# Question about Facebook **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 2, 2011, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-facebook/584140 "2011-06-02T23:34:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-facebook/584140/21 "2011-06-03T14:42:20Z")
> [@surrounded\_by\_literalists](#): > > What really bothers me is people who will refuse to communicate with me because I don’t have Facebook. Its some sort of passive aggressive thing with them. > > “Well, if you had a Facebook account, then you could reach me anytime!” I finally caved because I nearly didn’t hear about a bridal shower for a niece because I wasn’t on Facebook. I just happened to overhear a mention of the shower at a family gathering and was confused, and asked about it. “I posted it on Facebook…” (Well, OK, that’s what I tell people about why I finally caved, but I really wanted to play the FB game Dragon Age: Legends to get unlockable items for my Dragon Age 2 game. 😃 I don’t post updates on the game to my wall, and I don’t spam friends to do stuff for me. You do get bonuses if friends of yours also play the game, but I have enough friends that play it anyway.) The problem is, my husband has tried to invite that niece and others to get-togethers via Facebook, and gotten the response, “I don’t really use Facebook much.” :smack: More like she pays attention to stuff she’s interested in. Just say, “Sorry, I’m an airhead sometimes” or “I was so busy at work that week that I didn’t check it,” rather than claiming you don’t use it then expecting people who don’t even have an account to magically check it. With judicious use of privacy settings I’m pretty happy on Facebook so far. I have one friend who seems to both tweet updates to Facebook and use an app to put the same update on (like for what he’s watching on TV or whatever), and another couple who are games-happy (but those go away fast with blocking), and one chain letter on my wall. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-facebook/584140/22 "2011-06-03T14:47:07Z")
> [@surrounded\_by\_literalists](#): > > Why would I want to do that? E-mail is cheaper than a phone. Travel wastes time and gas and limits person to person contact, no to mention impractical. Huh - it’s almost as if a telephone or e-mail offers a form of convenience to you. Weird. > [@](#): > > Why MUST I have a Facebook account? If one of my ‘friends’ insists that they cannot communicate with me unless its through Facebook, do I really want them as a ‘friend’ anyway? “Must”? No one said anything about “must” until right now. No one “must” have a telephone or an e-mail account - but lots of people do because they offer a convenience. As for wanting that particular person as a friend, there aren’t any rules for that either. I certainly hope you’re capable of choosing who you want to be your friend or not. If you still don’t “get” Facebook, then you’re just trying to be difficult. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-facebook/584140/23 "2011-06-03T14:53:16Z")
Seriously, not being interested in or wanting to use Facebook makes perfect sense to me. Claiming not to “get” Facebook or understand why anyone else would want to use it seems like a weird form of snobbery or Ludditism or something. Especially if you make a special point out of coming into Facebook discussions just to mention how you “don’t get it”. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-facebook/584140/24 "2011-06-03T14:58:02Z")
> [@Bearflag70](#): > > So I shouldn’t ask you to pick my pineapples? > [@Cicero](#): > > Only because I don’t like climbing trees. Funny [you should say that](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=13863752&postcount=9). Facebook is my primary form of social interaction these days. It’s rude to say that someone MUST be on it, but it’s useful for keeping up on little details of other people’s lives. But do learn how to block the game and other crap you don’t want, make sure you take a thorough look at your security settings and be very wary of any links people post directly onto your wall, especially anything claiming to show you who’s been looking at your profile and suchlike. Facebook is home to a lot of malware too, but you can avoid it if you don’t madly click on things. ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-facebook/584140/25 "2011-06-03T14:58:05Z")
Does she need more neighbours? I could always do with more neighbours 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![surrounded\_by\_literalists](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8baadc/32.png) [@surrounded\_by\_literalists](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/surrounded_by_literalists)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-facebook/584140/26 "2011-06-03T17:08:51Z")
Maybe I wasn’t clear… I don’t want Facebook. I never said anything about anybody else using face book. I don’t care if they have Facebook or not. Somebody elses Facebook use is not mine to worry about. Its not for me. I don’t understand why this makes people so angry. “I don’t get it” means just that…I don’t get it. Its not a judgement against your personal preferences. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-facebook/584140/27 "2011-06-03T18:17:29Z")
> [@surrounded\_by\_literalists](#): > > Maybe I wasn’t clear… I don’t want Facebook. I never said anything about anybody else using face book. I don’t care if they have Facebook or not. Somebody elses Facebook use is not mine to worry about. Its not for me. I don’t understand why this makes people so angry. “I don’t get it” means just that…I don’t get it. Its not a judgement against your personal preferences. There is a practical difference between “I don’t want that” and “I don’t get that”. “I don’t get that” means “I don’t _understand_ that”. We don’t care if you don’t want Facebook. We’re just pointing out that not understanding Facebook is silly, as you clearly “understand” the telephone or e-mail. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-facebook/584140/28 "2011-06-03T19:52:54Z")
Perhaps the reason people get upset is that you come into a thread about the site just to tell us that you don’t “get” it? What’s the point in saying this if you don’t need someone explaining it to you? ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-facebook/584140/29 "2011-06-03T19:57:05Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > You know you don’t have to see that stuff, right? I’m on Facebook all the damn time and I never see game requests or updates. Well, I might see one per game, lifetime. I hide them all and then I never see them again. See post #5, but thanks. . ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-facebook/584140/30 "2011-06-03T20:28:51Z")
Right, when I saw that the first time through I thought that was the OP responding. Sorry. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ChocBean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ac8455/32.png) [@ChocBean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChocBean)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2011, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-facebook/584140/31 "2011-06-04T03:41:12Z")
> [@picunurse](#): > > I’m new to facebook. I friended my sister (didn’t want to, but whatta ya gonna do?) Now she has filled up my page with game crap. Asking for bolts and chicken wire and heart and on and on and on. > Is she sending these requests to everyone or are the directed at me? I don’t play any multi-player games on facebook or anywhere else. > > I have enough trouble paying attention to real world people. :rolleyes: do exactly what you would do in real life- pretend you didn’t notice the invitations and pokes. some people enjoy those activities, some don’t. You might actually find yourself enjoying some of those games one day. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2011, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-facebook/584140/32 "2011-06-04T04:48:15Z")
> [@ChocBean](#): > > do exactly what you would do in real life- pretend you didn’t notice the invitations and pokes. some people enjoy those activities, some don’t. You might actually find yourself enjoying some of those games one day. You don’t understand. I don’t want to _see_ them. They take up the whole page. As soon as she finds a new game she goes nuts sending crap. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2011, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-facebook/584140/33 "2011-06-04T04:51:05Z")
On the next game notification you can choose to block all game invites from this person. ---
**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2011, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-facebook/584140/34 "2011-06-04T15:54:58Z")
There’s a Greasemonkey script called Facebook Purity. Love it. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2011, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-facebook/584140/35 "2011-06-04T17:06:38Z")
> [@surrounded\_by\_literalists](#): > > Why MUST I have a Facebook account? If one of my ‘friends’ insists that they cannot communicate with me unless its through Facebook, do I really want them as a ‘friend’ anyway? You need Facebook because it is the most technologically efficient medium today for wasting the maximum amount of your time by sharing with the largest number of people who care the least about you the most insignificant things in your life. It’s a must have. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2011, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-facebook/584140/36 "2011-06-04T17:12:19Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > You need Facebook because it is the most technologically efficient medium today for wasting the maximum amount of your time by sharing with the largest number of people who care the least about you the most insignificant things in your life. > > It’s a must have. On the other hand, if you do use Facebook, you won’t be able to drop in and thread-shit on Facebook threads with smug commentary like this, so it’s a trade-off. ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2011, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-facebook/584140/37 "2011-06-04T17:23:36Z")
I’ve had two “pokes” pending poke-backs on my FB page for a year. One from a woman in Australia that I only “friended” so I could get my neighbor count up in a game I was playing; I don’t really know her, so I’m not poking her back. The second is from one of my nieces; I think it’s just creepy if it could be said that my niece and I are poking each other. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2011, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-facebook/584140/38 "2011-06-04T18:16:25Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > On the other hand, if you do use Facebook, you won’t be able to drop in and thread-shit on Facebook threads with smug commentary like this, so it’s a trade-off. \*\* MsWhatsit\*\*-I use Facebook, and I agree with him. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2011, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-facebook/584140/39 "2011-06-04T18:35:20Z")
That’s fine, and if he had shared it in a thread called “Bitch about Facebook” or “What’s your general opinion of Facebook” then it wouldn’t be thread-shitting. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2011, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-facebook/584140/40 "2011-06-04T18:39:16Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > You need Facebook because it is the most technologically efficient medium today for wasting the maximum amount of your time by sharing with the largest number of people who care the least about you the most insignificant things in your life. plus you have the opportunity to make a stupid mistake once (i.e. posting something embarrassing) and then, for the rest of your life, worry about your boss or your grandmother seeing it. see [teacher fired for facebook picture at a party](http://www.esrcheck.com/Stacy-the-Drunken-Pirate-and-MySpace-Age-and-Facebook.php) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-facebook/584140.md?page=1)