See, here’s the thing though, you and I have this running thing going here about the definition of “olds” and how it applies to the topic at hand, which is facebook.
By your definition above, I, harrumph, an not an old, so the “olds” logic cannot , IMHO, be applied to me. Here’s why:
Did it. Signed up for facebook back in 2005. Okay, honestly only because my company insisted I do it, nonetheless I found it interesting and was a somewhat avid user for 5 years or so. Used it to get in touch with people from way back, as well as stay in touch with current friends.
Began feeling this way a couple of years ago when I realized how much of my life I was investing in an online life, and decided to refocus on real life, with a better balance.
The only part of the above “olds” quote that fits me a little is what I highlighted in red. Now that I’ve lived facebook, broke the habit, and can look back on it, I feel it overall is a net loss. At least it was for me.
Not really the point of the OPs argument anyway, as the thread is really more about the commercial side of facebook, but I did feel like I had to push back a little on what I interpreted as a little bit of broad brush statement.
I just hate that there only seems to be two choices: Jump on the Facebook bandwagon or be considered an “angry old”. I’m 36, almost 37. I am neither old nor young, I guess.
I was on facebook. It didn’t do it for me, and it actively annoyed me with its ads and its changing of privacy settings and all that. So I deleted it, and never looked back.
This is taken, both here and IRL, to be me hating FB. I hate that it is difficult to do anything without it now - friends only make plans on facebook, family doesn’t want to call anymore, only talk on facebook, some restaurants put their menus (!!!) on facebook only. But I accept all of that as the cost of not participating and don’t go around ranting about it.
Do I wish it would go away? Sure, at least to the extent I wouldn’t have to hear about it. 99% of the time, though, I don’t think about it at all. I certainly don’t go into a frothing lather about it.
It’s not the “olds” part that bugs me, it’s the implication (in general) that anyone who dislikes facebook is resistant to new ideas.
Now that the leaves are finally raked and bagged, you and the other children are welcome to play in the yard, just be careful to not break the plastic flamingos.
Here’s the thing. Something as innocuous as a website can’t ruin society. So when people bleat on about how bad Facebook is and how terrible and how… blah, blah, blah. It’s at point where you sound old and out of touch.
This is actually an even better example of the “old” mentality. You don’t have to have an opinion on Facebook if you don’t use it. Especially if you deleted your account, because unless you did it yestefday, there’s a very good chance the Facebook you’re bitching about doesn’t exist anymore.
I’m not saying you (or leftfield) do this, but a lot of people who have problems with Facebook believe that it exists as some kind of conspiracy to stick to non-computer users. And that’s the attitude you want to avoid, because it makes you sound crazy.
That makes no sense. There’s no reason I can’t have an opinion on it just because I don’t use it! There’s lots of things I have an opinion on even though I don’t consume them. And I told you my problems with not having an account - all the people who do have one and don’t make their stuff accessible any other way.
Non computer users? I think you mean non facebook users.
OK, sure. But here’s the thing, Facebook isn’t that hard to use. If you’re even the least bit computer savvy, the basics are a snap. And searching out some of the more advanced or esoteric options is doable… especially if you’ve got friends/family who are completely addicted to it.
Ok? Why are you telling me this? I was on facebook for a while, remember? It didn’t do anything for me, so I deleted it. It’s not that I couldn’t figure it out.
But now you’re complaining that your friends/family do all their planning on Facebook and leave you out. So obviously it does do something for you, you’d just rather complain.
She didn’t complain about it, though. She noted it as an accepted cost of not having a facebook. I’m pretty free with word use but even I take issue with stretching complaining into meaning commenting on reality.
Thank you. It’s like I can’t even have an opinion on it. Wait, that’s exactly what he said - that I can’t have an opinion on it, at all, even though it does affect my life, because I am not on it.
I just don’t understand. You want to use the features Facebook offers (and make no mistake, a centralized gathering place for your friends is a “feature” of Facebook), but you don’t want to use Facebook. That’s baffling to me.
No, I don’t. I comment that the meeting places have changed to facebook only - literally, no one wants to send an e-mail or make a phone call outside of facebook- and I accept that as a cost of not using facebook. I don’t like it, but I understand it’s the cost I pay.
This is a misreading of what she said but even if it were an opinion that someone in this thread is holding, it’s hardly objectionable. There are a multitude of various programs, websites and services that offer features that I like or want but that I don’t use for one reason or another. Are you baffled when someone asks for recommendations for photo-editing software comparable to photoshop without the hefty pricetag?
Facebook was great when it was only for college students. Everyone knew that it was pretending to be about you and your circle and your interests, but the reality was that it was just a front for a place to trying to get laid without being creepy. Now, people’s families are on there and it fucks everything up.
I have a couple of friends that are very anti-Facebook but have a bare-bones profile basically just so that they don’t miss out on event invitations and the like. They basically never log in to the site, but they have email notifications set up, so if someone invites them to an event, they get an email about it. I realize that in an ideal world, the rest of us would always remember that Jack isn’t on Facebook so we should probably message him separately to remind him of this event we just set up, but it’s not an ideal world.
I had a friend who, back in the 90s, was a late hold-out on getting an email account, because she didn’t want to be “wired” or at everyone’s beck and call. She missed out on a lot of parties, because if you think people are reluctant to send an email when they could use Facebook instead, you have forgotten how reluctant people were to pick up the phone for non-email-enabled friends.
Interestingly, this same friend is now on Facebook and is a fairly active user. Go figure.
I could use a new line to explain my Lack O’ Facebookery. But my standard one gets a lot of knowing nods: “I don’t need to waste any more time online…” Ha! If they could only see me here.
I don’t explain it so much as state it. I’m not on Facebook. Never have been. It’s not for me and I know too many people who’ve had problems facilitated by it for me to want to get involved.
I’ve succesfully made it part of my professional image, too. People know I’m not old and I’m good with computers and technology so I don’t get the “Old fuddy-duddy” label and because everyone knows I’m not on Facebook, they still call/e-mail/message to tell me about stuff, so I don’t end up missing out on anything worthwhile.
I have been forced to create a page for my business on Facebook, and the assholes will not show my company’s icon or name. I do not, and WILL NOT, create a personal page on fucking Facebook, and the assholes apparently won’t show anything other than a personal one.
