are Yahoo! Mail or Gmail. There is a reason for that: Facebook is not email.
Some may say that it replaces their instant messenger platform, but what they really mean is that the status feature has replaced their AIM profile. This may be true, but AIM in its hey-day was a much better communication tool than Facebook is today. With AIM (and other instant messaging systems), it is entirely possible to have several conversations at once. Sure there was the potential for the “wrong window” slip-up, but Facebook is simply one-on-one communication, no distractions. Maybe it is more clear that way, and maybe that is the purpose, but it doesn’t replace IM. And with regards to the Facebook status as profile phenomenon, Twitter is the future of that space, that is clear.
Some may have only their close friends linked on Facebook, and to them, I salute you, through and through. And for others who may have hundreds of friends, everyone that they have ever sat in a classroom with, well, good luck to you. There is a place for drawing a line on the ground, and saying, albeit quietly (or maybe on a 3×5 index card), on this side are my friends, and on that side, are you, mister or missus acquaintance. There is nothing wrong with saying no. (That will be a big part of Web4.0: You know what, I don’t really need to let every person I used to take Physics with a half-decade ago know the details of my flight information so they can track the path on Google Earth.)
Facebook’s primary active use (not just as a reunion organizer) is with current students, organizing meetings and study sessions. I’m not a student. I don’t need Facebook; using it was purely whetting a childish appetite. And I now know what most of my graduating high school and college class looks like, so I’m satisfied with how things are, and I’ll leave it — and Facebook — at that. Time-sucking is now kept to a minimum.
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