Ok. I’ve been anti-Facebook since it first became big. Hopefully, you’ve been living under a rock, and have never even heard about Facebook. If this applies to you, I suggest showering. If you have heard of Facebook, you’re probably already signed up. Don’t worry, I understand! The internet peer-pressure to join Facebook is astronomically huge, since everybody and their dog has an account.
While I cannot condone the 
action you have taken in joining, I will not treat you poorly for getting sucked into the system. This little article will be about MY reasons for not joining, since the peer-pressure to join is starting to annoy me.
For example:
“Man, you should definitely join Facebook, everybody from high school is on it”, says everybody.
“Join Facebook… Please? I want to be able to change my relationship status”, says Girlfriend.
“You don’t have Facebook? How do you stay in touch with everyone?”
There’s a common reason that many people join Facebook. To “stay in touch” with people from their past. Right there is my problem.
People from my past are just that: From my past. If I wanted to “stay in touch” with them, I never would have “lost touch” with them. Don’t take this the wrong way, but people annoy me. Not individual people, but if you look at people as a group… they bug me. If you look at John Doe from high school, he might have been a great guy. On the other hand, if you look at “people from high school” (of which Mr. Doe is obviously a part of), thinking about them makes me feel scared for the future.
Don’t get me wrong, there are people from my past that I wish I had more contact with. However, I know that I can always pick up the phone and get together for a chat with them if I ever wanted to. On your Facebook “friend list”, can you honestly say that everyone on there would love to hear from you and grab some coffee and talk about how they have been? I didn’t think so.
Another thing that disturbs me about Facebook is what it is. It is, in basic terms, a user-allowed privacy destroyer. Not only that, with Facebook at your hands, there really is no point in asking people how their weekend was; if you need to ask that, it’s simply because you were too lazy/busy to read about it on their Facebook. By putting everything about yourself out there in the open, you leave yourself vulnerable from a lot of creepy people. Going on a date? If the other person seems to know exactly what you like/dislike, it’s probably because they read up on you, not because they are a “perfect match”. You might say “but xprimnt, you’re writing this on a website powered by WordPress”. It’s not the same. While I’m using WordPress to write, I have the self restraint to not let everyone know about my favourite fruits, and which vegetables that I hate.
Last but not least, it is yet another form of Internet Communication that is perpetuating the downfall of the English language. I despise the truncated, abbreviated and overall annoying “Net Language”. Any tool that allows continued use to it bothers me. I don’t mind things that are actually computer related. Things like GUI, WYSIWYG Editors and MIME are acronyms that MEAN something. They stand for an object, extension, program, etc. Things like ROFL, LMAO, TTYL and OMGWTFBBQ are simply shortening a language that people do not get enough practice with anyway (though OMGWTFBBQ is pretty funny, if you think about it). I think that you should need to pass a course, a certain level of Language Arts, in order to be allowed to use them. This would make sure that people that haven’t quite figured out the full language don’t start playing with fire.
Ok. That covers a couple of points that should convince you that I really don’t want to join Facebook. Leave me alone. In summary, even thinking about Facebook injures the moral fabric of all humanity. Enjoy your “friend list”.
July 2nd, 2007 at 9:59 pm
Yes, I hear your point. But, I’d still like to change my relationship status
October 25th, 2007 at 9:42 am
i couldn’t have said it better myself!!!! if i wanted to stay in tough with people from my past i would have. the fact that i havn’t obviously means something. so what is the point of dragging up the past? if you really wanted to re-connect you’d find a more tangible way…and i don’t mean with a keyboard! Facebook is like high school all over again and honestly that is one thing i don’t want to do again! For all of you who are ’so into it’ good luck with your friend list and the prettiest eyes contest, or ‘who is the most @#!$able’, i hope it brings you great joy and memories!!!!
October 26th, 2007 at 9:58 am
AMEN!
I absolutely despise Facebook. One of my sisters has become a Facebook zombie and is completely addicted - she has over 300 “friends” on her list but probably can only honestly count about 6 of them as real friends. It’s so annoying, I am the only one of my friends not on Facebook and sometimes I feel a little left out but I keep thinking “ICQ died too!”- it gives me hope.
October 29th, 2007 at 9:20 am
I believe facebook to be the spawn of the devil. It is the scourge of modern society. It epitomises everything that is wrong with the world. It has led to the downfall of literacy. It pains me to see people “riting lik dis all da time cos they dont no how 2 spell proper.” It takes over peoples lives. Real friends are ones that are there for you, who you talk to you on the phone, who you meet up with you face to face, not someone who writes on your wall. You emblazon your whole life for all to see on your profile, pictures, what I did two weeks ago last Tuesday, who cares really. Facebook is for egotistical, self obsessed, posers, who only care about how many ‘friends’ they have. Is this some kind of race? I mean seriously, talk about materialistic. Now I know many people will be saying, “well I only add my friends that I know”. Oh please, why don’t you try actually seeing them once in a while, or do you see them, say nothing, and then rush home to write on their god damn wall. Give me a break. I guess people just love talking about themselves, love looking at pictures of themselves, and are just generally so self absorbed they can’t think of anyone else. “Oh my god so and so has put a picture of me on their site and I look so drunk!” I personally would be mortified. That to me is not funny. Facebook promotes rumours and exemplifies bullying in my eyes. Wow I can join a group on facebook how exciting. How about joining a real life group, getting out and seeing the world, meeting real people and discussing real life topics. How about reading a book, going for a walk, or the horror of it, studying! People are not who they say they are on facebook, they hide behind the pseudonym of their account. Here they can be funny or aggressive, or confident or whatever they are not in real life. Yes REAL LIFE. It does still exist somewhere outside of your dark dank bedroom. I realise probably no one will ever read this, and I don’t much care, I have no qualms in putting my name to this, it has made me feel so much better.
Chris Shevlin
October 31st, 2007 at 3:32 pm
I couldn’t agree more. I don’t understand why people are so fascinated by only “communicating” with eachother using a technological medium. This applies to text messaging as well. Why talk to the person sitting next to me when I can just ignore my surroundings and text all my old friends? Or why communicate with anyone who is with me HERE and NOW, when I can go on Facebook and see what some asshole you haven’t spoken to in 4 years is up to. Uggh. Don’t worry, though, people; I remain confident that this trend will die like most others. It’s just going to require some patience.
November 10th, 2007 at 5:58 am
Good site! I’ll stay reading! Keep improving!
November 15th, 2007 at 8:39 pm
I just googled “pressure to join Facebook” and landed here. I made the foolish mistake of joining Facebook but keeping the privacy settings to a minimum. Well guess what - now people are pissed. My own brother, who looked a little peeved when I saw him, said “you have to give up a little of yourself, make yourself vulnerable” on Facebook for it to work. So now since I’m not listing every book I’ve read, my political affiliation, my “status”, I guess I’m not a team player. Did you know that if you buy a book, say, on “Natural Cures for Erectile Disfunction” it will show up in your Facebook profile? Sure, Amazon will give you a chance to “opt-out” but if you fail to do so, it shows up by default. I say we invite the Brazilians and see what happens:
http://socialsoftware.weblogsinc.com/2004/07/18/brazilians-dominate-orkut-by-the-numbers/
November 30th, 2007 at 2:42 pm
I agree with the girl at the top.
November 30th, 2007 at 5:35 pm
You can’t agree with the girl at the top. It ruins the flow of dislike.
Besides, based on the comments and some of the search terms that bring people to this article, I am most certainly not alone. (My favourite is “Facebook is the spawn of the devil”. It has a nice ring to it…)
November 30th, 2007 at 5:36 pm
Here’s something for you: With this I am deflowered ! I hate FaceBook so much that I’m giving up my comment virginity.
That’s right, I’ve never commented on a blog. It’s certainly not because I’m not “with it” or technically proficient, it’s because I’m actually successful and I’m too busy with my career to have much of a virtual social life. I spend all day in front of the computer (thankfully in a collaborative environment) and I don’t want to waste any more time than necessary staring at a screen.
Besides, I certainly don’t want my social life to be mediated by a third party.
Most importantly to me is the fact that my livelihood is dependent on the fact that I am a node for many varying scenes and groups of people (I work in the culture industry) I want/need people to connect THROUGH me. Facebook delineates the social graph and completely devalues the relationships and contacts that I have made in real time.
Finally, I think Facebook transgresses the human scale of relationship networks. I think one can only really have 20 close friends and maybe 60 acquaintances. This is why people come and go from your life. Why are people so afraid of relationship death ? Death is a natural and healthy part of life, it makes room for the new. I guess as we’re about to enter into the new a-seaonal reality of climate change where out relationships will exist in perpetuity some corporately sponsored virtual world. GROSS
So there you go, I hate it so much that I spent 15 minutes writing an essay on some strangers blog.
I’m going to do my laundry and meet some friends for dinner and drinks.
ta for now
November 30th, 2007 at 6:51 pm
Well, I appreciate you taking the time to write on a stranger’s blog (although I don’t think of this as a blog, even though it has this post in it. I think of it as “informative”).
It really does speak wonders that people who come across this site have actual social lives, and agree that Facebook is a definite no-no. Not only that, the comments received thus far are generally intelligent and use actual grammar and word structure.
Perhaps humanity is not as doomed as I initially thought?
December 6th, 2007 at 6:32 am
I am sick to death of Facebook. This whole concept of “friends” is just laughable. Out of my 36 “friends”, 4 I could call friends, 31 I know of (and thats it), and 1 who actually dislikes me! What a farce. She’s a sad, pathetic individual. Desperate to impress others with her collection of “friends”. Even more ridiculous is the fact that my 2 closest friends and my girlfriend aren’t even on there. It’s a joke.
I joined initially to keep in touch with a small group of university friends, but, before long I was bombarded with friend requests from people who I have met at various stages in my life. People I would call “acquaintances”. I have no interest whatsoever in talking to these people. I do not care what they are up to, if they are married and what their music tastes are. Just f*ck off, please. I hate everything Facebook stands for. It’s pretentious, superficial and pathetic bullshit for image-conscious losers with nothing better to do than to inflate their egos further.
It is refreshing to read that there are many of you out there who feel the same way as I do. As for the comment above, humanity is not completely doomed, but the fact is that intelligent people are a minority now.
We must breed…
December 10th, 2007 at 12:43 pm
Hello everyone!
I stumbled upon this page and as Lewis stated, it was a “refreshing” treat!
I was watching the news after work today, and notice a clip about Facebook.
Optimistically I hoped it was about the site getting shut down, or some new shocking uncoverey on how facebook allows corporations and individuals to invade your privacy.
While I was wrong, the story was still a positive one, involving an expert internet trends analyst (go figure) talking about how facebook has now begun to decline in popularity, and is becoming an annoyance to more and more of its users. He states that the social network will soon be “where people used to go to on line, in 2007″
After sharing that bit of good news, I’d just like to say I’ve never really read a post and all of its replies, not to mention replied myself, but I couldn’t agree more with every comment made.
I could elaborate on my own personal experiences, with facebook, and the facebook obsessed, egotistic high shool-esque crowd, but I wont.
However I will ask, is there anything more annoying than meeting someone… and after talking with them, having them end the conversation with:
“Add me on Facebook”
December 13th, 2007 at 4:34 am
Well I must say I am pleasantly surprised. This being my second post, I thought I would check back here after a few months to see if there had been any more replies by people who shared my level of hatred for Facebook. It is very encouraging to know that there are intelligent and social people left in the world who can see through the facade of Facebook.
I have found on an increasing level, the pressure to join Facebook becoming immense. Only yesterday, as Nick (above) so rightly points out I was asked to “add me on Facebook.” When I politely replied that “I do not have Facebook,” and “why don’t I take your mobile number instead?” I was greeted with words that burned into my soul and tore my heart out… “How can you not have Facebook, EVERYBODY’S on Facebook.”
I can only weep at the ‘piss poor’ state of our country’s declining social and communicative standing.
There is hope however, and to all the people who have posted a comment here, I thank you. I will not give in to this pressure and will continue to spread the word to my Friends, that is right I will spread the word by mouth to my friends who I see and have real social interaction with, that Facebook is wrong.
Merry Christmas ‘one and all’, and have a fantastic new year.
December 13th, 2007 at 8:02 pm
I’m impressed by the robust replies of those level headed people who reject this new tyranny of conformity called Facebook. I don’t have an account, never will. Now excuse me while I get a life.
December 17th, 2007 at 12:26 pm
I left facebook yesterday. It was a great decision. I didn’t use it much. I am not that self absorbed that I want a page dedicated to myself and what I am doing every 5 minutes of the day and NO I do not want my pictures on show just so people can comment on them. I also don’t want to read about what other people are doing every second of thier day - which is probably not a lot considering how many times their sites are updated. They need to get a life! Get out more! Maybe learn to communicate normally again
December 19th, 2007 at 3:25 pm
Could not have put in more truthful words myself!
Ive hated facebook since God knows how long!
& Everybody’s got it @ me skool!
Id often hear me mates say ‘Oh, how come you aint got one’ & i’d just say,
‘Cuz its not worth me time.’
The only reason I made an account was to delete it anyways & give em some crap reason as to why i quit.
“IT SUCKS.”
December 23rd, 2007 at 12:41 pm
What a brilliant blog! I could not agree more! All people do on Facebook is waste my time with chain letters and full my inbox with “FunWall” garbage. I also never go online because I can TALK to my friends in real life. I don’t need an overcomplicated messanging service for that! In fact, I’m going to deactivate my account RIGHT NOW.
December 24th, 2007 at 2:00 pm
Amen Amen!
I came on the website to find reasons to shut my friends up the next time they bang on about how amazing it is. I love the bit where you say
“People from my past are just that: From my past”.
I’m gonna commit that one to memory. Long live the real world!
December 26th, 2007 at 9:38 pm
Brilliant and highly accurate of another piece of shit corruption in society. Don’t have an account, never did, never will. I did however find out from someone else that my nieces posted pictures of me on there facebook (without my consent)…I asked them to take the pics off, and they choose not to. The worse part is, someone contacted my son 2 days before x-mas (he has an account, against my better judgement, but he is 21 yrs old) Someone from my past that is in the past for a very good reason! So much for the right to privacy! I hate rich americans that get richer and richer off of disfunctional or lonely people.
December 28th, 2007 at 6:19 am
I agree. I typed “hate facebook” and landed here after I got another invite. I spent my time on the net before the blogosphere on mailing lists but it soon deteriorated in forced management of spam. The blogosphere was even worse as I had to read people’s soliliquies about how unfait it was that their boss wouldn’t let them access their blogs during work hours (to whine about being asked to do the work they’re paid for).
Now I keep getting invites to join whatever privacy-rape site is the flavour of the day for i-sheep.
“Friends” on Facebook, MySpace, LiveJournal are just making the word more trivial. It’s not about quantity but quality and if you have hundreds of friends in cyber-socializing circles you probably have very little in real life or in danger of estranging them.
The internet has become a place where lonely people can send fan mail to each other. It has given the average joe the chance of experiencing the glamor of stalking without having to achieve public notoriety.
I value my privacy and read 1984 enough times to say the internet is potentially the tool of Big Brother and people are out there saying “watch me!”.
That kind of sheep like idiocy scares the crap out of me.
January 8th, 2008 at 12:44 am
The dialogue on this site is so refreshing! I feel like a huge weight on my shoulders has lifted. I’ve had the misfortune of getting caught up in all the hype of facebook, but the deeper I’ve involved myself, the more I’ve come to abhor it. Many times I’ve thought with envy of people who have never even heard of it. I wish I was one of those people. I would say my level of stress has increased dramatically in the last few months or so, because I’ve felt so much pressure to keep up with my long friend list. Most of the postings I get are pure SPAM, totally superficial, and a complete waste of my time. I must admit that I have been able to reconnect with a few people that I’ve really wanted to reconnect with, but even then, there’s only so much time that I have for them. I have more important people who deserve my attention, namely my husband and children! I also find that the site is geared toward a relatively small group (including Generation X-ers like me), leaving out huge chunks of humanity. As a case in point, I don’t see a lot of elderly folks hurrying to get signed up. And in the case of children, the website would be downright dangerous. Don’t these two groups of people have a lot to contribute to society? I think we could learn a thing or two from them. I would much rather connect with genuine people face-to-face than stare at a computer in my spare time and get caught up in the culture of it all. And all this time I thought I was alone in how I felt. Thanks for your comments. I’m going to get myself out of there fast.
January 10th, 2008 at 11:16 pm
Yes, this is one of the first time I’m actually posting on one of these “blogs”. I really -DO- hate facebook, with passion <3. Most of the good points have already been said, but there’s always more room to bash facebook. “Hi guyz i gotz me nu cmntz on me walz, chk it out! rofl”. My seven year-old brother can write better then that…
Hook up with people from the past? I left’em there for a reason… Besides, anyone heard of a telephone book? For all the reasons posted above and many more, facebook really is pointless, you can upload a picture of another person drunk and comment on it and send it to your buddy, aaaand?
To put it, if anybody actually cares enough about my life and what’s going on, they’ll either call me, e-mail me or msn me. I don’t care what music you like, I don’t care if you got a dog, I don’t care if you suck dick, I don’t care you have 300 “friends”, I don’t care if you suck more dick and have pictures to prove it along with your new dog. If I care, I’ll ask about your life personally.
I googled “hate facebook” and got here
January 12th, 2008 at 8:08 pm
Yep, I think it’s time for me to take Facebook out to the curb. Facebook is beginning to remind me of what happened to the Kahn empire. It conquered a gargantuan area, but then as it diversified and grew to span the outskirts of its reach, it began to crumble because it no longer had control over what was happening on the fringes. I’ve had some ponderings about Facebook and the whole social networking phenomenon. Its really starting to creep me the fvck out!
Here is another great publication:
http://spreadtoothin.wordpress.com/2006/09/07/5-things-i-hate-about-facebook/
January 19th, 2008 at 3:44 am
Again, good to see many other cognitive folks expressing their hatred towards this multinational data mining corporation acting behind the facade of a social networking site. I was out with friends drinking when the topic of facebook came up, which lead me to search “I hate facebook” upon getting home and that’s how I’m here.
I’m in the process of deleting, not deactivating, my facebook account. That is another story but the credit should go to a man I don’t know: Steven Mansour. Google (another P.O.S. anti-privacy company) “deleting facebook account” and you’ll find his hilarious tales of all that is involved in getting out of facebook. I can confirm that all he says is true as I have been going through the same steps myself.
Anyways, very early into my facebook experience I began to hate it. When someone I barely knew started asking “how old is your dog?”, “What race is your girlfriend?”, “What was the point of that grafitti on your wall? etc. it became clear that I had to abandon ship.
Do you have any idea how hard it is to actually leave facebook? Look into that and you’ll want out immediately. There is no doubt in my mind, that facebook supports and/or enables data mining. I have heard accounts of those who were in negotiation with the Canadian RCMP for employment, and suddenly found themselves defending their “binge drinking” activities which were posted by another user. Authorities have access to your facebook account and to think otherwise is just naive. IMO facebook is twice as ugly as Wal-Mart, worse than Exxon, worse than the G-8, child labour sweat shops, or what China is doing to their environment…all in the name of big money driving our out of control ultra-capitalist convenience-first marketing society. It truly is Aldous Huxley or George Orwell’s nightmares coming true. Combine this phenomenon with the USA’s “anti-terror” policies and there you have it; Big Brother is watching.
I truly hope that the majority of users will realize how duped they’ve been and demand changes to the privacy policies and/or delete their accounts. Social networking has potential, but what we’re being offered so far is not worth the cost in terms of giving away your privacy and once again being viewed only as a potential consumer of something.
On a more personal level, I kind of want to remember that girl from my typing class in grade 10 as the hottie that she was. Seeing her all these years later as an obese mom who is “making spaghetti for lunch” just kills those memories.
I could go on longer…but many before me have said many great things.
Peace.
January 19th, 2008 at 7:20 pm
Not only is it incredibly stupid, but also terribly boring. That goes for a lot of surfing, I feel much happier on the Internet-free days than when I’m out there “socializing”. I have periods when I am on the net a lot, I left my home country and use the net to see what’s going on, in forums etc. But it seems that I am not missing out on so much. And I have never ever met a person on the net and “clicked” socially. And what about the ads on meeting “Mr perfect”. If I were single, the internet would be the last place I’d use to look for a partner. Facebook and socializing on the net really sucks.
February 2nd, 2008 at 9:56 pm
I hate facebook. First they don’t offer the website in other language. What are they tinking. I know a lot of my friend who using facebook without even understanding english (i speak in french). I just had an idea, maybe i could find a way to have a trial with them because i don’t understand the privacy…
Ascher said the way we communicate show how our society are. This is true with facebook. We want (i am not including myself in this sentence) to know a lot of people but just in superficial way. It’s the same thing to say that we want quantity and not quality. This is not just in friendship. We can think about food or clothes and a lot more. Facebook is for friendship the samething that Mcdonald are for the food. Quick, easy and probably not so healty. Maybe i could create a new word… fastfriends.
Anyway i understand the people who are fanatic of facebook but i don’t want to take part of the phenomen and there is a smiley a the left down corner of this website.
Sorry for my english, i am not perfect but i am working on it.
February 3rd, 2008 at 1:41 am
“Fastfriends”. I like that. It’s simple, yet describes the high trans fat content.
And the smiley is just to indicate the statistics plugin I use for the website. Good eye though, it’s pretty tiny!
February 6th, 2008 at 9:06 am
Many of todays society problems are caused by envy, jealous people are everywhere, and people who like making others jealous are not a small group. Facebook is just another tool to create envy. Some peoples’s selfesteem is so low that the only way they feel good is when they think others are jealous of them, so you see people that make extreme efforts to show on Facebook what they don’t have and what they have never been. Find happiness in yourself, not on how long your “Friends” list is. Talk to your real life friends, the ones that truly like you. Not the ones that didn’t give you the time of day and now are sending you requests, those are not friends. They are like many have said “people from the past” and there’s where they should stay. Go out and enjoy life with the people that are really going to be there for you when you need them.
February 7th, 2008 at 6:12 pm
“Annie wants to know *what kind of disaster are you?* Paul wants to know*how stupid are you?* Nancy wants to know *what kind of vampire are you?*
Share with your friends!”
This will bring me closer to people? Brings me closer to taking a choke hold.
If I go to hell, facebook will be mandatory punishment for all. Jesus.
February 10th, 2008 at 12:40 am
I am sick of Facebook and all the problems it brings with it. 90% of its users are only focused on how long their friends list is, how many pictures they have, and what groups they are affiliated with. The whole thing is just like Highschool all over again and is pretty pathetic. I don’t understand why anyone would want to stay in constant contact with mere aquaintances discussing superficial subjects and feigning interest in others personal lives.
I can count the amount of “Real friends” in my life on one hand. I define a “real friend” as someone who is there for me and I could count on in times of distress. Someone who is there through my best and worst moments and someone who I know very well. I also have loads of aquaintances who I may have a 30 minute conversation with, but wouldn’t call to make plans for a Friday night.
Facebook promotes superficial relationships with people who have no real concern for obtaining “true friendship” and are only concerned with how long their friends list is and how many pictures they have.
In the few times I have browsed facebook (never had an account, created a “John Doe” account to gain access) I have noticed peoples profile pictures mainly revolve around how many people they can get to pose in a picture with them. Whether it be going to the movies, seeing a baseball game, or going swimming, they keep a camera handy at all times to take photos of the social event and then go home and post them on facebook.
In my opinion, this is extremely bizarre behavior and if someone were to bust out a camera every 5 minutes when I was hanging out in order to get some “Facebook shots” I would be alarmed and a bit freaked out.
Why can’t people just go out and enjoy life without having to be concerned if so and such viewed the event in their profile pictures?
February 18th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
Very funny. I thought I’d come back here after I posted something over a couple of months ago and I have been very impressed with the responses!
I like the last sentence of the previous post. That’s exactly how I feel. It seems people aren’t living in the real world anymore. People are obsessed with image and how they come across to other people. It always makes me laugh when I see a photo of someone extending their arm to take a photo of their own face, looking all cool and serious in their bedroom.
In the meantime I have ‘deactivated’ my account, and feel so much better for it.
To hell with Farcebook!
February 20th, 2008 at 11:42 pm
Okay.
After far too many of my adult friends’ pre-teen kids trying to become my “friends” on CrackBook, I have pulled the plug too. Too weird for moi. Especially when I think of the whole social network exhibitionism thing in the context of the ever-increasing privacy protectionist world.
Admittedly, I will miss though the candid shots of my daughter and her university pals living it large and posting it unconstrained on CrackBook (it was one way to know what has been going on in her life). Guess I will have to resort to truncated text messages, Skype or Gawd Forbid, the telephone or even personal visits.
February 22nd, 2008 at 2:29 pm
Finally I’ve found people who hate facebook too. That’s a first.
The truth is that I don’t hate facebook only. I’m pretty sure I hate all social networking sites, and I am saying “pretty sure”, because I haven’t seen them all, since every day a new social networking site is created. What I really want to say is that I have yet to find a good reason to join such a network. To my eyes facebook-like sites look completely useless. I mean all this “friends competition” scheme looks quite stupid, and the only thing you achieve in the end is distancing yourself from people that really matter in your life. But, anyway, the human nature is unexplainable.
February 23rd, 2008 at 1:29 pm
I call it FecesBook. Never seen anything more useless than…MySpace.
February 25th, 2008 at 6:44 am
Great article. I totally agrer with what you wrote. Finally someone who has the same thoughts about facebook ^^
February 26th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
Other people hate facebook? Man I thought I was the only one. I’m in high school, so everybody in my class has a facebook and I’m pretty sure everybody in college will as well. People I talk with say, “Oh well I don’t use it that much”, or “I just check my wall”, which are lies anyway. Anyone with a facebook would check their wall as well as others’ walls, pictures, profiles, and whatever the hell they let you put on these days. Facebook is extremely addictive and I can understand why so many people use it, but I’m not really the social-networking type. I don’t, (and I don’t think anybody really does), feel comfortable creating a superficial profile along with pictures and interests for the whole world to see; I get really self-conscious about it.
But hey, I’m part of Gen-Y, the people built on social networking. Looks like I’m going to have to conform, or else suffer later.
February 26th, 2008 at 5:52 pm
Facebook is a horrible, horrible invention, but also a very clever one as it like many other evils, preys on peoples weaknesses for other people and how they are perceived by them. Like it or not, if you feel lonely or depressed, then theres a strong chance that facebook and all of the silly applications that go hand in hand with its use will fill a hole in your life. The problem is that using facebook only serves to make the hole bigger and bigger until you can no longer think about yourself without thinking about the online version of yourself.
Its a horrible, horrible thing and it only makes you feel bad when you are told that its just a bit of fun, or everyones got one. Everyones got an inner self as well but most people don’t seem to use them half as much as the time they spend taking stupid smug pictures of themselves in nightclubs.
I dunno eh! Whats the world coming to! I may be wrong, and may well be a pessimist, but I’m pretty sure that the use of facebook only results in shallower, more uptight, and less connected (to the real world at least) people.
February 27th, 2008 at 7:29 am
For one, I’m glad there’s a plethora of people that agree on Facebook’s disgusting nature. I decided to check out what all the hype was about a few month’s ago, and damn, it’s horrifying.
I had a look at one person I knew, checked out their bunch of friends, only to see a few other acquaintances I had met once or twice along the years, checked out their friends and shockingly came across a few others I knew. What the hell? The first thought that came to my head was, ‘YUCK’. Then I thought to myself, this is just a revolving cycle of people who ALL seemingly know one another through this crap, that I just don’t want to know anymore.
I’m not that social myself, I’m quite fond of my private life and could easily say I spend more time at home on my PC playing games, cooking, or going to my brothers house, rather than living it up with my friends outdoors - but that doesn’t mean I have to make up for it with a bunch of people online, who practically don’t know me that well anymore. I strive for friendships that have real value, and from what I’ve seen, Facebook looks more like another meat market rather than ‘old semi-friends’ catching up.
Another dilemma here, is the amount of married couples I’ve found on there, with open profiles and pictures of themselves, their wives/husbands, oh AND don’t forget their babies (a little self absorbed to put your own kid’s picture up, you were successful on that special night and managed to conceive - we get it, good stuff!). Personally, I would find it demeaning if my husband would consider mixing such a virtual realm of fake individuals (including a bunch of females who aren’t important in his life), and failing to enjoy real life with me, that’s just nonsense.
I don’t feel sorry for these people, purely because everyone has a brain - and they SHOULD be using it. Pure evil I tell you, EVIL - and I’m pretty sure the creator of Facebook knows it too.
Cheers,
March 1st, 2008 at 8:23 am
Last fall, when several people I socialised with joined Facebook, I was warned by one of them that if I didn’t get an account, I wouldn’t be invited to any parties.
I thought he was joking.
Politely declining people’s invites quickly deteriorated into my having to explain to people that I just didn’t want to be on the site, as Facebook took the UK by storm.
Then people began to taunt me for not being on Facebook.
We are in our thirties. A few are in their late twenties. All way too old to engage in this sort of behaviour.
The more people said about it, the more determined I was to stay off the site. Something about Facebook didn’t sit quite right with me to begin with, and the social pressure to get on it or be left behind made me really nervous. It truly felt like people were hassling me to join a cult!
All this was before the Beacon fiasco. Once that exploded, I congratulated myself for trusting my gut.
Now it’s gotten unthinkably ridiculous. My husband and I, after being left out from a few invites by people whom we had both treated as real friends in the real world, finally decided to confront them about excluding us. They had said, more than once, “We forgot to write you because you’re not on Facebook.”
To make a long story short, the confrontation appears to have resulted in the loss of a few friendships. And I don’t mean these people deleted us from some obscure virtual hellhole. I mean that they appear to have stopped speaking to us completely.
These weren’t mere acquaintances, and as I mentioned, we aren’t kids. I genuinely feel a loss here - not because I agree with the way the Facebook users behaved towards us, but because I think this story illustrates the way this horrible site can bring out the very worst in otherwise rational people.
I’m not even on Facebook, and it’s still managed to be a destructive force in my life. So I, a person who couldn’t wait to leave high school behind forever, am now wondering if there is any way out of this mentality now that this social network has arrived on the scene.
Facebook makes MySpace look gentle and friendly!
March 3rd, 2008 at 10:54 pm
Holy crap do I ever hate facebook with passion <3
It’s totally useless as a means to “communicate with friends”. “Remember that kid who always beat you up in the 6th grade? Well, he’s on here to and he wants to be your friend n n” BULLSHIT.
Everyone here is my new bestfriend. There is no point in Facebook, “my friend is on there” is not a fucking reason.
And I just realized a great truth. Believe it or not, Facebook will fall soon, just like all the over-rated trends before it. It will become too clogged up and full of more shit to be even useable, people will leave and forget it. This actually makes me excited for the future!
Fecesbook, out~
March 4th, 2008 at 7:03 pm
I have a love hate relationship with facebook.
I study abroad and its a good and free way to communicate with friends and family back home. However I find that increasingly, there is alot of peer pressure about making your profile as ‘cool’ or portraying a ‘hip and fun’ image of yourself to others hoping that others will check you out on facebook and add you as a friend or make some superficial comment on your wall.. I feel very uncomfortable with the amount of photos uploaded and tagged by friends on my profile and a regular newsfeed update about everything you’ve done to your site since you last logged on. It just feels like a huge invasion of privacy.
I have mixed feelings about facebook and was feeling particularly troubled by it just now which made me think that maybe I do hate it and wish for the old times when having a handful of true friends and a hand written invitation to a real party was enough.
March 15th, 2008 at 11:05 am
I’ve been raging against facebook since I first heard about it. I couldn’t get why people were going so crazy over this ridiculous site that I thought, a few months ago, worked a bit just like myspace…
Now here’s the catch. On New Year’s eve, I ran into a girl I hadn’t seen in a couple of years and remembered how stunning she was. We had a nice long chat over numerous beers when, at one point, she asks for a way to keep in touch with me. I hate phones, so I only have a pager and my home phone, which is kind of a bummer when you live in a different are code and you’re deep in debt because you’re a student…So anyways, she drops the bomb: “Don’t you have a Facebook?” I awnser that I have a MySpace page, to which she replies to my amazement “well, it’s not the same”…
So, the next day, after swallowing enough Aspirin to kill a grown racehorse (but not my hangover) I get online and start filling their application and my profile by not being dumb and pasting some of the info that’s already on MySpace. I send a message to the girl, saying: “You convinced me, this is a great way to keep in touch…”
I boost my friend list as I know about everyone who smoked pot in high school (and since there wasn’t much to do in my town…) and three days go by. I have some two hundreed friends who, I admit, are mostly people I wave at in the street and rarely real friends, and I keep recieveing these stupid applications. I don’t give a flying f**k about becoming a vampire, a werewolf, a zombie or a slayer, and I sure as hell don’t want to awnser these dumb quizzes that’ll tell me which rock star I am, how horny I am, what simpsons character I am, and so on…
And don’t even get me started about the groups; I never got the point neither with MySpace. Really, why would you join a group if you never get to do anything eith all these people? Is there some kind of chatroom on facebook for groups only? And don’t we normally use Messenger for that? At least to speak to the people we want to chat with?
Anyways, after having blocked a thousand applications and various other ludicrous requests, I only visit my facebook page once in a while to see how many requests I’m going to have to block, wheras on MySpace, at least, I can write a blog and get tour dates from my favourite bands, as well as promote my own band…
And the girl? Well, it turns out she had a boyfriend…I found out on her profile…
March 20th, 2008 at 5:31 am
Is it me or is society going down the pan?
Have people forgotten how to speak to each other in person?
Through time we’ve gone from talking to each directly, talking on the phone, mobile phone, text message, email, msn messenger and now this rubbish. What gets me is that people add each other as ‘friends’ and then don’t even bother communicating at all. I think people use Facebook to portray an image of success, with a great deal of egoism involved. People must look at their own shitty profile and think “yeah, I’m in a relationship, I’ve got a fair few friends, I’VE GOT PHOTO EVIDENCE THAT I WENT OUT WITH MY MATES AND GOT DRUNK. This makes me cool”.
Well I’ve got news for you - YOU’RE NOT. You’re nothing. It’s all a load of bullshit that exists in cyberspace. Real life is all about real people and real experiences; meeting up for a lunch, going to the gym, going walking with your partner in the countryside. Not Facebook.
March 22nd, 2008 at 1:06 pm
yeah i agree facebook is crap! Im sick of sitting there while my girlfriend ignores me and with it bein on mobile fones i never et a min with her when shes not on it! Facebook is for ppl who want to stick their noses in other ppls business!
March 25th, 2008 at 6:39 am
Thank heavens that I’ve found a whole bunch of people who also despise this bloody total waste of time! This is the first time I’ve ever posted anything on any blog or whatever you want to call it. I too googled “who hates facebook?” & this one stood out most for me.
There’s nothing more I can add really apart from maybe one thing that some of you might have already said but I just feel the need to say anyway. The only good thing about facebook, (I really shouldn’t use “good” & “facebook” in the same sentence to be honest, it doesn’t sound right….maybe good for shitting nothing!!), is that it really does show you what sort of people these so called “friends” really are….sad, pathetic, self obsessed pricks to name a few! I had around 50ish of them when I deactivated my account around 6months ago & I thought for a moment, what the hell am I doing?!! I can honestly say that I can count on one hand how many of them I called “friends”! I could go on & on, rant & rave, piss & moan for hours about these bloody sites but it’s not worth getting worked up about it! & for the people I counted as real friends, I just thought, I’ve got their bloody number, I see them “in person” most weeks, so what’s the flipping point!
Oh, I would like to point out however that the only reason I joined in the first place was to see some photos of a reunion I had with a few 6th form friends whom I meet up with once or twice each year! One of the lads said he would e-mail it to me but then said the file was too big to send so I was told to go on this facebook thing to have look! Damn it!
Well anyway, enough of this moaning. Chris Shevlin, Craig, John Doe & all, I salute you. A bloody good read most of them…I spent half an hour during my lunch break reading all of your comments & just felt the need to say “well said” & thank god there are a few intelligent & down to earth people left whom aren’t pretentious, sad & self obsessed!
I am now in the process of DELETING my account for good!
March 29th, 2008 at 9:03 pm
Oh my!! I love this blog!!
So basically I have been enduring of peer-pressure about getting facebook for about 2 years and am so please to see others hate it too!
The hardest part is trying to explain to other uni students why you don’t want to get it… They all look at me as if I had a third eye or something…(not that there is anything wrong with three eyes)
If someone isnt willing to talk to me on the phone or in person then I dont consider them my friend. So there. My life is simpler without facebook. Unlike facebook-users I am not fooled into thinking I have 177 friends when I really only hang out with 20 or so of them.
April 6th, 2008 at 9:24 am
Every piece of information you input into facebook they (facebook) will, ultimately, use for their benefit in some way. They *have* to. They need to find a business model, have said as such repeatedly, and are desperate to justify the pyscho fantasy that is their “valuation”. Your “privacy settings” are, ultimately, irrelevant. Maybe some stranger won’t know about you (although that’s debatable) but facebook will. My question: why would you give them all this information about yourself for free? Your books, your music, your likes and dislikes, who your friends are, where they live, your schools, your work. Information has value. That’s why its called the information economy (duh). You’re giving this stuff away and getting nothing in return for it. In the near future, Facebook will either do something to make everyone hate them (because they need to justify themselves economically) and people will move on to the next thing; or, the financial world will realize they have no viable means of making money, and move on. Either way, it’ll be like myspace (or ICQ - ha!) previously hot, currently not.
April 11th, 2008 at 9:44 am
I cannot stand Facebook, ok so myspace was bad but tbh it was just 13 year old kids chatting to their friends and taking rediculous pictured. But Facebook is used by people at uni to any age…seriously guys grow up. My boyfriend is obsessed with the thing, his email account if full with “mr blobby has just confirmed you as a friend” I ask him why he adds everyone and he said coz he hasnt spoken to these people in ages, but yet he still never talks to them. but manages to spend 3 hours on it. He’s 25 for christ sake! What the hell is the attraction at throwing a cow at someone seriously.
If you wanna keep in touch with someone, USE A MOBILE..and get a life.
I cannot wait for the day when people realise how shit it really is!!!
April 22nd, 2008 at 4:42 pm
Ha! I also typed “hate facebook” into google and came across this site. I do have facebook but I’m considering deactivating my account. The weirdest part is that I keep getting friend requests from people that I’ve never met. And when I ignore their request, they just send another one. Oh and this one guy from high school keeps creating fake profiles. It’s all very creepy… My favorite part is those that have over 500 “friends” on their list. I have a theory on that one, the more “friends” you have, the less friends you have…
April 25th, 2008 at 9:16 pm
I can’t stand facebook. I really do not care for all the messages I write to be sent to all my friends, it’s really absurd. I mean I’m guessing that’s the case cause I can see everyone else’s comments. If there not sent to me then why the f*** would I care to see them? Exactly, I DON’T care. Ugh, I only joined because everyone was telling me too, their eyebrows would raise and they would just be silent when I said I don’t have a facebook acount. Like it’s the end of the world if you don’t. I’m gonna delete my account. Myspace is so much better, better yet not talking to your friends online and instead seeing them in person.
April 26th, 2008 at 11:02 pm
Try explaining to someone why you don’t want or like facebook and you’ll get treated like your from an alternate dimension( ok maybe not dimension but at least another planet). Its just completely ridiculous that I should be expected to get in on this idiocy. It’s like a big game where the more dumb s**t you have on your page and the more people you add as “friends” the more points you have. Some people are just enamored by this internet phenom you’d think it was crack or something. Anyways I say down with crackbook lets end this cruel jape put upon us by some mastermind funded by the New World Order. It’s almost like facebook is the mark of the beast. F**k the system.
April 28th, 2008 at 1:39 pm
I totally agree, with all your comments. Facebook is the biggest waste of time ever. People who are sad get 300 ‘friends’ and think all the world cares what drinks they got through on a Saturday night. The world is going mad and facebook is the catalyst. Its full of prepubescent teens or 20 plus that need to grow up! Theres also the worrying factor of privacy and data sharing, which in the wrong hands can lead to all sorts of trouble.
April 30th, 2008 at 2:41 am
I still use facebook even though i hate it!! What i use it for is to speak to some of my ‘best’ friends because due to the fact that their on it all the time it’s the easiest way to get hold of them!!!!!!
I’m convinced i now check it when i’m bored in the same sadistic way as people stop to see a car crash on the other side of the motorway, or for the same reason you watch the crap singers in the 1st few episodes of the x-factor!!.. The amusement i find in people updating their status to saying stuff such as.. ”john is deciding what colour shirt to wear today’ or ‘Craig has just eaten a cheese sandwhich’ will probably never die but i really feel the need to shout at them! Why does anyone need to share such shit information?! What sort of person has their lunch and then feels the need to tell his or her 100/200 facebook friends, and why do these people think they are so special that we would want to know!?????
Why do people put 100’s of albums of photos of their family, 2nd, 3rd, 4th cousins, all their holidays etc.. I’ve actually seen and heard people taking a pic on a night out and immediately stating ‘that will be a good one for facebook’!!!!!!!!!!!!!!….. Why do we need to see them and why do they think we would want to!!!!??? If you have pics of friends family that they personally might want to see surely you would just email the photos of them to their personal email address. Why stick them on a website for any old tom dick or harry to view!!???
The stupid applications!!! Why???? Sexiest friend, who has the best eyes, personality tests, charisma tests, what actor are you, what rockstar are you etc.. Surely it’s no different to all the rubbish questionnaires you get in the back of girls magazines!!? One difference.. you get to show everyone your results.. and i guess that sums up my main irritation with the whole facebook concept. It is full of people shouting ‘I need to be liked.. look at me, look at me’ I have been looking at them and although i feel some sorrow i still think it’s ok to laugh at them and i will continue to for a while yet…
May 2nd, 2008 at 4:03 pm
Wow! I sigh with relief when reading these comments.
I though I was alone. I don’t understand what is happening to everyone.
My Mom is even on Facebook, and I don’t get it - I have tried - it is empty.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for this posting.
LL
May 3rd, 2008 at 11:09 am
What a great site. I’m going to send this link to my only friend who hates facebook as much as me.
I believe that facebook is a harbinger of things to come.
I think things are going to get a lot weirder. Eventually everything we do, what we buy, what we watch, download or whatever will be broadcasted in one way or another.
Our entire lives will be made public for all those who care to learn about it. Everyone one of us will be categorized and sub-categorized into convenient groups that will define us. And if we don’t fit into any of these groups then we will be outcasts, forced to live on the fringes of society. This is no joke. This is the future. This is happening right now. Those of you who alluded to Huxley and Orwell are right on the money. Say goodbye to freedom of thought, expression, to questioning governmental decisions–we will all be too preoccupied with watching the flicker of light on a screen that is our lives. This is the tale of Narcissus in a digital age.
People don’t understand how dangerous this is. For the record I do have a facebook account. I tried it and immediately hated it. I found it very odd as well that there wasn’t an option to delete my account.
Thanks for all those who have posted.
May 10th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
I love the comments left on this site.
I am too a Facebook hater. I’m fairly new to it but people I know keep saying “Oh you need to get a facebook page” and whatever. I signed up for an account (sorry..) just because my niece wanted to add me as a friend.
Now the main thing that gets me with the site, which I think people have already commented on above, is the ‘one-upmanship’ of the whole ‘I have more friends than you - naaaah’ mentality of your average facebook user.
I joke to friends who use facebook that these are ‘imaginary friends’ or ‘virtual friends’ which I suppose in some ways is true. When was the last time you actually met any of these so called friends in person.
I can totally relate to the feeling of being back in school, as not long after creating a page I had a friend request off someone I had not seen in nearly 20 years. Looking at their friends list its like being stuck in a nightmare of all the people I couldn’t wait to get away from first time round!
Anyway, will not be planning on doing much on facebook anytime soon!
Keep up with the comments all, it’s good to know we are not alone…
May 11th, 2008 at 12:09 pm
I mainly hate the fact you can see what your friends are doing and they can spy on you. I find this very creepy. After i deactivated my account my “mate” actually said “oh no now i wont be able to check up on what you are doing.” freakish……. Im glad facebook is out of my life.
May 12th, 2008 at 1:33 pm
Facebook is a steaming hot pile of excrement. I once had it and now I’m rid of it. I hated everything about it - mainly the brainless people themselves who use it to get a collection of imaginary friends over a period of time. I hated all the ridiculous applications like ‘what kind of condom are you?’ As if that actually means anything.
Is this what the future holds? Some cyber piece of shit that makes people think that their lives are worth sharing in every, boring detail? I’m not interested in you, Facebooker. I will not be your ‘friend’.
May 14th, 2008 at 12:12 am
it is very unfortunate how people dont know that your information is already out when you even have internet, let alone, shitBOOK.the creators must be happy, i have seen many people break up over it. some people go on the net to do research, gain knowledge and information about how the REAL WORLD works. OTHERS, hah, go on facebook, update themselves not knowing that every second there are 3 poeple in their computer hacking and more. life is short, and taking advantage of time should be a goal for everyone. STOP wasting time, for when people mature up, they’ll see the negativity and waste that this site brings to their lives.
May 15th, 2008 at 6:25 am
Heyy, I googled ‘I HATE FACEBOOK’ in frustration and got here…and am I relieved! Amazing analysis…going through which there’s definitely a lot of hope left for the ‘real’ world
I totally agree with you!!!
Cheers!
May 27th, 2008 at 9:01 pm
Well, just like Zitin, I came her typing “I hate Facebook” in google … I’m not really surprised that there’s a lot of people with a similar feeling, because it’s been really annoying how everybody tells you “Oh come on, how come you hate it?, it’s so cool!” …
I’m Chilean, and for the past 2 years, fotolog has had a huge success (Chile has more fotolog users than usa, since even before facebook got popular), and I always rejected it, because I dislike every kind of network community (in exclusive exception of messenger, that I use a couple of times a week).
Now, it’s happening again with Facebook, and I’m seeing how my friends, who a couple of months were like me, saying “oh, I’ll never join this crap, it’s so stupid and lame!”, are now quitely registering, sending invitations, joining groups, showing their pictures etc…
And it’s funny when you tell them, because they say “oh no, I only check it once a day, I’m not an addict”, but then you see them playing all the games (That, let me say it, are for people with an IQ of -100, or for a 4 year-old), looking all the profiles, uploading pictures … ahgw! …
Now when a person asks me, I gently respond: “Please tell me … why £$%^& doi I HAVE to join facebook?” … It’s only “cool” for now (for them, I don’t think it’s cool).. it’ll go in a while, and then what? (probably another iNet community will arise, and maybe, even worse than the ones that exists now) …
Thanks to this site, that allowed myself a little relief.
Bye!
May 30th, 2008 at 7:18 pm
I am not a fan of facebook either.
June 3rd, 2008 at 9:23 am
hey you guys need to chill out regarding the whole Facebook thing. It’s great for keeping in touch with your friends, sharing photos and having a little bit of fun with apps. Don’t take it so seriously! If you don’t like it then don’t use it.
Marc.
June 5th, 2008 at 8:03 pm
Haha, I’m also one who just Googled “I hate Facebook”. Or should I call it “FakeBook”.
I liked it at first but the novelty wore off pretty darn quickly for me because:
* there are too many attention-seeking people on it.
* people who I didn’t even really speak to much in school, all of a sudden want to be my “friend”.
* people act all excited to see you after all these years, yet you message them once or twice and you never hear from each other again.
* It seems to be a competition of “how many friends can I get”
* the ridiculous, childish applications sh*t me to tears. I don’t give a toss what 80’s song you are, or what chocolate you are. I don’t care to compare myself to other people who I don’t even give a toss about. Everything about Fakebook is so juvenile.
* the extreme violation of privacy. If you buy something from Amazon, all your friends in FB will know about it.
* I get enough chain emails. I don’t need more on my “Wall”, thank you very much.
* it’s so impersonal and all people do is gloat, gloat, gloat.
There is no substitute for emailing a friend (unlike FB, if you have their email address you probably actually know them) getting on the phone to a friend or meeting up with your friends.
Fakebook is a wank for people with way too much time on their hands and I’m really starting to despise it. I’d deactivate my account except my little cousin, who I don’t see very often, added me as a friend today. I might deactivate it in a month or so and just email him in future.
June 7th, 2008 at 12:12 pm
Excellent article. I was nodding and smiling all the way through. Sums up my sentiments about Fecebook exactly.
June 16th, 2008 at 10:43 am
Disclaimer: My response was initially about Facebook but basically grew into a unedited rant about my life.
This has been an excellent read. I’ve actually never commented on a blog before. I was a Facebook user for two years until last night. Long story short, my account was disabled due to circumstances beyond my control. How I just left Facebook was a unique but drawn out story, so I’ll stay on our topic.
I was drawn to Facebook by a friend. At the time, I knew little of it but my previous experience with social networking websites (I’d used Xanga) was somewhat negative. On Xanga, I would speak with my blog-like entries but few would hear me. I was a shy kid at the time: I was more gregarious online because I could use delayed responses. I, however, was frustrated by online pseudonyms. On instant messenger, if you asked for someone’s screen name and then started talking to your target, they would ask how you got their screen name, resulting in awkwardness. I felt creepy doing so.
Facebook, however, eliminated online pseudonyms and allowed me to communicate with others without the awkwardness of how one obtained their contact information. I saw Facebook as a substitute for instant messenger: I never did and never will care others’ pictures or personal information. Initially I used Facebook as a means of communication and content sharing.
I’m quixotic. I wanted to be “popular”. I was a junior in high school and I was sick of being an introvert who sat at home and played video games all day. Facebook guaranteed invites (who does paper invites anymore!?) and a way of communicating with others (I didn’t have a phone yet!). It was a factor that contributed to my socialization. I did become “popular” in a sense that I’d communicate more with others in class, greet others in the halls, and more. I got the impression that I was well-liked. What I see many “popular” people doing that distinguishes them from me was the populars snubbed people. I never snubbed anyone except the one or two people who bothered me. I was not an exclusive asshole. I let this social pariah (he calls himself that) that I’m acquainted with bop me on the head with a bottle in front of the hottest girl in the high school. I didn’t give a fuck. I laughed. People mean well. It’s when you get bogged down in the information and overcontemplating the abstract that you get into social and psychological trouble. I realize I’m on a tangent but eh. One of my friends is depressed and often contemplates suicides. He’s the nicest kid you’ll ever met but he dwells on the hypotheticals and abstract too much. You need to live empirically: Facebook is NOT a substitute for experiences you can enjoy away from the information whoring and identity formation of Facebook.
Facebook, however, did have its drawbacks. I empathize with all of you. The flood of junk applications is unacceptable. I’ve seen some profiles with 80+ installed. Very few applications are useful. Many contribute to identity formation and also point out to me who’s ignorant enough to be entertained by stupid quizzes. I also hate when people carry around cameras to take pictures and put them online. The only positive I see to photos are for nostalgia but otherwise I hate them.
The friends situation was unique for me. At first, I was surprised people were adding me as a friend. At the time, Facebook friend carried the same connotation as a real friend. After a while, I learned that this wasn’t true. I have had positive experiences with people I don’t see that often: one example is a brother of this girl I know. We both have similar senses of humor and enjoyed sharing content via wall. A few gems do exist in that huge pile of gravel you receive that is friend requests. Most people, however, I don’t communicate with on Facebook. Others I barely know. I had planned to do a purge of people I didn’t know soon en masse so individuals wouldn’t take offense. I care too much about people, you see. I don’t necessarily hate anyone. I see friend request as full of potential. A kid from India who’s going to be going to college with me sent me a friend request. Of the 12 friend requests of incoming freshmen that I didn’t know, he’s the only person I’ve communicated with and related to. The others said nothing or just didn’t click.
As for personal information/identity formation, I never have put anything too specific about me–unintentionally. I don’t really like to show off like that. I had a massive page of quotes that I enjoyed. I shared a few videos that I had made on my cell phone of hilarities, but that was it. I dislike when people fill their pages with meaningless dribble. I think you should meet people and use Facebook as a means of contact and sharing intangible content but you shouldn’t binge on it and whore your information. You form an identity by the sum of your experiences and actions not by what you make up about yourself on Facebook.
When I read on scholarship forms at school that “some committees may check social networking sites,” I logged onto Facebook to jack up my privacy settings to the max. I realized that I had become oversocialized–this occurs at the expense of your privacy and control. Groups and other non-individuals shouldn’t be allowed on Facebook. Facebook should be similar to a cell phone (but you don’t have to pay! :D) but not an extension of yourself. On a tangent, cell phones are overloaded with commercialized junk: I just want to talk on the fuckin’ phone.
In a wider context, many on Facebook don’t understand the benefits of privacy because they have never experienced a privacy violation before. Facebook is used by the insecure as a false means of improving the quality of their lives. We need to shift away from the hypotheticals and massive overflow of information and practice more empirical habits.
June 19th, 2008 at 1:15 pm
Deffinatley agree with the “more friends you have, the less friends you really have” theory. It’s really sad that generations of especially youtful people, are wasting hours and hours of their time infront of a screen. You don’t benefit or get anywhere doing it. Fair enough if what your doing is work related or if you just enjoy it as a way of socialising but it just shouldn’t be considerd normal… or at least, abnormal, to not have an account. I’m torn at the moment because if I delete Facebook, people will ask why and the very fact that you respond so aggressively/passionatley makes you come off pretty badly (like you take it way too seriously or something) and because for me, it’s partly a vanity thing. Yes, it might seem very shallow and self-obsessed (or so I’m told by someone with a page dedicated to themselves and heavily edited photos) but I don’t want images of me on the internet that anyone can see and that i’ve had no say on wether or not they can go up. The people who upload them also tend to have the lowest privacy settings and obviously you can’t go telling them to change them. Personally, I would’nt want to upload albums of photos I own onto the internet because to me, they’re just personal things that you should look back on in years to come, and probably laugh over. I know there are ways round this i.e. de-tagging, but it’s irrelevant because you still know they’re on there! There’s no respect for anyones privacy and I don’t know if I’d be happier just deleting the account so that, although I know they’re there, I don’t have them staring at me when I log on. I mean, you really can’t win becuase ultimately, being removed entirely from facebook isn’t your decision. You would have to inform everyone you know that you’d rather they didn’t upload your face onto the internet or talk about you in “conversations” which everyone can read. Realistically, I actually don’t think it’s vanity but just an extreme fustration of there being no anonymity anymore. Anyone that has your name (which isn’t usually very hard to get hold of) can search and find out so much about you. You can find yourself looking at someone elses page on a regular basis when you’ve never even spoken to them and it’s just really unhealthy! There has to be a way of destroying facebook and I would have thought that when it starts interfering with peoples privacy in such a significant way, there would be way more controversy over it. I really don’t think the world was ever intended to be so small!
June 20th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
I always compare Facebook to a protracted high-school reunion, where everyone is desperate to show how painfully interesting, successful and popular they are.
My pet hates: -
1. Most of your ‘friends list’ have clearly searched every camera and mobile they ever owned for pictorial evidence of their ever-improving lives of perpetual adventure (aka the ‘pissed in Reading Chicagos, again’ album)
2. You are constantly clearing out emails providing me with the results of unspecified people comparing me to other unspecified people I’ve probably never met
3. People inviting me to join ‘groups’ like “Free Cuthbert McGraw from the Saudi Legal System Before He Loses His Wiping Hand” as if this will somehow stir me into action on Cuthbert’s behalf
Shit, shit, shit. I do have 82 friends though!
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:39 am
I’ve always felt that social network sites like Facebook encourage some kind of reverse voyeurism behavior, which in itself is downright creeeeepy. Not only that, but it’s distasteful way for some to “relive” their glory days through a form of “high school popularity contest” re-enactment (these people just need to grow up). Clearly it’s getting out of hand; just borderline pathetic.
And the audacity of some to assume that having every single aspect of their life - from what designer clothes they like best to what their mood was five friggin’ minutes ago - recorded on Facebook is so grand and important to others clearly needs to be sent back to reality. Do we really need to know all that trivial crap? Don’t they know that they’re (intentionally?) setting themselves to be prey for online predators? Can we say attention whores?
How anyone could sacrifice their own privacy for a little fifteen minutes of fame is beyond me. I’d transition into another paragraph about stalkers, but the sheer stupidity of this fad is just too mind-boggling. Yeah! I’m talking to you too, DeviantArt and LiveJournal!
p.s. - I love this blog.
June 29th, 2008 at 8:06 am
I WISH I’d found this blog sooner. Everything everyone’s said is bang on! I DESPISE paedosparadise.com sorry I mean stalkersparadise.com oh what am I saying facebook.com with such an INTENSE, DEEP, BURNING PASSION it cannot be put into words. And I got an A in English. Keep bashing it people, never EVER let this blog die.
July 1st, 2008 at 6:48 am
Social networking reflects the phoneyness of people in general. I’ve always known that a lot of people don’t have much substance to them and Facebook and Myspace both illustrate my point pretty well. I just find them very cliquey and to promote herd mentality and a lack of deep thought. There’d be no point in any moderately intelligent, sensitive person signing up to be greeted by bullies and arseholes and people indifferent to them. That said, I’m not a hater, more of a disliker.
July 2nd, 2008 at 2:36 am
Hello everyone.
Not really an internet posted but felt compelled to comment. I was one of those who got roped into it, against my better judgement, and saw first hand what an awful website it is.
My issue isn’t with the lack of grammer, you’ll find that anywhere, and there will always be stupid people. My issue is with the complete and utter lack of privacy. If there is a photo of you from a night out doing something daft, next morning, without fail, there it is for the world to see, whether you like it or not.
I’ve become more restrained on nights out and as soon as I see the camera come out my heart sinks.
My second issue, is those friends who bring the cameras along, are the worst offenders, and feel they can’t have a good night out now without an array of 50 photos proving to the rest of the world how good a time they actually had.
I wen’t on holiday recently with some friends (bad offenders) and in 7 days managed to take 1200 photos!!!!! 1200!!!! How?!? Its was have a drink, take a photo, jump in the pool, take a photo, get ready, photos, watch tv, photo, read, photo, anything, another fuc*ing photo. It nearly ruined my holiday.
Needless to say, the full array of pics was on Facebok within 4 hours of landing back home.
PS, I really love holiday photos, just not that many, and not for the world to comment on how good my trip was.
Tme for some new friends I think, ;o)
July 3rd, 2008 at 3:43 am
Hi All, I also recently joined fakeboob to keep in touch with a friend who had to move. One of the earlier replies at the top spoke about the language being broken down and that there are still people who interact socially in real life. I do not have great language skills and I am at a stage in my life where I don’t want to socialise with people. My real friends seem to understand this and know that we will pick it up again some other time. I gave fakeboob a chance however and found it very unsatisfying. It is a contest to see who is most popular and who has the largest friends list…friends is the wrong word for them to use! I have seen no real social interaction on fakeboob in anyway.
Now I get requests everyday from people I will never hear from again, but I’m an extra digit on their list to brag about. To make it worse I added no information about myself in the profile and the picture was a randomly downloaded Anime pic from google. So what about my profile inspires people to get to know me? But still…I get these requests…probably from fakies with fake pics and so forth themselfs. This is how the world is going and it shows in other things as well. Now you can go to college to play sport and leave qualified but you can barely read. Education is becoming extinct and this is what makes facebook popular. So, what can we really do? Nothing, unless we can change education and seriously change social structures and the way people raise their children.
Thanks for the opportunity to post something usefull and please…no virual tears now!!
Koos
July 3rd, 2008 at 11:55 pm
I’m glad that I’m not the only one out there that loathes Fecebook. I have been off it now for about 8 months and I’ve been pretty happy with my decision. In my opinion, pretentious and crass behavior is ubiquitous amongst Fecebook and other social networking sites’ users. It is basically an attempt by people to be different from who they truly are. Don’t get me wrong, it was fun to write sarcastic remarks to my close friends (who I speak with almost everyday) once in a while but I cringed when I got comments and messages from people I didn’t want to friend or contact me at all. To think, almost 300 people would know my favorite movies and music album, along with what I did Friday night, something that I’ve always reserved for my inner circle. It makes no sense giving your personal information, your little idiosyncrasies, to people that you hardly know or care about. In the end, nothing compares to actual physical, day-to-day contact. It seems Fecebook and all other social websites are a mean to keep in contact with people that aren’t really your friends. Therefore, while it might be popular now, it will eventually diminish in popularity as all things, and in time will finally dwindle its grip on the more erudite users, as they did many of the people that have commented on this blog. If I appear to come off as condescending, I really didn’t mean to. Peace.
July 4th, 2008 at 1:24 pm
^^Sorry, the 3rd line from the last should say “it” instead of “they”
July 4th, 2008 at 1:58 pm
BAN IT BAN IT BAN IT
July 7th, 2008 at 8:49 am
I deactivated my account just now basically and searched up some face book haters (which is a group I’m now apart of). You speak such truth….it hurts. And I love you for it. You’re clearly an intelligent person.
I hate facebook for these reasons;
Anytime you plan to have an outting or a good time, like a party or something. IT is always with the thought that peopel will bring cameras….to take pictures…for what? fucking fagbook. You can’t even enjoy yourself with your friends cause they are too busy taking pictures of themselves in different poses with beer bottles in thier hands. How is that fucking fun? can’t we just pretend it doesnt exist and enjoy each otehrs company without our ‘good times’ and pictures revolving around facebook. Its like, the party was made for “taking pictures for facebook”. Um yeah, your cool. Made me realize how supremely gay my friends were. I’m so ashamed. I don’t even got to thier parties anymore cause I hate it so much. Its…just…so….gay.
I also hate how if you do make an account, you cant actually get rid of yourself. People can still invite you to stuff and tag you. Which is extremely annoying. I mean, the reason why people leave a site, is because they’re done for good. It doesnt mean they’re coming back!!!
and lastly, godsspirlt said exactly what i wanted to say. Stops you from actual ‘face to face contact’. I am an extreme hater. FACEBOOK MUST DIE!!!
July 10th, 2008 at 12:03 am
I like this site. I’m fairly disillusioned with Facebook, though it’s been useful in letting me know exactly where I stand with friends that I’ve known for years and SEE socially on a frequent basis only to find out that when they’ve joined, they’ve “friended” all of our mutual friends in huge clumps except for me…ouch. High school shenanigans, indeed. If you can, tell me you hate me or you’ve outgrown me to my face instead and I bet we’ll both learn something from it before we shake hands and bid adieu. But of course, that might be really awkward, hence, the passive-aggressive Facebook Snub instead.
On the other end, a co-worker who badmouths me regularly sent me a friend request when he found out I had a Facebook account and then reminded me two days later that his request was still outstanding and asked why I had changed my profile to private.
The Compare People Application is vapid. I don’t like all the Big Brother stuff either. However, I did enjoy comparing movie tastes with friends. The status updates were guilty fun and I enjoyed those initially before I creeped myself out with my daily need to check everyone’s updates. As someone mentioned before, it’s all GLOAT, or it’s subtle attacks on other people or just plain good ole TMI. MySpace, guilty of this too. So, I don’t read the status updates much anymore and I don’t write any updates on myself either. I’ve all but deactivated my account, have a very bare bones, bland-looking profile and will probably only use Facebook to occasionally check in with my two long-distance friends. But yeah, pretty much over it.
July 11th, 2008 at 10:38 am
Other than the anti-gay comments a couple posts above, am glad to find some thoughtful expressions on what it is about FB I dislike so much. I was invited to join recently and almost begrudgingly did but am now seeing what a trap it is - and nothing more than another obligation and endless mire of unnecessary information in the end. Really bothered by the Big Brother aspects as well - in my case, showing the edits I made to my religious and political views to soften them up a bit. And now reading here about more of the same - very unsavory stuff! Deleting my account today.
July 11th, 2008 at 10:54 am
Other than the anti-gay comments a couple posts above, am glad to find I am not alone in my extreme dislike of FB. I was invited to join recently and almost begrudgingly did and am now seeing my initial instincts were right and what a trap it all is - nothing more than another obligation and endless mire of unnecessary (and private) information in the end. Really bothered by the Big Brother aspects as well - one of them being in my case showing the edits I made to my religious and political views to soften them up a bit. And now reading here about more of the same… very unsavory, high schoolish stuff.
July 12th, 2008 at 3:40 pm
What a lump of decaying, fungating, festering, boiling shit the whole thing is, surely theres a way? A way to get rid? A way to erradicate? I long for the day to dawn, the day FB meets its slow, agonising death.
July 12th, 2008 at 8:36 pm
Getting Facebook rid of isn’t the answer because people will turn to something else. I can barely see any hope in the situation, it’s human nature that has to change to make things better and that would take a huge effort akin to shepherding humanity into new and better ways. Who the hell is gonna do that??? How can it be done??? I once would’ve said that music had the power to change things like that but it seems nowadays every young band has a Myspace site so they are unlikely to provide any strong anti-networking sentiments through their music though of course that could still happen. I would say that society needs a revolution similar to that of 1977 when punk was at it’s height. We need some free thinking people with intellect and ideas to shake things up.
July 17th, 2008 at 10:31 pm
ever since I posted my comment above as ZITIN, I’ve been keeping track of all the comments that have followed
All I have to say is that I still stand by my belief in the overall futility of sites like Facebook, where users feel this desperate urge to post their activities and photos on an almost daily basis.
Its majorly sickening…and saps the life out of you. I agree with all especially Em about the mobile thing. Seriously, ppl get a life
Also in agreement with the person who has commented that Facebook feeds (majorly) on lonely, insecure and dysfunctional people. Sorry to the rest of you guys, if that sounded harsh and rude
Thank you xPRimNT for being the wonderful blogger you have
July 18th, 2008 at 9:02 am
Getting rid of Facebook isn’t the answer because people will turn to something else. I can barely see any hope in the situation, it’s human nature that has to change to make things better and that would take a huge effort akin to shepherding humanity into new and better ways. Who the hell is gonna do that??? How can it be done??? I once would’ve said that music had the power to change things like that but it seems nowadays every young band has a Myspace site so they are unlikely to provide any strong anti-networking sentiments through their music though of course that could still happen. I would say that society needs a revolution similar to that of 1977 when punk was at it’s height. We need some free thinking people with intellect and ideas to shake things up….that’s better.
July 21st, 2008 at 1:26 am
I agree with misanthrope…
July 28th, 2008 at 1:00 am
This is incredible.
Finally, someone who feels about facebook the same way I do. Not only that, I share your views on people in general and net language in particular.
I fall in the category of people who have heard about facebook, yet have chosen not to join. And yes, peer pressure to join this tard factory is enormous.. which makes me even more adamant on not joining. Come on, people, you should’ve grown past this sort of stuff in high school (I keep getting reminded of elementary school stuff.. “will you sign my lexicon?”)
And these details.. how was someone’s weekend, what is someone’s favorite color.. Honestly, who cares? When I meet a person I want to know such details about, I’ll ask her out and find them out first hand. I won’t go and read her profile on facebook (and won’t be able to, as I keep refusing to join..)
July 28th, 2008 at 8:02 pm
Zuckerman and all his cronies can get stuffed, why are you here anyway? Haven’t you missed a second of your friends’ daily routine on Face-bloody-Book? All 500 of those fabulous, shiny, ego-centric twats that have become your kindred?
FB is the reading material For Adults [who] Can’t Evolve and nothing more. It reveals a disturbing trend in the devolution of human social behaviour, but at least it keeps these half-witted, illiterate knobs safely tucked away from the socially sophisticated street-dwellers amongst us…so perhaps it does have its place after all?
August 1st, 2008 at 6:39 pm
I hate facebook becuase they deleted my account and accused me of being spam when I’m not. It really pissed me off, because I had so much information from other friends and what not on there and now its gone. Even worse, they have no customer service and if they do they sure as hell ain’t answering.
August 4th, 2008 at 8:12 am
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading everyone’s posts regarding the disturbing phenomenom that is facebook.com. I joined FB last year, out of curiousity, as I heard a few people talking about it. I am a very social person, I love talking with people and have a great circle of friends. A few of my friends said to me ‘You will love FB, because you love socialising!’ Upon joining and discovering what it was all about I was horrfied that people thought this was ’socialising’! It is the photo part that gets to me. I have a few friends who take photos of EVERYTHING and upload them to FB as if we all care that they went to the supermarket and had, like, the most fun ever!!!!
I have kept my account as I live abroad and it is a quick and easy way to keep in touch with family and friends back home. But I don’t have hardly applications downloaded and make sure all my privacy settings are as high as they can be. I also don’t have my birthday, hometown or email address on display. I took my wall away so if someone wanted to write something they had to send me a message. When I removed my wall, I got loads of messages saying ‘where has your wall gone??!!!’ I just don’t feel comfortable with people leaving messages for me on my wall where all my FB friends can read them before I do. It is the epitome of attention seeking look-at-me-aren’t-I-succesful! It’s so boring. The truly successful people don’t have time to waste on FB!
I recently went on holiday with my husband and when I came back a friend asked if we had a good time. I said it was amazing and her reply was ‘but there aren’t any pics on facebook?’. Why would I want photos from my private holiday on a greek island splattered all over facebook. And it’s not because I look bad in a bikini (I look nice which is why my friends are surprised that I don’t embrace the photo sharing aspect like they do. Not every pretty girl is vain and needs reassurance that she looks nice via FB comments)
Wow this rant kinda came out of nowhere! Sorry to go on I just, like all who posted before me, feel quite strongly about what this website and it’s popularity says about human nature.
August 4th, 2008 at 10:07 am
Why I hate Facebook;
My wife and I joined Farcebook, to catchup with old ‘friends’. I say ‘friends’ because half the people on their just want to make it look as though they have ‘friends’.
Everything was going well, at the beginning, we agree no ex’s and to be responsible with photo’s etc… but as with many other people on here, this turned. Firstly, we both had men/women contacting us to be our ‘friends’, people we had not seen in a long time. Then, an ex of 9 years of my wife’s contacted her and they started chatting friendly. Then.. they started vhatting about what they got up to. (Will leave the thinking to you). This inevitably caused a huge argument. To top all this, when I recently went on Farcebook, a girl who went to my school, who I never spoke to, not even a word, tried adding me. This was insult to injury.
Farcebook, is for people who are to shallow to go out and meet people or to those who have friends who want to show off.
Why would I want to be ‘poked’ by someone who I haven’t spoke to in 15 years or more? Why would I want to share my photos and experiences with this same person,? only to make it look as if I had lots of ‘friends’? I think not. Sorry Farcebook, but you can stick it up your a*se. By the way, we (Wife and I )have patched things up.
Farcebook it for numpties with nothing better to do than sit in front of a screen trying to find out why they haven’t got as good a life as the schooly they haven’t heard from in 20 years. Why anyone would want to put pictures and personal info such as religious and political beliefs is now beyond me. If anyone asks me now, “are you an Farcebook” my firm answer will be “NO”.
NB Farcebook is not a misspelling, it is a farce.
Sorry to rant.
August 4th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
Its nice to see others that agree in one fashion or another about this topic.
I have never been a fan of social sites for security reasons. I work in the field and see what these sites lead to.
I must say I have logged on to various systems outside of work to pursue someone socially or see something everybody was talking about at the time.
I do not want my kids or wife/spouse/girlfriend on facebook. I trust my kids they are brilliant and my soon to be wife is trustworthy beyond compare. My problem is the intrution into our lives and the possible security risk via others who are no so savvy.
This has caused a problem with my fiance because she has family and a few friends that insist that she join. She knew that I block it at work and at home on the firewalls and what my opinion on the topic. I do not care if she emails people that I do not know as long as she doesn’t share private data with them.
Now we have drama. She has 50+ friends on there in a few weeks. Why? Well because she feels bad declining a request to add them. I told her not to allow herself to be searchable. But of course the damn friend of a friend thing shows up. Now every idiot male/female from her past wants to re-connect. Like someone said before.. people are in your past for a reason. You may regret it, but when you have a current life and you are happy why do you need to talk to people you’ve ignored for 20+ years? Because it’s easy? I have had to join so she can change her status as well. We fight about this stupid thing constantly. It has underminded my professionism about security (i live by consulting in this area). I have decided to let it go and just not worry anymore. But it now has caused a situation where she knows I do not like it on several levels but yet its important enough to keep doing it. I really feel odd and kind of sick that something like this could work its way between us.
I see many stories like this, especially about facebook, myspace and 360. Another item that I find harmful is the isolation of data if you are not mutial friends with a poster. If I tag you in a photo on Johnnys FB and you are not his friend then you can not see it on my FB. This just brings out the 4th grader in everyone doesn’t it?
These systems are causing harm. I do not look forward to my kids future online. I am seeing some serious cases where real world stalking happened via these systems.. maybe people start fading off of them when the stories become mroe shocking.
Good luck all.
August 4th, 2008 at 3:04 pm
Koto. I hear you. I am just as disturbed at my partner’s presence on facebook. she has 600+ “friends”, and I find it distressing. I refuse to join, but have seen her page and the comments on the wall when I saw it were very upsetting from a would-be suitor she worked with several years ago. I have requested that any comment about me be removed and the relationship status be changed to, well nothing, i guess. We also have an understanding to avoid talking about it, albeit unspoken. It worries me that I am so bothered by it. I do think this says something about my own insecurities but I have an underlying unrest about Facebook that won’t dissapear… all the best
August 5th, 2008 at 7:33 am
/RANT ON
What a VERY refreshing thread… I too, Googled, “I hate Facebook” to see what was out there. I have a very interesting perspective to bring to this discussion. Hopefully, some of you will find it interesting as well.
A couple years ago, being someone naïve to the all-self-encompassing world of social networking, I actually started my own social network. This website, which shall remain nameless, took off quite well and we became the top of our niche in a matter of months. Commercial success aside, my experience with this site showed me what social networking truly is: a platform for the rare to journal and for the masses to self-obsess. There was this whole online life and persona that would envelop people as they strove for online assurance that they were great. Note sarcasm. Needless to say, I became disenchanted and sold the company, so I could focus my time on real people in real life situations.
Here is an interesting SOCIAL EXPERIMENT for you. Pick all of your “friends”, or even all of your “peers”… people that you know well enough to make a judgment about them and their lives. Try to separate all of these people into two groups, primarily sanctioned by a few adjectives.
ONE
Self-absorbed, shallow, narcissistic, myopic, immature
TWO
Real, fun, outgoing, selfless, caring, deep, mature
I would be willing to bet that nearly all of group ONE are frequent Facebookers, and hardly any of TWO are even on the site; if on, then perhaps in-frequented profiles. In my “circle of people”, this is exactly the case.
Facebook, and social networks at large, exist for you to create an ideal world for yourself, where you are king. How many friends can you boast – nevermind the fact that you are not really friends with them. Add your enemies for that matter, because all you want is that almighty friend count to be higher than everyone else in your circle. Spam your friends Wall’s with trivial comments that someone come back to falsely lifting you up, so everyone that frequents their profile will see how great you are, and in turn come to your profile and see how many friends you have… REPEAT process for a brain-bashing, crotch-kicking look into what is now, this world’s generation.
Hasn’t this whole world of social networking become a glorified version of America’s school system? Image and popularity are king… in high school, the wheat are separated from the chaff, and it is quite apparent who is worthy of your time. This is done based on looks, athleticism, money, etc… with social networking, you can BS your way to the top, reign over those who were once more popular than YOU in high school, and create your own world of your ideal beliefs that you are the most important person in the world… at least, in YOUR opinion.
So log off the site, and even consider deactivating your account… go outside, blink your eyes a couple times to get accustomed to the newfound sunlight. You exclaim, “What is this??? There is a world out there? Are these people I see?!?” That’s right, bucko. There is a world out there of REAL social people with REAL social issues… throw away your always-at-the-ready mirror and get out there and live.
/RANT OFF
August 5th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
I joined Facebook in April and quit in June. Die Facebook!
Its a marketer’s wet dream to have access to young hoards all too willing to spell out their likes and dislikes. Convince your sheep friends to unplug, act like adults and get a friggin’ life!
August 6th, 2008 at 7:20 pm
What more can I mention about Facebook that hasn’t already been written? A superficial waste of time. Grown adults “poking” each other. Grown adults acting like high schoolers. Grown adults spreading gossip and rumors. This shit is poison for the brain. Email = good. Facebook = evil.
August 7th, 2008 at 9:05 am
Ouaw, SO glad to see that some people are thinking like me… THANKS to all of you for not being part of those -too many- social hypocrits. Everything that you wrote is just what I was telling me when closing my facebook account! And I’m living so much better now…
Heureuse de voir qu’il y a encore des gens qui réfléchissent dans ce bas monde!!
*MERCI*
August 7th, 2008 at 12:15 pm
[...] that many of the available programs play Sudoku or are thin front-ends to web-apps like Twitter or Facebook. The more sophisticated games — such as Super Monkey Ball — have tended to be ports [...]
August 8th, 2008 at 11:36 pm
I too Googled “I hate facebook” and stumbled upon this gem of a site. I agree with PM a number of posts up - what a tool for self-obsession. To put it plainly, it sucked when those who used to call to invite me to things suddenly stopped calling in favor of posting their event on facebook. I did feel like i was missing out on those events… but a couple times when i was invited and did attend, and the conversation went to facebook… it was so shallow. How many friends they had… facebook stalking (they joked about it).. did you see the pictures that ____ posted? … and the rest of the conversation was just as meaningless (and i TOTALLY agree about the dread when a camera comes out). Someone who recently was in the hospital was most concerned with ‘updating his facebook profile/status” when entering the ER. I have lost a deeper connection with a few close friends… lost it to some POS site catering to the lazy who don’t want to know people on a close level, but would rather have many ‘friends’ on a shallow level. In my circle of friends, i am the only one not on facebook, and i now see who my REAL friends are in how they accept and adjust to my refusal to join, rather than just scolding me and telling me “you HAVE to join!!” Whatever happened to calling someone up to go for coffee and talk? Doesn’t happen any more with this kind of ‘networking.’
Thanks for letting me vent, and keep up the good posts!
August 11th, 2008 at 3:09 pm
Apologies for the extended length - as no doubt you’ll note, I’ve used standard English.
Having read through most of these posts, I feel I cannot leave this fantastic site without adding a contribution. (And besides, I see mine might be the 100th comment - woohoo I’ll let the world know my great success in 5 minutes on facebook). Like joel (no. 10), and quite a few others, I don’t usually leave comments - but this I feel so passionately about, like so many others, I can’t help but to give my 5c worth.
I can’t express how deeply, deeply pleased and quietly ecstatic I am to have found this outpouring of combined dislike (to put it mildly) of facebook… I agree with all that’s been said against it, it’s a horrible social mess. I’ve refused outright to join it ever since I’ve seen more and more of it. I am so glad that I am not the only one who fails to see the logic in why anyone would want to broadcast their every action and, indeed, mistake for several hundred “friends” and the world at large to witness whilst in a lesson or lecture or in the toilet or picking up their dog’s crap or wherever they might be on facebook - covertly or not. It’s such a time-waster (although a waste of their time can be decidedly relative - who knows what some people might get up to when they’re not on facebook). If only people would try and make the most of what time they have been given!!
What annoys me to no end (and I am echoing plenty of other people here) is when facebookers take photos where I am in them - and I may not even be aware of it - and without a second thought post them on their damn profile. Dammit people! Keep your facebook life to yourself - don’t get me tangled up in this tacky and superficial social web. I just cringe at the thought of the number of photos of me there are of me up on facebook - I’m in half a mind to create an alias or somehow look for them and tell the dumbass to take them down. But, a brief use of the brain (outdated, I know) has got the better of me - that would just be submitting to it. I’d rather try and put that time to better use. I’m half-tempted though to spread anti-facebook material (anonymously) all over my varsity, I’d love to see the reaction to it… Sadly, I doubt many would “see the light”.
Furthermore, I just hate they way you’re perceived if you don’t have facebook. You’d think I’d committed treason. “You really should get it…” “OK well if you think you’re being cool by not getting it…”. I read an article somewhere in a gaming magazine (another scene which I despise) about facebook, stating something along the lines of “Everyone’s got it now, and if you don’t, well we understand your deep, subconscious need to somehow stand out and be different to the crowd, to be a rebel… It’s OK…” Or something not too dissimilar. A bit pathetic, really. I’ve even had a group made about me (an “admiration society”…) with photos and all, in a rather childish blackmail attempt at trying to make me sign up. That’s not the way to sustain a friendship.
I can’t wait to see the end of this ridiculous mechanism for social degradation. I love how Concrete Donkey put it - “a protracted high school reunion” - exactly! It’s a virtual trophy cabinet filled with supposedly glamorous achievements (which are really cheap, meaningless and quickly worn). It’s the music of self-serving glory singers. It’s like virtual shock paddles/defibrillators for the ego. If people really are “all that” then why are they constantly trying to reaffirm that with such incredible frequency?!
It’s a fascinating yet deeply disturbing social phenomenon… I’m thankful to see so many intelligent comments and arguments against it. I think it’s very similar to a cult of sorts - there is just this mass hysteria around facebook. Ugh. As someone said earlier it’s amazing to see the number of people - intelligent people at that - who use facebook like crack addicts - hopefully some day soon they will see it’s dark side. Rather maliciously perhaps, I’d love peoples’ use of facebook to just bite them hard and rather painfully in the ass… Or just for them to get over it. Sort of like a “told you so” wakeup moment!
Its bn gr8 2 rant n vent here, bt G2G, ttfn, (lol!!!)
Thanks to all of you other facebook-haters! These posts have summed up perfectly just why it is I hate it. Thanks for the forum. So glad I’m not alone. Keep on thinking critically (not to be mistaken with criticism) and intelligently…
August 14th, 2008 at 6:29 pm
YES! I agree with everything you said! Thank you for writing it; it is exactly how I feel about facebook. I hope everyone reads it, because I think everyone can find truth in it.
August 18th, 2008 at 9:25 pm
I GOD DAMN HATE FACEBOOK. It pisses me off no end.
I don’t like gossip - and I don’t like bitching.
… and I don’t normally comment but hey - just had to - I know you understand.
I like that within a group of friends you can remain in touch quite easily on a basic level and share pictures etc. but I realised that… i god damn hate facebook culture.
go to a damn pub and keep in touch there.
i don’t want our perceptions of each other based on what we’ve seen on an account…
use a phone…
kind of lacking the eloquence on some of the other posts but damn i’ve been awake for ages and its 5am now and I’ve been watching some quiz show on itv and bbcnews24 for three hours now.
i god damn hate tv too.
don’t get me wrong - friends, simpsons, qi, uktvgold, old gladiators and southpark - all good but tv in general. i lived without tv for a year - we had no aerial and didn’t bother getting one. we had a dvd player and went to the pub to watch sports so we weren’t complete hermits but we got so much more done in a day and in general - i learned to ride a mototbike, dramatically improved my skill in life drawing, did the three peaks and read a lot. really refreshing. now i feel bogged down by tv - we even eat dinner around tv and the tv is our centrepiece.
… and now thanks to me this is no longer called 101 reasons to hate facebook.
August 23rd, 2008 at 4:47 am
Just one giant ego machine filled with envious, lonely, resentful, insecure, spiteful, low-self esteemed, jealous, ignorant and extremely self-obsessed plonkers!
Go read a book!
August 28th, 2008 at 10:51 pm
I couldn’t agree more. If I wanted to be friends with all of those people from my high school, wouldn’t I have been in touch with them all this time?
Don’t get me wrong; I really want to be friends with a lot of the people with whom I went to high school — just not the kind of friends I see in person, call on the phone, send letters to, or e-mail.
August 29th, 2008 at 11:54 am
Another very accurate portray of what facebook really is.
http://www.tommyzor.com/v2-upgrades/facebook-end-of-humanity/
August 29th, 2008 at 8:11 pm
[...] an article. And Another. Another. and Another (reading this makes me realize that most of the people I am in touch with I am still in touch with, [...]
August 31st, 2008 at 4:08 am
Well, in Denmark a rising number of people joins facebook and urges others to do the same thing. But many of them aren’t that happy - they get scolded for adding too many friends and for sending/receiving to much mail.
The wast majority of the ppl are not aware of the privacy loss they agree to on facebook. I will not join facebokk even though I have been tol to from many people.
August 31st, 2008 at 5:32 pm
I recently reactivated my Facebook account after a few months of inactivity and a just minutes ago I debated whether or not I should log in.
“Well,” I thought to myself. ” If I can go through the entire summer without giving into the evils of online social networking, why can’t I last until school starts?”
I instead decided, like many people here, to look up “I Hate Facebook,” and was pleasantly surprised to find a ton of well-written comments on the subject here.
Facebook is pretty much the devil. I too have acquaintances that boast a 200+ friend list (claiming, of course, that they “know” each person.) I know countless numbers of addicts who spend hours on the site everyday, sometimes updating their profiles several times over the course of an hour. But I’m not just pointing fingers; during my first year of college, I wasted a whole hell of a lot of time on Facebook.
It wasn’t until this summer, when I finally deactivated my page, that I truly reflected on how awful Facebook is. I think the most sickening thing about it is that it makes you feel like you are having an exciting social life when you in fact are not. For example, think of someone reading a wall-to-wall conversation between two people with open profiles. Though you were never meant to be included in the conversation, you are able to access it as if you were standing there when two real, flesh-and-bone human beings were communicating. If you are really out of it, you might even mention this wall-to-wall to a real person.
“Hey, Max!” My friend once said to me. “Guess what John said to Jane?”
“I don’t know. Are you talking about the kids from our math discussion? Do you know them?”
“No,” my friend said. “I read it on Facebook.”
There’s something disturbing about the thought that strangers–or even fake “friends”– can listen in on discussions that probably weren’t intended to be so public. These interactions can get even creepier when there is some sort of romantic involvement going on. It’s probably easier to quit smoking crack than it is to quit checking the profile of someone you’re interested in. I can’t tell you how much life I’ve wasted “researching” people–finding out everything from their favorite movies to the exact addresses of their dorm residences–for no reason other than morbid curiosity. This time could have been spent constructing a reality-based friendship. Instead, it was spent being a stalker-in-training.
I’m not, however, completely opposed to Facebook. I have a profile because it allows me to stay in touch with a lot of my out-of-state relatives and once in a while, my RA or a leader from an on-campus club will actually send me some useful info via the site. I am also a blogger and like the fact that my Notes are accessible to the thirty-something friends that I have. On the other hand, I don’t recommend visiting Facebook every day. If you’re going to have an obsession, make it more meaningful than online social networking. Follow a sports team. Pay attention to the 2008 election. Damn, even watching a TV show online would be better.
September 3rd, 2008 at 2:51 am
haha i agree with everyone, got nothing else to add
now how do i delete my facebook!
September 3rd, 2008 at 6:22 pm
It’s been almost 2 months since my post and I still check this page from time to time to see what’s been added, mainly because everybody that has posted so far made great points.
I agree with Max on every single point, esp. the “creepy relationship” part. I couldn’t help from wondering, however, why choose Facebook when you can use email or IM to chat, send pictures etc. to communicate with your out-of-state relatives? It’s much more personal and therefore (excuse the lameness) genuine. You might’ve stopped “stalking” people but you forget about the people that are “stalking” you.
Everyone has a story and if Facebook is how you choose to tell yours, more power to you. Even though you might’ve actually chilled with celebs or very influential people in the past, or did something monumental, make sure you share it with some sort of integrity. And that includes conversations with family and friends. The last thing you should do is share that with people you hardly know just so you could seem more important or cool.
I don’t want my personal info to be in the open because I am NOT a celebrity. I’m me. I don’t want people that have no bearing in my life to judge me based on my profile.
And if my once so called Facebook friends actually cared about what I was doing, they would call, text or email me to find out. “When the grass is cuts the snakes will show”, i guess. I’m not saying that Facebook users are evil or snakes, I’m saying the time I have had off from Facebook has helped me realize which relationships were really important in shaping my life and which ones weren’t.
I made a post on urbandictionary.com for the term “Fecebook”. I think it’s rather hilarious.
September 5th, 2008 at 7:55 am
[...] “grew up” with Facebook don’t see often comes as an enormous surprise: people really dislike it. That’s why talented tech bloggers write articles like this to try and convince [...]
September 6th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
First off I’m very happy that I’m not the only one who has been sucked into the self absorbing world of social networking. People spend hours of their day talking like complete idiots, trying to compete with each other as to how many “FRIENDS” they have. It makes me so mad. I agree with almost everyone here.. that facebook is a complete waste of time: people I know on high school are all day talking about who gave who a “gift” and stupid stuff like that. I talk to people in school and out for hours, we go bowling and get out places, then when it gets to the topic of facebook they say “You don’t have facebook?!?!? Get a life, man” Right there I want to say that right back to him. Why waste time posting about what you’re doing at the moment every 5 minutes (which probably happens to be “I’m typing on facebook” People need to talk to each other face to face, or at least over the phone, rather than telling everybody what their doing and then stalking other people to see what their doing. Even Msn is way better than facebook. At least you CAN have meaningful conversation there instead of everything being wide open. And yeah, how DO you delete your facebook account??
September 6th, 2008 at 2:13 pm
I just realized there’s been almost a comment every second day since the first guy posted. WAHOO!!!
Oh and by the way I’m sure most of you got to this blog by typing “I HATE FACEBOOK” in Google. That’s how I got here, because one of my good friends just joined facebook, so I am mad at him. Like one guy said here “NEVER EVER LET THIS BLOG DIE”
Anyway, I’m off to go bowling with some REAL TRUE FRIENDS, not just a friend’s friend of a friend’s friend’s friend
September 8th, 2008 at 6:54 am
I haven’t read most of the posts here, but I despise Facebook. Even if you don’t have an account (as I never will), it consumes your life. For example, my Mother recently joined the ranks thanks to my sister (who has already put up photos and info about me without permission). Now my Mum has befriended people from my past (even their freaking partners), or others I am trying to lose contact with, and God knows what she says to them… JUST F@#$% OFF…it’s completely intrusive. “Did you know that so-and-so is a rocket scientist, a millionaire and married? I told him that you’re none of these things” “Oh, [shithead] wanted your number so I gave it to them.”
I’m the type of guy who likes his space/privacy… this modern world is killing me. First it was mobile/cell phones making us contactable 24/7, now our lives are on display via Facebook (via friends/family, even if we purposely boycott it). It’s socially frowned upon if we aren’t contactable 24/7, and refuse to be put up on display. I know humans are “social” creatures, but it’s really getting pushed to unhealthy levels where I find myself absolutely suffocated by these arseholes. I’m beginning to collectively lump all of society on the crap pile… which isn’t fair I know.
I fantasise about the time before mobile phones and the internet and this unhealthy “need” to be networked every second of our lives. In those days you made an effort to keep in touch with those you liked… now you have to make an effort to escape those you don’t like.
I won’t go on about the other factors such as the shallowness of Facebook etc, as I’m sure it’s all been discussed at great length.
*exhales* that felt good.
September 9th, 2008 at 5:56 am
Im back. And maintain what a said several posts ago - FACEBOOK MUST DIE.
Slowly. And painfully. Like being shot in the stomach over and over again with an under powered air rifle. Lead poisoning perhaps, I hear it’s quite an agonising way to go. Can we give it AIDS?
September 10th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
I also found this when I typed Googled “I hate Facebook” in a desperate attempt to find another sensible human. Thankfully I have. I agree with almost everything that has already been said. I’m glad to know that I’m not the only one in this world who can see through the absolutely farce that it is, the absolute waste of time that it is. I too many a person who spend at least half of their lives updating their profiles. It’s so pathetic, and also quite disturbing. I will (somewhat shamefully) admit that I do have an account, b/c my sister who’s at college convinced me to get one. But I don’t use it. Ever. I have no pictures, I have no appplications, I’m part of no group, I have no status. And I also have “friends” that only added me to up their friends #. It’s like, why don’t you try calling me once in while, if you’re really my friend and all…. I also have found that it’s almost next impossible to delete an account, which is extremely bizarre and frustrating. Definitely Big Brotherish, Facebook is.
To the above commentor, I too fantasize and long for the days before cell phones and facebook, and any other stupid things such as that which are almost always about being seen and looking cool….
September 10th, 2008 at 3:05 pm
*I think I meant “when I Googled” and also that “I too know many a person”.
I can speak the English language correctly….
September 10th, 2008 at 8:31 pm
I hate facebook too =D, It’s the apology of narcissism for me.
So, under a false identity I ‘ve decided to create a group on facebook named : I hate facebook. Join !
September 11th, 2008 at 3:17 am
Oh my god I love you all. I’ve had friends *ehem* nag at me on a daily basis, having been in several heated arguments on the subject of facebook. I absolutely agree with everything I’ve read on this site - it’s insane the amount of crap and social drama that goes on in facebook and I’m disgusted by everyone who have sold their soul in order to be apart of that.
My friend *ehem* claim that I am antisocial and isolated because i do not own a facebook account? No! I am the opposite! I choose my friends for the substance of our conversations, not for the quantity of usernames on my friends list! I really thought I was alone for the longest time - with every place ventured and every shoulder turned, I find only a increasing mass of facebook bandwagoners. I’m glad I’ve found a refuge.
September 11th, 2008 at 7:25 am
I’m not a Facebook addicted but I moderately use it sometimes. I don’t have thousands of (unknown) friends and I don’t care if almost everybody does.
I really don’t see the difference between Facebook-mail and email, or between letters and messages on Facebook. If some of my friends are not near me but in other countries or cities, I would not call them; but if we use Facebook we can communicate.
The Big Brother Effect is disturbing and worrying instead, but is one of internet’s side effects.
September 11th, 2008 at 7:37 am
Brilliant.
I googled “hate facebook group” and got this.
Great article, nice to know there are other Hatebookers out there!
I refuse,simply refuse! I had it for a short time then deleted it.
September 14th, 2008 at 1:24 pm
Before Facebook, I quibbled with anyone who seemed to be referring to the completely unknown people they came in contact with as a “friends”. Work associates (especially), one time contacts, gladhanding introductions, class mates, the bartender, did i mention “co-workers”, athletic co-competitors, the waitress, Juan, Alexa, Nat, etc., etc. Now, with Facebook, we see the concept of “friends” can be infinitely extended to anyone, hundreds and hundreds of other “oh so” contemporary naracissitic “friends” who seem to have no sense of self-irony and no sense of privacy (”why would you need that”). And we all “know” (and hate) ‘em - what with their incessant need for gossip (the new religion) - or have been the target of their on-line smear campaigns and endless social drama. If Gossip is the new religion, then Facebook is the First Church of Soulless Ascension.
Res Ipsa
September 14th, 2008 at 4:00 pm
I’m glad to see that so many others have the same opinions of Facebook as I do.
Facebook encourages & facilitates for the spreading of gossip & rumors. You make pretentious comments in the hope that that you’ll impress others who may read them. Fuck your plastic smiles & fake concern, everyone knows you hate each other. What makes you think people are going to take interest in your insignificant life? Maybe it’s because you have a “hot” profile picture or because you both like the same band. Make a forced comment because that’s what’s expected from you & suddenly you have a special connection with someone you see from day to day life but never talk to face to face.
Why do those obsessed feel the need to monitor other’s lives on a system where your personality is condensed into a few web pages? That isn’t how you learn to know & understand someone, that’s how you make uninformed, stereotyped assumptions.
I think everyone needs to take their heads out from their ass holes & realise facebook is a cesspool of prejudice & unjustified ego expansion.
FUCK FACEBOOK.
I’m glad I got that out there…
September 17th, 2008 at 8:23 am
I very much agree with the comment about envy- further up the page. One thing I have also noticed is that a lot of girls go one about how they are married and gloat about this as if being married or engaged makes you a better person. There are many superficial things that make people seem ‘better.’ It is important to socialize in person. This site could also have the danger of making people feel worse about themselves, if they compare themselves to other people. It is also a platform to boast; if you like a platform for modern day solipsism.
I would like to end on this note. We are all valuable members of society regardless of how we look or what are relationship statues is or how many ‘friends’ we have. We need to be people of substance, not superficiality.
September 17th, 2008 at 10:12 am
Well it’s 3am here and I’m googling “I hate facebook”, and this is my destination.
I deleted my account today, yep deleted, not just deactivated. It was like I had lifted a huge burden off my shoulders in the never ending quest for numerical popularity. At first I was hesitant because of the implications that it may have for my social life, then I remembered something. Out of all the events I had been invited to on facebook, I’ve only attended five of them and guess what? Those five events are ones that I would have went to anyway because they were hosted by my closest friends.
The decisive factor that led to my freedom from farcebook was when I walked past an FB “friend” and she completely snubbed me, even though she had added me as a “friend” two days ago.
That event, coupled with HOW INANE AND BORING the site is, has allowed me to finally take the plunge and revolt against the narcissistic, vacuous, self absorbed cesspool that is FB.
I have officially been off facebook for 8 hours and have already received two text messages asking me why I had left because they went to write on my wall to see how I’ve been. My reply? “There are other forms of communication that can be used to inquire about my wellbeing, I dunno, like the one you’ve just used now. I’m fine btw, thanks for asking, lets get coffee”
September 18th, 2008 at 10:06 pm
Opinionated drivel.
September 19th, 2008 at 6:08 am
^ Ha.
I wouldn’t have it any other way!
Care to elaborate?
September 19th, 2008 at 7:30 am
Finally, not just one, but a whole legion of people who agree with me. Wait just a minute, allow me to bask in the warm bliss of this. *ahhhhhh*…..(oops! I may have just peed myself!)
I joined Facebook at the urging of my best friend, even though I’d decided that I friggen HATED the site the first time I ever looked at it. She works on a remote island in Washington doing whale research, and she can’t use her cell phone much as it picks up Canadian cell towers ($$$). Yet she has computer access and signs on to Facebook all the time to update, drop people a note, whatever. So, if I want to keep in touch with her or find out what she’s up to, I’ve got to sign in.
Of course, several other people, some actual friends and others mere acquaintances have since found & added me, so now I am bombarded with constant updates. “Anne is dancing a naked jig.” “Bobby is depressed.” “Larry is sodomizing a mountain elk”. Who cares…..does anybody really want to know what I am doing every 5 minutes? I doubt it, therefore I usually don’t update my status. And then there’s the Invitations to install stupid, useless applications on your profile. Come on, people….do you REALLY think you are going to solve global warming by planting a pumpkin on your “Green Patch?” And while we’re at it, I don’t want to buy any of you as my pet, not even for $1, I really have no aspirations in life to be a mob boss, and if I want to play Oregon Trail, I’ll download the Apple II emulator and play the real old-school game, for Chrissakes.
Wow. That really, really feels better. Thanks!
September 23rd, 2008 at 6:10 am
Tee Hee, how I have enjoyed reading this blog entry and all of your comments. Facebook can be fun and cute, but it’s too easy to get sucked back into the popularity contest silliness that I despised in school and still despise now. I recently shut my Facebook account and had lots of people mailing ‘why did you close it?’. Evidently, these folks are the type who desperately sheck their friend lists and have a small cow when the number decreases from 213, to (omg!) 212!!
Well, this is more than I was intenting to say - but I would like to say how much I enjoyed this comment:
‘It’s the music of self-serving glory singers. It’s like virtual shock paddles/defibrillators for the ego’
Bravo, bravo!
September 25th, 2008 at 1:46 am
Thank god there are people out there that feel the same. I have been refusing to join facebook for a year and a half now and have no regrets. I too am not invited to events as I do not have facebook, am looked at like I am crazy when I say I will not get facebook, and get annoyed when photos are posted of me without my permission.
I did feel affirmed in my decision the other day when having coffee with a friend who commented “you were sensible to not get facebook, I found out that _____ and _____ broke up when a little broken heart popped up on the screen. I later heard from one of their good friends that ____ cheated on ____.”
These people are acquaintances of ours, maybe a little bit more than that, but not close friends. In the long run I would have found out that they had broken up, but I just imagined how awful the guy cheated on would feel when people wrote on his wall asking why he and his boyfriend broke up?
I will never join facebook. I’d rather sit in silence at parties and social occasions when people talk about facebook and what they learned on there about people than feel like I was not being true to myself.
I do partake in myspace, but that is for information on bands that I like. I can learn about gigs that are coming up, but have much more anonymity than fakebook.
September 25th, 2008 at 6:24 am
I think Facebook is really there as a popularity contest (ooh look at my long friends list of mostly totally random people I was never even friends with, or I don’t really remember but have added to boost my numbers!) I was on it for a while, feeling really proud of my small friends list of about 25 people who were either very close friends, or very old acquaintances - no randoms! Then I started seeing other people’s lists growing from a couple of them having over 30, to some who had over 200… and I started wondering what people thought of me. I also found I had to do most of the looking up, then when a couple of my friend requests got ignored, it made me revisit the past and remember WHY I’d lost touch with them, in the excitement of adding to my friends list, it’d slipped my mind! So with a measly friends list of 25 I was rapidly becoming ashamed of (but still totally against adding ‘randoms’), being sensitive about whether people replied to me when I messaged them coz look they’ve been online since and spoken to THAT person, why not ME!? and just becoming a bit of a wreck about it all… I have made the decision to leave!
They can all keep their superficial, fake Facebook fun (e.g. a friend of mine on there has not even said she has a child - it’d be the first thing I’d want to tell people:
My account is set for permanent deletion on 9th October, not that I can tell my friends why, they’d think I’d gone insane (feeling as depressed as I do coz of Facebook) - and I have to say I already feel free! I just don’t need to feel inadequate and unpopular, and keep revisiting the past like that - plus seeing what everyone is doing every second of the day is just weird!! I will not miss FB one bit!
September 26th, 2008 at 2:27 pm
ha ha ha ha (intentionally not l-o-l)
I love everyone’s comments. Hey! I know! Let’s start a site where we can all keep in touch all the time! …juuuust kidding!
There is a fabulous futuristic sci-fi satire novel called BLIND FAITH by Ben Elton - a leading UK comedian/writer. If you hate facebook - you will likely soon keep a copy of this book at your bedside table. In his novel he calls the Big Bro social networking site of the future, FaceSpace, and it is required by law that everyone join and regularly update. Elton is the guy that wrote the Queen musical - We Will Rock You. I feel better at night knowing that this brilliant man hates social networking sites.
I initially didn’t join Facebook bc I didn’t want to “show off” (I was working abroad for a number of years and actually doing a lot of really cool things and lots of travel) and was painfully aware that should I post all the things and photos of my adventures, that it would look like I was saying “hey look at me I’m cooler than you” and the thought really did make me cringe. later, when I actually SAW what facebook looks like, I couldn’t believe that people would want to be bombarded by all the silly details. I hated it instantly. Even before I found out about all the privacy issues and info harvesting that makes OTHER people rich.
Thankfully, I do still have a group of friends that holds fast to the Old Way. Obviously, these are the most intelligent, funny, and confident people that I know.
Rome fell. The Wall fell. One day…facebook will fall too.
Have a good life everyone!
ps. I’m also a blog-commenting virgin!
pps. I also found this site by googling “anti-facebook” after a discussion with a fellow hater that I’ve just directed to this site. hee hee
September 27th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
I hate too!
I hate being asked to join and I hate the shallowness of people there. But hey, people read Cosmopolitan and watch Big Brother- sure they have to be on facebook also. Is Paris Hilton on Facebook?
If she is I might join!
RUN FORREST, RUN!!!
September 30th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
I deleted my facebook after reading this blog. It showed me that there are some sane people in this world, at least 134 anyway…
September 30th, 2008 at 7:36 pm
It comes as no suprise that those who commented did so in an articulate fashion. There are some very good analytical arguments pertaining to the negative aspects of Facebook. In my opinion, all of the arguments are valid. Facebook promotes drossy interactions and narcissism.
October 2nd, 2008 at 12:39 pm
So refreshing to see a group of people who hate the monster that is facebook. I was a member of myspaz for a short period of time until I realised what a farce the whole social networking world has become. Why on earth would i want to speak to some douche bag i barely knew 10 years ago? I dont give a shit if your married, if you’ve got a nice car, or if you’ve got a cat called honkey, so please fuck off and dont try to add me to 3 digit ‘friend’ list.
Rant over.
October 5th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
I hate facebook, too. I really don`t care what someone who I bearly see once in a year is doing. You are going to sleep, you just ate whole watermelon, you both new boots, you went to Maldives for vacation…. I DON`T CARE!!!! And, also, some things and people which are in the past, should stay there. It took me years to forget about some of them and now I am forced to face them again. I don`t give a damn what they are doing and how are they. I would call them if I would wanted to know. And everyone is trying to look cool, to show or lie how successful they are… I really wish that somebody stop this madness with facebook.
October 5th, 2008 at 4:39 pm
facebook=wastebook a great way for people who are socially inept to stalk each other.
October 5th, 2008 at 5:51 pm
Oh, and sorry for my bad english, I`m from Serbia.
October 5th, 2008 at 10:13 pm
Not only that, but let’s say you are shallow and do want to connect with old high school buddies you haven’t talked to in 20 years. Personally, I went to high school in a really small town called Fort Jennings in Ohio. So I did a search. First I tried searching for Fort Jennings without quotes and got a bunch of hits not even related to Fort Jennings (profiles that had both words Fort and Jennings somewhere in the page but not together). So I did a search for Fort Jennings with quotes to make sure it specifically searches for “Fort Jennings”. Not something like “I went to Fort Lauderdale and my favorite singer is Waylon Jennings.”
Turns out the quotes didn’t matter. It still came up with a large number of useless hits.
You would think that something as widely used like Facebook would have a better search engine.
October 6th, 2008 at 12:23 pm
Yay! Fuck facebook!
Though I admit I have an account…I will delete it now and resist the temptation.
I have always been the only one in my year not to get properly into facebook. All I have on my profile is my birthday (why should I tell people that anyway?) and a picture of a baby that looks like Hitler. I get shitloads of fucking pointless requests each day and they piss me off. “Phil scored 1000 in Petrolhead, can you beat him?” “What type of car are you?” “You are a Ford Escort!”
I Don’t Give A Shit.
Thank you, I won’t come again!
October 6th, 2008 at 12:52 pm
Umm…is it possible to delete my account, not just “Deactivate” it? I want to GET RID OF IT ONCE AND FOR ALL!
October 7th, 2008 at 4:24 am
You can delete permanently - I can’t remember how, but it’s typically not as easy to find and you have to kind of ‘book’ for it to be done. Mine disappears completely 9th October 2008. Have a look around under ‘Help’, it’s there somewhere, you’ll figure it out.
Is there a such thing as a ‘deleting Facebook party’? If so, you’re all invited… I’ll post the event on… haha, only joking!!!
October 11th, 2008 at 3:39 pm
Oh my, I think I’ve died and gone to heaven! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I am so relieved to know I’m not alone, that there are others out there. Facebook represents “the madness of crowds” and it also behaves like a parasite, hooking onto and destroying every shred of a private life you may have.
For the sake of the planet, please just say no to Facebook and it’s minions.
Mato: is feeling grateful for all the intelligent people who posted here.
October 14th, 2008 at 11:25 am
I have a facebook account , but damn I hate it!! all this facebook culture kinda annoying.
once facebook was a good site.anyone could add you and you could add anyone.everyone was open to the other people, but over the last time people are starting to be dumbasses.
let’s say you can’t write 5 sentences on a topic or a picture in facebook without anyone calling you: ” you digger”.
and people are more anti-social the first thing they do is to be afraid and ask:
“who the hell are you!?!?why are you bothering me?”
like it’s facebook, it’s an open network everyone can add everyone , and if you don’t aproove then don’t confirm me!
and I also think talking face to face is better then this odd facebook, which some people consider as reality.
I’m going to leave this terrifing facebook.
anyone here agree with my words ?:)
October 15th, 2008 at 5:01 pm
Ok so facebook is the most annoying stupid site in this world!
CAN I SUE THEM?
Im sorry but this is the 2nd time they are cancelling my account without any kind of notification or explanation.
I think that they need to go out of business..They are not professional at all
Constantly deleting your page.
Im sorry but it took me a while to build that page, find my friends and now all of the sudden they are deleting it? I beleive that FACEBOOK IS A SCAM!!!
PLEASE SOMEBODY HELP!!! WE NEED TO GET FACEBOOK OUT OF BUSINESS!!!!
October 17th, 2008 at 8:58 pm
Put this in your pipe and smoke it.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/7676285.stm
October 18th, 2008 at 1:25 pm
Thank god ive found some people on my wave length!!!
I thought i was the only one going mad over this mincey shit called facebook!!
Facebook is also a big invasion of privacy no matter how you adjust the settings because everybody is linked,for an example my girlfriend got all excited as soon as she got to grips with facebook and friend requested virtually every twat shehas ever met, including my proper mates or acquaintances of mine that i would prefer to keep it just as aquaintances!!So almost 300 people could see pics of me and my kids and my family and i never knew 250 of them!!
So i had to look into this and made the silly cow put some privacy settings on.
And then had to explain that it was cheeky to add my good friends as hers without me even knowing,just so she could build her friends number up!!How sad is that??I understand this isnt entirely the Fault of Facebook,it is hers mainly but Face book also offers people to flirt and and interact with other peoples spouses or partners,which can lead to all sorts!!!especialy if you have no account like me!makes me feel like i wanna check up on every one sending cetain applications and messages etc.One thing Fcebook has done for me is realise that im going to leave my girlfriend if she dosnt start pulling herself away from the fucking Facebook!!and its proved to me really just how sad an individual
can be when your life is pet city in FaceBook!!!so sad!
So if there is any nice girls outthere with more commonsense and lust for life than my girlfriend,please let me know lol
October 19th, 2008 at 9:05 pm
Argh, titting Facebook. I am a fellow hater. Relationship paranoia. Among the many reasons to hate it, one personal reason of my own is how paranoid its made me. My boyfriend is on it, and yes, he uses the excuse that its to ‘keep in contact’. EMAIL. PHONE. ACTUAL EYE CONTACT. Yay. Of course, he went and made a friend request to his ex girlfriend. He has always made me aware of his hate for her, so hmm, how odd. In general, Facebook enrages me for the hordes of people on there, using it as an opportunity to post pictures of themselves, and brag about their lives. Everyone on there does nothing but talk about themselves. Everyone else on there wastes time READING about them. Someone matters to you? You want to talk to someone? Pick up the phone and stop being such a cheapskate.
October 20th, 2008 at 8:25 am
I feel for you Dave Fletch dude.
I hate facebook, or ‘fuckbook’ as I call it. I havent joined fuckbook. I’m not interested & never have been. I’m sick of people going on about it in work/in the street etc. Its a waste of time for people who are just attention seeking show offs. However, the reason I call it fuckbook is this: its just a simple way for people to obtain a free shag & it destroys peoples relationships.
My gf & I split up for various reasons. While we were apart she signed up to FB keep in touch with her ‘girl friends’. Then we got back together, then 2 weeks later she goes out with 2 of her girl friends & didnt come back that night. Turns out that 1 of her girl friends hooked her up with a guy that she suggested to her through FB.
While my gf was basically unconcious from all the booze she’d drunk, he’d had his wicked way with her. She doesnt know if he used a condom & she isnt on the pill, so has had to go to the chemist & pay £25 for the M.A. Pill, & has had to book herself into the STI Clinic.
I know who the guy is because, unbeknown to my gf I checked her FB account (when you’re in a relationship its not hard to guess a password!), so I know who he is & to me he is the lowest form of human being using people like this. My gf needs to find better girl friends too. This girl that suggested him to my gf uses FB herself as a way of obtaining free sex on a regular basis. Basically what I’m saying is she is a slag & the guy she suggested is also a slag. He got what he wanted & can add my gf to his list of FB conquests. The 2 girl friends that were out with her arent real friends. If they were her real friends they would have taken care of her when she was that drunk, just like she has done for them in the past.
Her friends know how I feel. They got plenty of texts telling them exactly what I think of them.
FB ruins relationships.It has ruined what could have been our only chance at getting back together. My head is mashed right now. I dont know what to do or whether to keep this going or not. I dont know if I can look her in the face while were together for seeing his ugly specky Lembit Opik face in my head.
If the pill hasnt worked (she was sick after) then she’ll have to have an abortion to stay with me because I’m not bringing up that lowlifes sprog, or she’ll have to have his kid & be alone. If she’s contracted something that cant be cured it will end me for good. I’m a very giving lover, but I cant push myself to do things with someone if I may contract something myself.
Something similar happened to my gf collegues at work & it nearly ended their relationship too.
I feel like my life has ended right now & its all because of a website that perverts use as a way of getting a free shag regardless of the consequences.
October 21st, 2008 at 4:59 am
Thank God there are other people out there who feel the way I do. My mum and dad are so addicted to facebook that they have just bought a new laptop so they can go on at same time. It really annoys me that people can just put pictures of me and my kids on facebook without my permission. I can totally see how it can destroy lives and as for the hundreds of people on my boyfriends profile who he barely knows. People think they need to add, their friends friends and their sisters friends and their cats friends it so sad, why can’t people just communicate face to face anymore?
October 22nd, 2008 at 3:38 am
I completely share what you said.
October 22nd, 2008 at 9:28 am
You’re the best xprimnt , I’m french, and here everybody has an account, I’m (probably) the only in my highschool, who think like you !!!
I’m Happy to see that many people think like me !!
Sorry, if I’ve made some mistakes
October 22nd, 2008 at 1:16 pm
Well, i am one of those who gave in to the peer pressure and joined facebook. I just deleted my account because its a violation of my privacy…I didn’t know there were so many ‘friends’ out there who wished to reconnect with me! And then, I am thoroughly disgusted with the overload of information from some other friends….. I don’t need to know if you went and got drunk or your first grader had a great day at school. Please get over the fact that the world is dying to know when you wake up and when you sleep. Facebook is for self obsessed weirdos who are into ‘collecting’ friends!
October 22nd, 2008 at 4:27 pm
I am so overjoyed to read the comments on this blog - I love you all!
I am so fed up with being hassled to join Facebook and justify why I am not on it, I did as a lot of you have done and googled ‘Facebook hatred’ ‘Facebook resistance’ etc hoping to find some support from kindred spirits and found this heavenly thread. I agree with all the comments I have read so far however
I particularly agree with the lady writing on post number 40 who says that Facebook has been a destructive force in her life and she isn’t even on it - same here!
I have recently said farewell to a foreign colleague who has returned to his home country, I worked closely with him for 3.5 years and socialised out of work. It now appears that he is only prepared to keep in touch if I wish to communicate through Facebook, repeatedly using my e-mail address to remind me to add him as a friend. When I said I wasn’t on Facebook I have heard nothing more, colleagues have accused me of being privacy obsessed and anti-social! However they still want me to join Facebook and add them as a friend! Facebook marketers must be the most successful brain washers in history.
My real friends I see regularly and phone, further away people I keep in touch via e-mail (and attach 1 or 2 photos now and then) How boring is it to be forced to look at someones holiday photos, now why would I want to voluntarily sit trawling though them on the net?
Nearly all of the most fantastic memorable lively fun nights out in my life aren’t captured on camera by anyone who was present as we were all too busy enjoying the moment, no-one thought to whip out a camera and have to have ‘proof’ of how much fun we were having. Facebook connecting people? it’s all just a clever illusion.
October 23rd, 2008 at 9:31 am
he he, I left a post earlier in the thread and since then I keep checking every few days to see what other lovely rants have been posted! It’s been therapeutic.
I had forgotten to mention that a) a long time ago I blocked facebook from sending me friend requests to my email account all together; and b) I was once “ganged up on” to join FB. I had wanted to get copies of some friend’s photos from a weekend trip - and she would not give them to me so as to force me to join FB and download them myself. So it took 2 months before I got the photos in the old fashioned way of borrowing her hard disk. Anyway the point is that every time someone tries to force you to join something (be it FB, a cult, etc.) it’s usually bc they don’t want to be (or go down) alone. Deep down I think EVERYONE knows how pathetic it is, how it brings out insecurities, how it is useless as a connection-tool, etc etc, so to them - if more people join, their own participation will be legitimized.
Two other stories:
My boss got in trouble by his wife (he had to work in another country for a while) bc of FB. A group of women and my male boss had gone away for the weekend - it was totally innocent - but then one of the crew put our photos on FB and tagged my boss. So his wife (far away in Europe with their kids) sees the “tag alert” (bc FB lists every single move you make) and follows the trail to the weekend photos - her middle-aged husband with a bunch of younger women on a beach in bikinis. While absolutely nothing inappropriate occurred, I can totally understand why his wife got paranoid. So it caused a stink for nothing.
In another incident, a friend (that admits FB is for people who have nothing better to do) was freaked out recently when she was ambushed at a baby shower by a long lost acquaintance who was demanding to know why my friend hadn’t accepted her friend requests. My friend meekly told her that she never received them bc really how else do you handle a psycho at a baby shower? Even more appalling, the woman in question has THREE children - you would think she would be so pre-occupied with raising them that she wouldn’t have time nor desire to involve herself in pettiness, but there you have it! Pettiness. This is what is sadder still about FB - maybe it’s just a mirror that shows us in an obvious way that most people’s lives are based on pettiness, gossip, and trivial information. Not a big surprise, just sad.
To end, I invite your hairs to stand on end as you recall these 80s song lyrics and their applicability to FB:
Every breath you take
Every move you make
Every bond you break
Every step you take
Ill be watching you
Every single day
Every word you say
Every game you play
Every night you stay
Ill be watching you
Oh, cant you see
You belong to me
How my poor heart aches
With every step you take
Every move you make
Every vow you break
Every smile you fake
Every claim you stake
I’ll be watching you
October 25th, 2008 at 11:41 am
What a relief to read all these comments I love you all. I started to think I was alone and maybe there WAS something wrong with me! I too googled ‘Hate facebook?’ hoping I wasn’t alone. I have saved this blog to my favourites so I can revisit everytime some dickhead twonk tries to make me join the evil book of faces. I’m 43 and the pressure to join from people in my age group is unbelievable, it’s not just you youngies!
Antonia post 132, You are exactly the kind of person that is too busy really living to bother with the shallowness of FB, don’t change!
I can’t add anything that hasn’t already been put much more eloquently than I could manage but overhearing the general pettiness of FB conversations I think eventually it will implode on itself as more and more people wise up to it’s sheer banality.
October 27th, 2008 at 10:39 am
I totally understand. I hate facebook. I hate it because you can visit people from your past and they can contact you. I have only been married for a year…and for some reason after my husband was officially taken, it opened the flood gates to have girls from his past try to talk to him and flirt with him. He says it is just harmless, and I do realize that, but I know these girls too and they are crossing lines and it is extremely frustrating. I think programs like Facebook and Myspace create trust problem!
October 29th, 2008 at 6:22 am
I dont know what saddens me more, the false projection of self or the unrelentant willingness to give up all forms privacy.
How will Social Networking site develop? Realtime GPS? A history of everywhere you go?
In the age of information, nothing is deleted. Only the public links removed.
October 30th, 2008 at 7:21 am
I deleted my FaceSpaz account yesterday, and since then I have had five people asking me why. One of my (real life) friends exclamed to me, saying that her photos were almost at one thousand and since I have gone, she would have to build it back up. I have been deep into the dark book, I have looked closely at its so-called face and I am out the other side. It is evil, everyone is right. It is self-obsessive and that makes it disgusting.
But I have done it now and I feel liberated. It does not matter what people are doing, well not on that scale anyways. If my friends want to know how i am doing, they can call me. Facebook scares me.
I am glad I found this post, because I was starting to think there was something wrong with me. It turns out that there is just something wrong with all of them. Don’t they understand what is happening, have they not read “1984″ or “A Brave New World”? Privacy will become a thing of the past, or is it already a thing of the past?
October 30th, 2008 at 11:44 am
I’m glad I found this site because I thought I was the only one who hates Facebook. It’s the most shallow piece of crap I’ve ever seen and the whole thing makes me feel like I’m back in high school (”gotta have more friends!” “gotta be cool!”); I hated high school more than anything in life.
I’m in my mid-30s and do want to find some people I knew in high school or middle school. Honestly, sometimes you just lose touch with people, not because either of you wanted to ditch the other. I’ve found 2 friends from my past that I’m fairly close with now, but it wasn’t through Facebook. The only thing I’ve found through Facebook is the snotty, shallow people that I want nothing do with and also former high school friends who have basically turned into snotty, shallow people in the past 15 years.
November 1st, 2008 at 1:57 pm
Regarding facebook privacy:
http://www.albumoftheday.com
- I’d hope that would make some people think twice.
November 2nd, 2008 at 5:59 am
I was stalked, harassed and bullied through Facebook, even after I deleted my account. You might wonder how? I was still in photos (untagged) and someone was finding these photos posted by my previous “friends” and copying them to emails and sending them to my fiancee’, now wife. The emails contained little messages like, “He’s cheating.”, or “Wonder who he’s with now?” Well I was never doing anything inappropriate in the pictures (which you were probably thinking) but if you were someone who had absolutely no trust in me (Thank God Aubrey trusts me) it would have been incriminating. I’d like to find the person that did this to me for years and show them how much I didn’t appreciate their efforts to tear me and Aubrey apart.
November 2nd, 2008 at 11:11 am
I hate the way every fucking time you go to coffee, dinner, drinks, a garage sale, the opening of a paper bag, some asshole whips out the camera and takes pictures so they can post it on their facebook account. How I am spending my free time or with whom is not the business of “friends of friends” yet now random people I don’t even know, or want to know, can find out personal stuff about me (my profile is private, and very limited - I only keep it when actual friends post things like wedding pics or travel pics, not dumbass drunk-at-a-bar pics.) Yet people get offended when you ask them not to post pics of you on their page. Really invasive & annoying in my opinion.
November 2nd, 2008 at 2:00 pm
Amen. Amen to all points that were made and, ESPECIALLY, amen to the possible chance that Facebook will (*hopefully*) be demolished one fine day. I was once young…and very stupid. I had a Facebook. Hell, I also had a Myspace. Was I a functioning person?! I can answer that with one word: No (well, two if you count the expletive that I’d love to insert prior to it). The thing that really gets to me is how utterly self-absorbed, egotistical, and neurotic people become once on these “social networking” sites. All I know is that when I was a user of these websites (and let’s also take a moment to review just what other types of activities a “user” can fall prey to because I do consider Facebook to instill similar consequences as, say, crack) I became ADDICTED to knowing what so-and-so did this weekend, or who was dating who, or what this ex is up to…Christ, I became “that” girl. Frankly, you could not pay me to EVER be on those websites again. Ever. Ever. Ever. Not to mention the innumerable dates I was asked out on through Facebook (an inbox message from a 30-year-old I met ONCE does not a date constitute, k?) alongside the f***ing stalkerism and intrusiveness that is perpetuated by the damn site itself. In summation, if you would like to have the literal life sucked out of you, be my guest and join these websites. I can 100% guarantee that you will fall into some type of a depression because you will be forced to compare yourself - if only subliminally - to all of your “friends”. And, frankly, I don’t much care for people that I took sponge baths with when I was 4 knowing just how piss drunk I got over the weekend. Peace.
November 4th, 2008 at 10:05 pm
Here’s another anti-FB entry with a funny ass vid: http://hotair.com/archives/2008/05/02/video-if-life-was-like-facebook/comment-page-1/#comment-1102786
I think FB is making people seem to think it’s acceptable to be more shallow. I bet that it will die off… when something else comes along to replace it.
November 5th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
Thanks for this! I just got rid of my account about ten minutes ago. I hate facebook b/c they’re always changing things just when you get the hang of something. For example, how to move photos from one album to another. Then boom, they change that procedure. It’s nuts, and the amount of garbage applications are unreal. People send you something using the app once, only for you to build up your collection, and then you have to dig on how to erase them all. Ack! I feel a weight off of my shoulders. I just don’t understand why folks send you a friend request only to not contact you, not reply to emails or comments, nothing. Where is the contest that says if you have x amount of friends on your page you win a prize?
November 6th, 2008 at 1:13 pm
If you added up all the hours that you’ve spent on Facebook, you’d be scared. And I bet in years to come you’d want those hours back, so don’t waste time wasting time. Hence why I’m deleting it.
November 9th, 2008 at 4:44 pm
I joined facebook after finding out that there where church friends and family on it. I quickly enjoyed updating my status, but that has become literally nothing. I post videos, and different things on my mind, trying to get people that “know” me to say something. But I guess everyone is too busy b/c I only get a few replies here and there. I am getting tired of trying to reach out to people and get “a hand” put up in front of my face, like “talk to the hand”. I am also in my thirties, and a born-again christian. It saddends me to see others in my so-called “camp” ignore and look the other way. For now, I will keep my account open b/c I do like to see what people are up to, but don’t expect me to update my status any time soon. I have also slowly been taking stuff off like videos, comments, and posts, b/c I think to myself, what is the point? These people are suppose to know me, be my friends and family, and they could care less, so now I guess I do to. I’m starting to think in my Chirstian beliefs, “what would Jesus do”? Would He be on facebook? Ha, maybe I should post that as a status update???
November 10th, 2008 at 6:59 pm
I’ve been reading a lot of the posts on this site and realized that I’m not alone….Thank GOD!!!!! I’m so glad to see that I’m not the only one that despises Facebook. I joined a couple of months ago, but not for social purposes. I signed up using a fake name, so no one I knew could find me. But, being the huge procrastinator that I am, I never deleted it. BIG MISTAKE!!!! Somehow, someone I knew found me and sent me a friend request. Not to be rude, I accepted her invitation. Anyways, we finally get to chatting on Facebook, and she has absolutely nothing to say. It was so awkward….I didn’t know you could feel awkward over the internet until then. Then she tells me that I should add such and such to my friend list. This is how it all started. Now, I’m trapped in this awkward Facebook nightmare and there seems to be no escape. I still rarely visit Facebook, but a still shiver every time I get that dreaded Facebook message in my e-mail reading, “Such and such wrote on your wall…”. Take my advice, whatever you do, don’t sign up for Facebook. Just talk to people face to face like we human beings used to do.
November 11th, 2008 at 3:14 am
Anyone noticed a slight defensiveness in Facebookers when you ask them about it? ………Even the people on this thread who say they only use it for important stuff like wedding photos or keep in touch with those abroad………….
I deliberately keep my extreme dislike of Facebook concealed when asking others on the subject (at first anyway) however there does seem to be a slight shift in a lot of users attitude to it.
A year or so ago people raved about how great it is, now the same people will quickly say ‘oh I don’t use it that much blah blah blah weddings important stuff blah blah………..
Considering most users are shallow, image obsessed, narcissistic so and sos could it be the best way to hasten the end of Facebook is for us refuseniks to promote the word that it simply isn’t COOL anymore : )
The natural lifestyle of these fads it will happen anyway.
Keep up the good work tribe and hasten it along……………
November 13th, 2008 at 5:56 am
So glad to have come across this post! Like most of you have already stated, the pressure to join Facebook is ridiculous. I can’t go anywhere or meet with anyone without them saying, “Why aren’t you on Facebook?” Well, because I prefer “old school” technology like EMAIL–I can drop my friends a quick line, share pictures of my kids in their Halloween costumes to people I know will be interested in seeing it, and can forward a funny joke to those who will appreciate it. I feel like I’m back in highschool or early college dealing with the pressure to join a sorority. Facebook has desgtroyed the “mystery” of life. There is no more “what ever happened to so and so?” Well let’s just look him up on Facebook, says here he’s married, has a kid, works at the bank and 2 hours ago he was painting his house. And I’m not trying to be overly protective, but is it truly safe for people to be posting pics of their toddlers all over Facebook? I know you don’t have to provide your physical address but still, these days you never know. Anyway, I don’t want to sound repetitive so I’ll just say that my feelings echo those posted above. I will not join Facebook and hope it is a fad that soon fades away!
November 13th, 2008 at 7:55 pm
I agree with the sentiments above, i have also noticed that people who can spell are repulsed by wasteofspacebook. There are some really nosey people out there and they can’t wait to get into you personal life. The way i see it is, if you weren’t invited to the party then you shouldn’t be seeing photos of it. Not to mention that this is an immensely powerful tool for personality profiling. I’m certain that the powers that be have hundreds of psychologists analyzing peoples behavuoral states and traits. This is what the nazi’s did but they didn’t have the internet.
Don’t use facebook!
November 15th, 2008 at 1:03 pm
Facebook… ahhh. Is it me or is it just a way to check up on people? Both my sisters & most of my friends are addicted, and they only really use it to look at peoples pictures and basically slag them off. And I agree with the people who say that the peer pressure to get it is ridiculously enormous! I run into people all the time, and they go…’Hey I looked for you on Facebook’ and couldn’t find you… ‘Well, okay, that’s because I don’t have an account’ and they look at ME funny, sorry, just because I’m not the one whodoesn’t want people from school who I seriously disliked to look at my profile, slag my pictures off, check up on what I’ve been up to… I’m the weird one? It seems the virtual world is slowly taking over the real one… it worries me. I read in the paper today a girl who’s addicted to Facebook who spends all day on it and wakes up every 2 hours to check if she has new friends requests… she is petitioning to have the “5,000″ friends limit removed because she had another 3,000 requests or something, and it pained her to go through the list and delete 500 to make room for more, is it me, or is that really, really, really pathetic? I’d rather be addicted to hard drugs then addicted to Facebook, or any other type of social internet site… how about you keep in touch the old fashioned way, either A) By phone B) By meeting up. Right, I’ve got to go now, I need to go check up on some old friends from school and laugh at their pictures on Facebook, goodbye!
November 17th, 2008 at 5:07 pm
Thank God for your post! I was just looking at my friend’s account and almost threw up. There was something so sick and SAD about this site that I just had to search for those that agree. I searched google for “why I hate facebook” and voila! Here I am.
Not to be redundant, but the worst thing about it is the false pretense that anyone cares. No one cares that you’re at Costco, no one cares that your kid said something funny, no one cares that you got drunk last night and need a cheeseburger fix. The people who may care are already hearing about it in REAL LIFE. It’s also so pompous to think that random people give a shit what you’re up to and what you’re newest photos from that “crazy party” look like. give it up, people. Facebook is for losers.
Try having a real conversation sometime. It does the brain some good.
November 18th, 2008 at 9:28 pm
Seven hours ago I decided to join Facebook. Two minutes ago I decided not to. In between was only this page and it’s related links. I’ve read every posting.
While I assume many people on Facebook are shallow and shady, I think it is unfair to say everyone on it needs to get a life. People I know are fun and sociable and still have a profile without being obsessive and constantly snapping our nights out. So maybe people can have it both ways?
Sorry to say it, but I don’t hate Facebook. I don’t have enough personal experience of it to make that call. Perhaps I’ve had anxiety about missing out on invitations, or interesting/fun stuff - but you’ve put my mind at rest - I get invited to the social events I want to attend without Facebook. Phew!
I’ve never joined a networking site, I work long hours and do not desire to spend any more time on a computer. Yet I still experience this aforementioned social pressure to join Facebook. So I thought I’ll make that time and join today and see what the fuss is. Just before I do that though, I’ll Google “I hate Facebook” just to see if anyone does. Wow. This is a great read here.
My general perception is that there is just no control - almost anything on Facebook could escalate socially, professionally or legally. And I’m certainly wondering what is done with all that data, and just who could access it. I don’t want some flippant remark on a “wall” coming back to haunt me in thirty years!
Ironically I’ve found myself spending more time here than I had intended to spend on Facebook today! But I think you’ve all saved me a life time - Thank you!
November 19th, 2008 at 6:57 pm
well im glad im not the only person who feels like this site is some freakish works of the powers that be,i joined facebook in the summer of 07 just innocently thinking it was a simple means of private communication but what beheld me was a carnival of idiots from all over the sourrounding areas,all intertwined and boasting of there drinking conquests and ex girlfriends holding up there latest trophies with sentiments such as-me babes-,i find all this fucking evil and nasty,wtf is going on,its makin me feel quesy to know all the intimate details of the local community,my sis is addicted and she thinks im a weirdo for not wanting to be part of this new wave cult,im gettin morons at work askin me why im not on cuntbook anymore its creepin me out,its like that horror film ,the stuff, except its a bloody website,some ugly ol bint i dont even know think she was a workmates aunt,sendin me waves and hugs and other crazy shit,and also the dead are chucked into thecyer mire,elvis for instance,im a fan of elvis look at me im cool,im sophisticated!-no your not,you thick idiots your playin your ego trips,scared of eing friendless and unwanted…give me -us a break,your in a prison,your on a cross and thrown to the lions,its just plain crazyness and im so relieved i quit.on one hand i liked to laugh at the dimwits who on the most i despise,at there drunken fat gormless mugs photo shots of a grotty puke laden friday night,im glad i got of that trip it was freaky,im happy to rowse youtube at quality vids than scoure that online hellhole of jelous envious people you think you know-im 25 by the way and want to spend the rest of my youth doing REAL things, bye bye friends,glad you all saw the lie of cuntbook
November 20th, 2008 at 8:14 pm
I am glad I am not alone. When I just googled Hate Facebook and found this, I totally enjoyed reading all the comments here. I found them very interesting!! My good friend got addicted to FB but I am not. I joined it and about 1 1/2 months later, I quit. No regrets!! I am happy with my decision.
November 22nd, 2008 at 10:25 pm
Check this out. The only reason many people will need to either not join or leave. Find out a bit more about the philosophy & politics of the people who own it all.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/jan/14/facebook
November 23rd, 2008 at 1:57 pm
I googled, “Does anybody hate Facebook?”
Im so happy Im not alone in this. Everybody asking/pretending to be my friend!!!!!
I Hate Facebook! And Im now really happy about that.
November 24th, 2008 at 9:46 pm
I’m so glad that I came across this page. It’s nice to read posts from so many smart people. I had a Myspace for two years and a Facebook page (briefly). In my opinion, the negative side of social networking outweighed the positive.
Since I deleted my account, I’ve felt free and happy. Now, I have no need to take a camera to every single event that I go to in order to take lots and lots of “pics” so that I can post them everywhere. I like that all of my friends are actually people who I spend time with, email, and talk to on the phone. I love that my life is my business. I’m glad that I no longer share the details of my life with my friends + half of my high school class + some old college friends + a few ex-boyfriends + some random hot guy that “friended” me and that random girl that I haven’t talked to since grade school.
My life is mine again, and it feels good!
November 25th, 2008 at 7:54 am
I have been through most of the comments above and something hit me! You People (not all of you!) are talking of Facebook as many talks about cigarettes…Facebook is “addictive”, people are on it just because it is “cool” and it is a “sociable”. Some feel pressure to get into it bla bla. . Don’t get me wrong, I don’t like Facebook and I would have not searched “hate facebooke” in google in the first place. However, I wonder why a lot of you have such an aversion against Facebbook user as many ex-smokers have to people that still smoking? Why do you need to “delete” your account to feel free (like a smoker has to throw away all smoking related goods)? My gf has an account (with a nickname instead of her real name), she has 2 or 3 friends, has probably filled 1/10 of the profile and has never ever updated anything (status & co) and she does not feel like it (for all I know).
What I’m trying to say here is that I have the weird feeling that deep down inside yourself remain this willing of being part of it and that by saying how shit it is, you hope that somehow this feeling will disappear and that you will convince people around you (once again as an ex-smoker would do with his friends that still smoking)
Why would you care if some people spend their life on FB? Some will say (and have said) staying hours in front of a computer connected to “shitbook” is a waste of timeblabla…and what these same people would do instead, watch TV being hypnotised by commercials & co, play violent video games. What makes you think that they would do “intelligent” things instead?
Anyway, I am feeding the debate about friendship & popularity, debate that should not exist in the first place.
We should talk of Facebook because of this danger in term of privacy, because this is a tool to make money and collect information about every members, because if this tool is improved & developed it could be the future mega database where all the marketing company could purchased your profile, segmentation, propensity to buy a sandwich with ham and tomatoes rather than cheese…
Sorry for my English! (I am French)
November 29th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
WOWIS THIS SITE FOR REAL…
I wish i knew about it long time ago,yes add me to your “Facebook Haters List”
I never believed in it and you guys just convienced me to never will.
I just hated it since the day i heard of it, and of everyone i met that was on it,young people old people even my little nephews and nieces,eveybody was on it except of course ME…
people thought i was crazy because i’m still not on it,i always said you want to get in touch with me you know where to find me and where not to look for me…
What bugged me the most about it was the idea of putting pictures so people can see them and comment about them and you never know who will see them don’t forget that your friend has a friend whose friend happened to know a friend that you never were friend with and hey he/she can see those pictures to…so what’s so fun about it and about updating your life every while so people can think you really have a life…
I googled “reasons to hate Facebook” and i found you guys and i’m very Thankful to you all for the extra reasons i will be giving people when they tell me “why your still not on Facebook”? Answer: “how about i don’t want to be the NUMBER that raises your friends list bar”!!!
December 2nd, 2008 at 12:21 pm
I don’t usually post on blogs and English is not my first language, but I’ll give it a try…
Gregory, in response to your question:
“Why would you care if some people spend their life on FB?”
Honestly, I couldn’t care less if people decide to waste lots of hours in a fad (because that’s what Facebook is: a lame fad), but this is a dangerous one. I mean, they’re exposing a lot of themselves! Like someone said, information has value, and they’re are giving too much of it. Too much. I could say “whatever, it’s their problem, not mine” but (and this is what I really hate about FB) they’re also exposing a lot about me. And that really sucks. Last week an old classmate (from highschool) told me that a girl we know uploaded some pictures in her Facebook, and I’m on a big part of these pictures. Then, I knew about the fact that she’s not the only one who uploaded photos with me on them.
Now (because of the information they put in their Facebook accounts), there are a lot of people I don’t even know they exist, who know too much about me: how I look, my name and surname, the school where I studied… they even know the career I’m studying now in the university.
What do I know about them? Nothing. They are (and will be) total strangers. Only because I don’t want to be part of that crap.
Oh, and I bet that if you ask them about deleting those pictures, they will get offended. I talked about this with a girl (who has a Facebook account) and she said: “Well, then you should refuse to pose for photos if you don’t like them!”. What I answered her was: “When did I say I don’t like photos? I do like them. If you have a party and you want to keep some memories about it by taking pictures, do it! If you want a picture with me, it’s ok! I’ll gladly accept. Then you can share them with the people you know, and that’s cool. But, why would you need to upload them in the goddamn Internet? Give me a good reason why you should upload them and let them be seen by not only your friends, but also your “friends”, or that people you barely know (but you added them/they added you just in order to, i don’t know, maybe boost your/their “friends” list). In some cases, even their friends can see them.
I’ve been logged in some Facebook accounts from friends who were with me when I used their accounts and let me see how FB is inside (one of them did it in order to convince me to have an account… lol). We could see a lot of pictures from people we don’t even know. When I asked “why can we see these pictures if we don’t know this people?”, “I have no idea” was the answer.
That was pretty scary. I don’t have an account, I know how Facebook is inside, and I DEFINITELY don’t want to be part of that. Ok, there is already enough information about me in that crap (obviously, without my consent), but if I had an account, it will be waaaaay worse. So, no way.
If they want to upload their narcissistic mirror pictures and crap like that, and be seen by the entire world, go ahead, do it. I don’t care. Just keep me out of that.
Oh, and I want to add something more about your post, Gregory. You ask: “What makes you think that they would do “intelligent” things instead?”.
Well, I don’t care if they don’t read a book or paint a portrait instead of wasting time on Facebook.
For all I care, they can watch TV or play a violent videogame. They can do what they want. It’s the same to me!
At least, with these activities they’re not affecting their privacy or (and sorry for being selfish but, again, this is the main reason I hate this Facebook crap) MY privacy.
December 3rd, 2008 at 4:06 pm
I googled I HATE face book too.
and here I am.
I too believe Face books future is extinction but man hurry the hell up.
The biggest thing I hate are all the people with hundreds of friends, are you that insecure that you think you have over 800 friends. Do you think your going to win an award if you reach a thousand. man sit down I got something to say nobody actually likes you !! they just dont think youre stable enough to know that. How many friends can you actually have, even jesus only know like 80 people I mean WTF. 10 friends acceptable
50 wishfull thinking
100 denial(and small penis)
200 delusional (very small penis)
300 unstable
400 delusional unstable and medicated
500 poser (makes up own friends)
750+ PATHETIC
have a nice day
December 4th, 2008 at 10:56 pm
I joined Facebook out of curiosity because it found its way into day to day conversations. There I witnessed the following mind numbing relationship / attention seeking dynamics:
1. Husband and wife blowing kisses and sending hugs each other’s way
2. Status updates of the most horrendous kind (feeling hot, feeling itchy now but not earlier, lost my way, wondering about my ingrown toe-nail). Atrocious to say the least by way of assaulting my senses and sensibilities.
3. I had been superpoked, likeness-requested, green-thumbed, fluffy-requested by people who dont know what I do for a living (yes, I believe the face book haters are really people who dont have time for it!)
I am signing out forever. I have a job, two dogs, and I love my life staring out a window than into nerve-jangling nothings. I loved your post.
December 5th, 2008 at 7:37 am
Bezelbub - Well said my friend. I also googled i hate facebook for the same reason. I could could make fun and rip on FB users forever. I hate it THAT much. All it is is a bunch of posers giving off false impressions of themselves to others. They wanna be seen with 200 friends onthere, of which 5 might be REAL friends. They wanna be seen in pictures at crazy parties with crazy people and appear to be gods gift to mankind - a perty animal with tons of friends. I mean people actually take pictures now at parties only for the sake of posting on facebook. Its ridiculous!! It makes my stomach turn. I just started college when this crap started and I am happy to say that i did not like it from the get go. I hate it more and more now. The only reason i ever had one is bc my psychopathic ex thought I was cheating on her so she created one behind my back to investigate. I would watch her sit on there claiming all this false personal shit and having all these friends that were not her friends. I would know, she had 150 friends on there and I knew she had like 4 real ones, what a loser. I am very happy that I’m one many that feel this way about this ego fabricating site. I hope everyone who has one gets a virus one day on their computer that makes a leg come out of the screen and kick them in their wanna-be face. Its been a pleasure - that felt good to complain to people who have a damn brain.
December 8th, 2008 at 4:47 pm
My faith has been restored. Well my faith in human nature and its ability to overcome. I’m not talking religious faith, though i do think this has some relevance. I am currently working on a Phd in Psychology and I believe that unfortunately that Facebook is an almost inevitable process in our psychological evolution. Just as throughout millenia we have created religion to ‘guide’ us the current stage has had to create a similar format.
The idea of a centralized religion in this day and age is to hard for most people to come to terms with we live in a society where ease is the most important thing to us. Facebook much like religion gives us a sense of ‘being’ and also helps to fulfil the majority’s need for acceptance, much like religion does. I am well aware that Facebook will not have the staying power of the main organized religions but the principles behind there growth our incredibly similar. Most homo sapiens are subservient even if we don’t like to believe we are. There are very few people in the world who are not. That includes me and all of you on this page. It is not a negative thing but an observation. It is this that has caused the rise of Facebook, right place right time.
I am not on Facebook and never will be I have a vehement dislike to it bordering on the realms of psychopathic. I despair the weakness of my generation and the frailty of the human ego. However this site has indeed given me a sense of hope that there are people out there who have an altered perspective on the phenomena. I also believe that Facebook appeals to the voyeuristic nature of the homonus. We are inquisitive and intelligent hence why we are the dominant species however as we have seen from the destruction of our climate this intelligence will be our destruction. I think what we have in Facebook is the decline of society as we currently know, I will not be drawn into whether this is positive or negative as that is subjective. However I do hold a hatred of Facebook, its ideals and the creation of a generation who could possibly totally devalue the idea of ‘Friendship’. Though we cannot blame the people who choose to partake we should blame the creaters.
Thank you again for this spark of hope and unity and I hope for all our sakes that they don’t manage to take the word ‘friend’ from us, as i still believe i have about 5.
December 12th, 2008 at 7:26 am
Fascist Book!
That’s what I call it, my g-f and almost everyone I know uses it!
It’s pure garbage, every day she gets on it, checks pictures of so and so, leaves comments and then plays those stupid add on games. I don’t know how someone can do that over and over everyday for months on end… oh well, I figure if people want to use it , go ahead, but it’s sure not for me. I once opened an account and (was with a different g-f) at the time, I had other girls post on my “wall” messages, nothing bad, truly innocent i assure you. However because the g-f at the time was such a jealous pig, she would confront me for every comment I would get, whether it’s something as innocent as “hope your day was good!” to a comment on a picture of me and my cats saying “how cute!” I would get flak.
When I quit, I will never forget the survey they placed. One of the questions was “state the reason you’re leaving facebook” - I stated it’s too much drama…. hehe!
I would never return, because like others said, If I want to talk to people, there are more “private” ways to communicate, and if I feel like connecting with a group of people, heck I’ll invite them to a Pub for a few drinks and we can talk there… Fascist book is garbage!
December 13th, 2008 at 3:24 am
Myself and I believe many others have had social dramas from being on Facebook.
It has caused me a lot of trouble I hate it… It should be banned
December 14th, 2008 at 12:37 am
I hate facebook… I blocked facebook at my work place from all staff (yes evil, I made the decision, period)
the staff are doing nothing but facebook!!!!! what a waste of life!!!!! staring at everyone’s else pics. and I get ppl back from college days asking me to join!!! where I am not on earth interested to get in touch with them at all.
whenever I meet someone, the question comes out “do you have facebook?”
bless you for taking the time writing this article, I have linked to you back on my blog.
December 14th, 2008 at 3:17 am
So happy to have found so many like-minded people!!!
Karl’s post (179) has a link to a very interesting story.
December 16th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
I just wanted to say that I totally agree with all of these reasons for hating all social networking sites. It’s not just FB. It’s all of them. It’s nice to find other people that feel the way that I do.
December 17th, 2008 at 2:44 am
Hi everyone, love all the comments on here about Facebook… I too typed into Google I HATE FACEBOOK and found this site which is great because people and vent out there frustration.
I personally have never had an account and have never had the desire to either but many of my friends do. To explain why I hate Facebook with a passion I have to tell you a little bit about me first (sorry guys).
My family life is slightly complicated I was brought up by my Dad as I had an unfit Mother, my Dad re married when I was very small and I now have the most fantastic Mam I could have wished for and younger brothers and sister who don’t know that I have a different Mam (it was just never talked about as there was really no need and ended up staying that way). I did though had a step sister who stayed with our biological mother and ended up in care and eventually adopted, I always knew of her and hoped one day we would get the chance to meet on our terms and in private.
Unfortunately a couple of months ago a friend of mine (a Facebook zombie) rang me to say some women was on Facebook was trying to track me down, she had my personal details and information of both me and my Dad on there for all to see without a second thought of how I would feel. Loads of people had signed up to this little search going on and were passing it onto there friends, who were passing it onto there friends. In the end my step sister got my mam and dad’s address from a girl who lives in their street and recognised my details splashed for all to see on Facebook!!!!
As you can understand I feel my privacy had been violated and my hopes of meeting my sister completely squashed as this has tarnished any relationship I hoped to have as she completely took away my rights at keeping this private and now people who didn’t know, know personal things about me. This silly little thing has cause great family upset. We have met a couple of times and texted each other but I can’t forgive her for airing my private live on Facebook!!
I know Facebook isn’t fully responsible for her doing what she did but Facebook should be monitored a lot more closely so things like this don’t happen, that’s what we have proper agencies for to help with things like finding family members after adoption but sites like Facebook make it an easier option for people. I don’t have a Facebook account for a reason and have always stayed well clear of it, I won’t even allow friends to have photos on of me, yet completely out of my control I have ended up on there.
I am seeking help on putting a complaint forward to Facebook.
December 17th, 2008 at 5:18 am
Matt Doe (187) I’m loving the everyone with a Facebook virus speech, gave me the giggles so thank you. :0)
December 17th, 2008 at 7:40 am
I just want to say that I find this site very refreshing. For a while I thought I was the only one who didn’t have a MySpace or Facebook account, and I’m glad that there are tons of people out there who also think it’s senseless. What happened to the days when people would pick up the phone or send an email to say hello to friends and family? Now people are rushing home to jump online just to send a “comment” on someone’s fucking page. I thought I left high school 9 years ago. And to the people with hundreds of “friends” on their profile… Get a fucking life. Are you that insecure that you feel better knowing you have all these fake friends online? How many of then do you actually talk to? Maybe 5 or 10? Do you really give 2 shits about what someone that you haven’t talked to in 9 years is doing? Did you even like them back then? You don’t get an award for having the most friends online. It’s not a social competition to see who knows who. Or maybe on these sites it is. My sister is one of the many who are absolutely obsessed with the whole thing. It’s sad when you have to take a camera everywhere you go just so you can rush home and post the pictures on your profile. Guess what? No one fucking cares!!! And if they care that much, then they have as many problems as you do. A camera isn’t required at every dinner you have with friends and family. And what’s with the having to post a little comment describing your pictures? You take a self portrait of yourself with a beer in your hand and your tongue sticking out and directly post it on the net with the caption, “How drunk was I?” Or at dinner with friends you put, “us at dinner.” No shit! Again, no one fucking cares. Who wants their life displayed for anyone and everyone and friends of friends of friends to see? No one cares what you’re doing right this minute, or what you had for lunch, or if you’re having a bad day. If they care that much, they’re probably a real friend and would actually call you. And why do people need to comment on others pictures? Aren’t the comments all the same and mundane? “You look cute… Nice pic.” These sites cause nothing but social drama, and relationship drama. Some dude that is so and so’s friend wants to be your friend because he saw your picture on FB or MS. Fucking ridiculous. I hate it with a passion. Fuck these sites and all of the sites like them. Hopefully they’re like Furby, and slap bracelets, and will eventually fade out. Or maybe people will just finally outgrow it.
December 17th, 2008 at 8:08 pm
I love this blog! I’m reminded that I’m not alone and it gives me hope that one day people will value their privacy and not whore themselves out for the world to see. Look at me!! Look at me!!
I’m lucky that I’m 27 and Facebook/Myspace didn’t become popular until I was safely grown up and graduated from college. I still get invited to parties the old fashioned way - word of mouth, phone and/or text message. I feel sorry for the high schoolers. They wont know what its like to communicate without social networks (a virtual crowded high school lunchroom that is there waiting for you whenever you log on.) ickky…
I never had any problems in HS. Actually I was popular, active. From middle school to HS I was always around my friends, quite attractive - so I’ll consider myself lucky. But, when I grew up and went away to college, I only kept in touch with a few of my HS friends. And as I’ve progressed through my life I’ve made new friends, short term friends, lost some - you know progressed moved on. lived…
Enter - Myspace then Facebook…
2 years ago, I found Myspace and saw tons of people who I hadn’t seen in years. Ex friends, Ex boyfriends. I can remember getting a glass of red wine and looking through all the open access profiles - all of them were open back then - and having a few OMG moments and many laughs.
Then, more and more of my friends started creating Facebook and Myspace accounts. I thought - what the hell, it could fun right? OH AND IT WAS. The first 2-3 months were a flurry of activity, excitement and conversations with long lost “friends”.
Then, the exes started stopping by. Not so fun trips down memory lane started occuring. Then competitiveness set in. I started to judge myself, my friend count, my profile pictures, my party pictures. It got to the point that I was always taking my camera with me so that I could get great shots and post them on my site. It started to mess with my head. I actually started to judge my self worth based on my profile. My profile was hot, so I was hot. Or, my pics were too old, I’m boring — you get the idea.
Once I realized, that I only really spoke to about 12 people on my page and that there were alot of old acquaintances and distant family members on my page. I really didn’t like these people seeing my page, I emailed my real friends and told them I was leaving, then I deleted every other friend, post etc. Then I deactivated and contacted Facebook to have my account deleted.
No more superpokes, no more exes pretending to be my friend so that they can “poke” me, no more lugging my camera around so that I can somehow prove to my entire HS class that I’m cool. Facebook is a virtual reunion from hell - and I left that cheesy reunion and moved on. I Feel so free now! I’m happy. I’m proud that only the people that I want to know me - know me and have pictures of me. I feel real again! Whew!
Best wishes to all of you who want to keep it real. Be yourself! Go your own way! F___ the naysayers cause they don’t mean a thing…
I know it’s tough when almost everyone you know has a page and flaunts it. I used to too. Ignore them - they are secretly jealous of your ability to be happy without a profile page. They secretly want life to be simple again. Listen to your friends, almost all of them have a page b/c their friends convinced them to get one. Also, all that crap about it’s easier to communicate with your friends - BS. IM, Text, Email - perfect for communication.
December 19th, 2008 at 5:35 am
Think on that: 10 years, 15 years after you started with Facebook. Lots of things happened in your life and there are posted to remind you errors of the past: ex-friends, ex-boyfr, ex-girlfr.
December 19th, 2008 at 5:47 am
Like others I googled I hate facebook. You see I am 38, out of the loop and heard it was the way to keep in touch with people. After a long time of putting this off I finally joined. It was like most things these days - a quick fix. I did feel great for a while when people I hadn’t heard from in ages requested me as a friend but the problem was I was jumping on the computer every chance I got to keep up with returning the gifts, requests to join groups, watering bloody gardens. After a while I, like others, did not want to know that someone had been to the dentist or taken their child to swimming lessons…mindless. The fascinating part for me has been studying those who have a phenomenal amount of friends. How do they get them? Do they spend all day going through the school photos entering class list names? Tragic but so easy to get sucked into. I just hope that by the time my kids are of age this will have been superceded by some form of intellectual site that encourages wit, comedy, and schmultzy as it sounds, some time for those they consider genuine friends. RIP Facebook - I hope.
December 19th, 2008 at 7:51 am
Walk away from facebook forever, join the group ‘Suicide from facebook in 2009!’, let s do it now before it s too late! i know most of you would have deactivated already… but lets help spread the hate.
December 20th, 2008 at 12:33 am
Yes,why dont we continue this “mindless” bout with Facebook. We should just cower down to them and use their website to launch a coo. Thats exactly how to look like hypocrites!
January 6th, 2009 at 8:46 am
“# san Says:
August 7th, 2008 at 9:05 am
Ouaw, SO glad to see that some people are thinking like me… THANKS to all of you for not being part of those -too many- social hypocrits. Everything that you wrote is just what I was telling me when closing my facebook account! And I’m living so much better now…
Heureuse de voir qu’il y a encore des gens qui réfléchissent dans ce bas monde!!
*MERCI*”
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Well, I actually changed my mind a little…
I still think that FB can have many negative points, but I realized it could be useful in a way.
As being in a foreign country for some time, I come to meet a lot of (GREAT!) people from all over the world and FB is a good way to stay in touch with all of them. Of course I prefer writing mails and phoning with people when I’m not able to see them, but for how long really could I manage writing mails to all of them? I would for sure “lose sight” of some of them. It’s just impossible to keep in contact by mails with about 50 people!
I find it so nice to get some news from them from time to time, it hasn’t to be long, even a small “hello” makes me happy. Better a small message (if time doesn’t allow you to send proper mails for a certain period) than nothing at all.
The same about the pictures, it makes it so easier to be able to share them with the people you like (especially when you’re abroad, I’m now able to show my friends and family remained in my country what my current life looks like).
So I just wanted to apologize, because my first post was a bit extreme. I really hated FB at that time ;-).
Of course we shouldn’t spend all our time on it, expose our whole intimacy or add the entire world to our contact list (let’s be a little bit genuine!). It finally all depends on the way we decide to use it. Bad or good use! But I still do understand you people if you don’t wanna join. I promise I’ll never try to convince anyone to do it (I know how annoying this peer-pressure can be)!
Wish you all the best – either not to be disturbed by FB anymore if you really can’t stand it, or on the opposite, as I did, find your path in this mess…
(sorry for my english if there are some mistakes)
February 1st, 2009 at 6:56 am
F*ck all the ass holes who use facebook. They need to get away from that computer and go wash their shitty armpits and clean their greasy, spotty faces. What a load of nerds. Do they not have friends in real life? Whats wrong with using a phone to call somebody?
If somebody was so damn f*ucking good to talk to in the first place, why you the f*ck did you not keep in contact with them since then you f*cking ass.
If you need a large number of shitty facebook friends to make youself feel popular, then you are pathetic. Hold on to your privacy while you still can because in a couple years the government is going to know everything about you anyway, from what you ate for breakfast, to the last time you took a shit. All you f*cking shitbook users are exactly whats wrong with this world and I hope you all die in front of ur computer screens you f*cking pussy holes.
February 1st, 2009 at 2:54 pm
I’m a total facebook hater. Its an absolute waste of time in my opinion and dont see any reason for it. Many a time have I seen people come round, first thing to do: log onto Facebook, play their “games”, earn some coins, feed their fish, bite a zombie. And for what reason? To beat your friends? I’ve got 0 coins, fed 0 digital fish, eaten a real apple and I’m probably leading a better life that all of them. The worst part is, it’s degrading our society. Where people would used to meet up, Facebook has turned the outside world into a desolate place to hang out in. “Because Facebook is the place to be, not out there”. Whatever happened to the good old fashioned telephone? Or sending a letter via mail? True Royal Mail is a bit slow, but surely there’s no better feeling than to get a letter through the post from your best friend? [Well I like it anyway]
Another feature that is rather frightening is that the new Nokia N97 phone which will be released soon has a special Facebook widget that relays using Wi-Fi to tell your friends where you are. [This feature is probably already available on some phones but it's only the first time i've heard of it] Disgraceful! Surely every single facebook user is now technically a stalker? I have no desire to tell anyone where I am unless I specifically tell them where I am!
I join the rest of these intellectuals in this large gathering of facebook hate!
Not wanting to be rude, but if someone could slap Mark Zuckerberg for me, I would be very grateful
February 1st, 2009 at 9:44 pm
check this out:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/jan/31/facebook-sex-divorce
February 1st, 2009 at 11:48 pm
You people have restored my faith in humanity. It is the biggest single time waster on the net (or maybe anywhere). People spend their whole weekend updating Facebook instead of actually going out and doing stuff.
February 2nd, 2009 at 12:37 pm
DIARY OF A FACEBOOK ADDICT!!!
I am overjoyed with finally finding other human beings not warped into the fantasy world of fakebook. Take a deep breath as this is my story; as a recovering addict of fakebook;
That was me oh yes indeed!! ADDICT
the annoying friend at the party snapping away “ooohhh another photo for facebook”. Desperatley looking for old aquaintances so i gained further friends i never spoke too. Dropping into the converstation with new aquaintances “gota facebook?” the months of arguing with my boyfriend because another girl had requested him as a friend and sent a cheeky messsage to lure him in.
HONESTLY! I withheld for as long as possible, but i could not bare my friends, collegues people i had never met pressurising me into joining. Even buisnesses clubs etc!
Once i had, i felt i had to proove i had a social life! Honestly, i became jealous, self-concious and depressed. I know this sounds extreme but i only checked my account every other day i still have friends on it everyday, several times a day!! If you have never experienced facebook i really cant describe how easily it is to become too involved- emotionally. It sounds stupid, and im an intelligent woman, and i like to think of myself as independant but it became a self obsession, a great photo of me looking sexy on a night out, was the attention i craved. Vanity, stupidity and jealousy.
I am very concerned for the young people using these sites. There is so much pressure to be involved with this apparently social norm, its saddening. As if the media did not put enough pressure on us to live this unattainable lifestyle of material objects, cosmetic surgery, nice cars and homes, luring us into credit cards debts and depression for not being “perfect”, facebook just seems to be an extention of this. Okay im going off on one but im really pissed off. Why should people have to proove to others whom on the most part they hardly know, that they are happy, depressed, single, wearing a purple tie, doing fun things? To make people jealous.(i know it sounds ridiculous)
REVELATION:
I woke up one morning and the first thing i did was check my facebook. Thats when it hit me ” What the **** am i doing?” . And that morning i de-activated my account. As simple as that. A weight lifted off my shoulder, i didnt have to take a camera to have a good time, i did not have to pretend to be nice to strangers so they added me as a friend! I was free!!!!
BUT THIS WAS NOT THE END!
Oh no!!!! The interrigation begun. Family, friends, at work. I really couldnt believe it. I was and still am in a battle to defend why i stopped using facebook! If i had proclaimed to everyone that i had quit my job, become a nudist, a suicide bomber anything, but quitting facebook!! Well thats unheard of. It was as if i had broken some moral code and disturbed the natural balance, but what of communication they would exclaim????!!
Alas i would reply, and still do, i will have to resort to my quill and inkwell and dispatch my telegram via horsedrawn carriage or by attaching to a foot of a homing pigeon.
I refuse to let facebook be my identity, and to all those smart people who have never signed up, well done. My heart also goes out to you, i now know what its like to constantly justify why you have not signed your dignity over to facebook. Brilliant post, great responses very refreshing!
February 2nd, 2009 at 12:39 pm
fakebook should be banned
February 2nd, 2009 at 3:00 pm
Employers should block the site at offices as people are doing it all day instead of working. It is very invasive and distracting as it’s always sitting there in the background. At my work you can only use it early in the morning and late in the evening and for a 2 hour period at lunch time. Needless to say I am lobbying to have it blocked 24/7.
February 3rd, 2009 at 2:49 am
Words cannot convey the contempt I have for Facebook. What I intitially thought was just for students and bored teenagers has spread throughout offices and families like some kind of pandemic, preying on the weak-minded, gullible and those in need of attention. Just as 10 years ago I would not gone out in to the street handing out pictures of nights out, birthdays and holidays to complete strangers in the street, today I won’t be doing to same on FB. What really annoys me is they way other people end up putting pictures of you on their pages and then sharing them with people you don’t even know. If I want someone to know my favourite food, film or life motto is.. i’ll tell them. Thank goodness there are more of out there who have stood firm against the rising tide of peer pressure and eroded privacy!
February 4th, 2009 at 4:54 am
Hmmm
Well i’m pleased to say that i have been given an oppurtunity to give an argument at a convention. My chosen argument is Facebook and other social network sites and the downfall it has on just NORMAL social lives. Why do i want to talk to people all night online when i could just meet up with them and get out and about. I hate the idea that people can just see what i am doing, where has my privacy gone! My girlfriend is on it 24/7 and even talks to her uni mates in the room next door to her on facebook, whats happen to speaking!! why are people so addicted to this downfall in social living. i hate the way a picture of me on a night out is posted on there and people can comment about me in the picture. No thanks. I despise it so much and will be glad to share my thoughts with others. I am also happy to hear there are still people out there who know what it is to have friends and to have a life away from the computer screen.
February 4th, 2009 at 12:50 pm
I know that Facebook attracts all sorts of people, such as the socially inept, show offs and of corse, the worst of all, the followers. But what is it that has made me Google “I hate facebook”?
I am definately not jealous of those who choose to tell each other “what I did 3 minutes ago”, or even slightly envious of the bewildering amount of friends they have! My sister always uses it and joins countless (pointless) groups, so that we can all see how cool she is. My sister in law has over 200 friends but hardly ever goes out.
So thinking about it, I have never liked nosey people, show offs or gossips and what people do is their own business, but if they want to involve me they can pick up the phone, meet up or send an email (better still going to the pub and having a natter over a pint!). Why do you have to tell everyone what your doing, you are not celebrities.
I’m all for technology, but get a life.
Rant over
February 5th, 2009 at 7:14 am
spot on
totally 
fuckin facebook nobs.
February 5th, 2009 at 8:53 am
Is it a coincidence that virtually all of the posts on this blog have good grammar, spelling and show a decent level of maturity? I think not.
At work today, I was basically accused of being a reclusive bore that isn’t willing to put myself ‘out there’, that I must have ’something to hide’ and that I will probably die alone as a pathetic loser with no friends. All because I defended myself for not being active on FaceBook because of privacy concerns. Not surprisingly, this accusation was a bit offensive for someone like me that enjoys hanging out with people, going to parties and playing sports.
The guy had absolutely zero concept of why privacy matters. He basically told me that only paranoid people care about privacy. It’s very difficult to reason with someone that has that mentality so I didn’t even bother mentioning that I suspect FB is front for a large data-mining corporation.
It probably won’t shock you to hear that this guy is the type who is very insecure and talks himself up at any opportunity while also talking other people down to make him feel better about himself. He also thinks that everyone in the office likes him but in reality, most people seem to roll their eyes at him behind his back. (just like I’m doing now!)
Sorry but I just can’t stand shallow, nosey, sheep-like, show-offs. I guess I’m just not FB’s target audience. Ah well, I guess I’ll just have to get used to it as the FB peer-pressure is probably going to get worse before it gets better.
Thanks for providing this blog for us to vent!
February 6th, 2009 at 1:02 am
Ditto with most of above.
February 6th, 2009 at 5:42 am
I don’t have a facebook account and will never have one. I am a counselor and I am concerned as to the illusive “relationships” some of my clients are believing are real on facebook. They live in closed rooms believing they have “friends” they have never met or really known. It boosts their identity to say they have “more” friends…yet they have none truly. They speak of them by first name…as if they truly have something called an intimate relationship.
I remember when a friends was someone I knew and spent real time physically with. We went and did real things in the real world. Now the streets are all empty…but the computers are whizzing b3ehind closed doors while the sun shines outside. Creating opaque skin and pimples and high hopes and wishes that will never come true. It’s sad, truly sad.
February 6th, 2009 at 3:19 pm
I know EXACTLY how you feel! My friends have been harassing me to join for months. And the second I joined yesterday, all these people from high school who I barely talked to in school let alone in the last 20 years suddenly want to be my “friend.” My question is: is it rude to decline someone’s offer to be a friend? Because frankly, there’s really only about 10 or 20 people I’m interested in hearing from who I’ve lost touch with over the years. Other than that, I hate to say it, but have a nice life. And if we never talk again, oh well.
February 7th, 2009 at 8:40 am
I have just deactivated my facebook account and it will be deleted in fourteen days!
I have never felt more free!
Of the two-hundred-and-ninety-two “friends” I had on facebook, I only see five of them regularly.
February 7th, 2009 at 4:14 pm
It is plainly obvious that people signed up to shitbook have no real friends. They obviously all have severe social issues and the amount of time they spend typing bullshit to strangers in very unhealthy. The truth is, everybody on facebook seems to think that everybody wants to know what they are doing every minute of the day. They have no reason to feel like this as they are not famous, nor does anyone even actually give a shit what they are doing. For someone to expose their who life to complete strangers and still participate in all those idiotic little ‘how hot are you’ games implies extreme social difficulties, for which they need a lot of help. They need to get a grip of the real world and perhaps venture out of their houses once in a while. Facebook is a waste of time, and even more so, a total waste of life.
For one must ask, what is the point of living if somebody spends all the time that God gave them on this Earth, to update some textboxes running on a server on the other side of the world that nobody even gives a shit about?
Absolutely disgusting.
For goodness sake, get a fucking life.
February 8th, 2009 at 11:17 pm
FB is totally disgusting. It is a life-wrecker! And of course, it wrecked my life upside down. I used to have a FB account but I was in in-frequent user. It was just there for people to know that I am still alive and kicking on planet earth. Then, I realised that half the time, the friends who find me on FB are people who dont even keep in touch with me after adding them. It seems like they just need me to add on to their friends numbers so as to show off their collection of friends/popularity to the rest. And sadly, many people do that, including my gf… should be ex-gf since one month ago.
She was once in control of her life and never a believer of these social networking circles. She was once focused and would rather spend more time to do her work and I admire her for that. She was so full of ambitions and clear of what she wants in her life then. But her friends had been pestering her to get on to FB a couple of months back and I guess the push factor was from her one and only friend who owns a Ferrari, led a life socialising, attending events and never have to work her whole life. Didn’t want to lose her friend cos she loves Ferarris and I guess her association to this rich gal meant something to her in this material world. She finally gave in.
Ever since she started F***Booking, our relationship took an immediate downhill. It was so quick that you can never imagine how fast this ‘cultish’ shit had took her away from me. She started to fall into the trap as a friend collector, then the ex-es and all the potential-suitors came rushing after they came to know about her presence in FB through friends’ news feed. She started to compare the number of friends she has on FB with other people. She checks all her friend’s account out to add more friends /acquaintances whom she knew. Suddenly, she was invited to all sort of parties and started to post as many pictures as she can on her account hoping that everyone would check her out. She started to take new sluttish photos just to post them on FB.
Then came the marriage thingy that everyone is rushing into at this age of 28-30. She was so addicted, I begin to feel that I’ve lost her. She don’t even talk to me and thinks that I am paranoid and over sensitive whenever I asked her what she was doing on FB. She dont even care whether I’ve eaten or sick anymore. Then, I was suddenly deleted from her account. When she could not log into FB one day, she accused me of changing her password and invading into her privacy. I have suddenly turned into this over sensitive and annoying monster in her life. Everything I did became so wrong. Then came the day when she told me that she no longer feels the same for me and she wants to break up with me after 3 years of relationship. She ended our relationship just like that. Leaving me crying, shocked, devastated and clueless.
I then realised that she had started to flirt and meet up with new faces which instil excitement in her. Our dreams and goals in life which we built together suddenly became a load of crappy BS. She told me she is now confused and don’t know what she wants in life. She said she needed time to figure out. She is afraid that if she misses the boat now, no one would want to marry her if she reach 40 because she is not some celebrities. All this comes about as she claims that 3/4 of her friends are talking about marriage and babies and she was affected. These shallow and loserly pple post their marriage, babies photos on FB just to show off how ’surface’ they are. Would anyone announce to the whole world when they divorce?? Would anyone announce to the whole world when marriage is not a bed of roses??? Why does this pple try to deceive themselves that they are ’so’ happy. So f***king STUPID and SHALLOW! So insecure!!! She was so affected that she threw our dreams and goals away. GOD! I was not even given a chance to work something out with her. She started her clubbing and boozing lifestyle all over again. Hanging out with lowly educated bastards who sleeps around, party or hang out all the time at coffee shops. She said she enjoys the company because they can take her mind of things cos they always crack stupid jokes and make her laugh…She thinks being seen is cool now. She was never like that or at least not for the past 3 years. She lost her focus, passion and motivation at work. She complains so much about work and told me that she just want to work minimum and get paid. She suddenly turned into a stranger. A cold and lost stranger who is totally sucked into this F***B disillusion world. One day, she even asked me if she can access FB at work. She started to spend all her money on alcohol, hanging out, and all kind of aesthetic procedures to keep up her beauty. She insist that there is no third party in our lives. She is totally brainwashed! I’ve lost an intelligent, smart and focused gal to this F*** piece of shit! FB ruined my life! No words can describe my hatred for FB. I can only helplessly see my gal turn into someone else and my heart just bleed.
I’ve deactivated my account cos it is too painful to see her change and degrade into someone who I no longer knew. A familiar face yet unfamiliar. I never want to know about her flirts and unfaithful behaviour. I cannot believe her change because of this shit! It’s too painful.
Spread the news and boycott FB before they change the pple around you or take your love one away from you! Somebody KILL FB!!!
February 8th, 2009 at 11:32 pm
I despise and fear facebook.
I had to google ‘ I hate facebook’ because I felt so alone in my disgust. Everybody seems to have an account. Everybody is addicted.
People put photos of me on their facebook accounts - these are photos I don’t ever get to see because I don’t have an account, but they smugly inform me of them, trying to make me sign up so that I can look.
I hate facebook, but it also unnerves me greatly. I know why I hate it, but I can’t quite explain the fear it sometimes strikes into my heart. Watching people sign up one by one and then as soon as they have signed up, they begin to harrass me to do the same.
It comes into my house through my roommates - often at breakfast time, at the breakfast table, while I try to enjoy my coffee and cereal and instead have to hear horrid little snippets, ‘funny’ status updates about something mundane that someone I don’t know is up to.
Even though I have no account it still affects me through other people posting. It is like a little window into my life that someone can come crawling through at any time, a window I can’t close.
People can be so smug about photos they have posted. They think it is funny that I don’t like it. They think I’ll give in and join. They think telling me about the privacy settings which can be modified to your tastes will convince me. They smile when they tell me they have put up a picture ‘you and blah blah at new years’ ‘you crossing the bridge when we went camping’.
Facebook messes with the natural and pleasing order of people entering and leaving your life. Now people don’t go anywhere! People who should be in the past reinstate themselves as your friend. They find you and try to add you. If they can’t find you, they’ll hound you to join, or maybe they’ll find someone close to you and add them instead.
I guess I’m overreacting. But it is nice to read about others who hate facebook as I do. I think the tipping point came when I said to a close friend ‘Isn’t it a bit phony when people have 200 ‘friends’? There’s no way someone can have that many friends! Really.” No answer was the stern reply- just a kind of glazed stare.
I needed to see if there was anyone left…thanks to all of you for showing me that there are people out there who have not been brainwashed! I especially hate status updates and trendy contrived profile pictures people take of themselves.
February 9th, 2009 at 4:03 pm
Facebook should be renamed- RANDOM THOUGHTS: TEXTING FOR LONELY PEOPLE
People have taken the “What are you doing now” question at the top of every Facebook page, WAY too literally.
I don’t know why, for the life of me, that any single one of my friends cares that I “just washed my car”, or “just changed a diaper”, or “am watching Shrek for the 40th time with my kids”. WHO CARES!!!!!!! And better yet, why would people post such irrellevant comments?? Seriously,if it’s not something you would text to your friends on their phone ( as in: relevant information ) why would you waste your own and my time putting such ridiculously inane comments.I guarantee that 99% of Facebookers would never text their friends that they ” just ate a cheeseburger”. Hopefully this explains the stupidity that is taking over peoples brains that use Facebook.It’s like a “Dear Diary” that you think other people actually give a damn about.
Also: Facebook takes away the social interaction part of life. People are much more interesting when you don’t know every single aspect, or minute by minute accounting of their lives. If my friends want me to know something, I like it that we can have a conversation, in person, or even on the phone about it,and we’re actually socially interacting. And I don’t already know that you just had a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast. If you’re that excited about “eating a bowl of oatmeal”, just call me and tell me about it. We’ll have a good REAL LIVE LAUGH about it.
February 9th, 2009 at 7:28 pm
I am not sure if change might be in the air…bc yesterday, a good friend that first told me about facebook and has been a very avid user …uttered the magical words “I am barely on it anymore”…should we dare to dream that maybe the tide is going to turn? I know I must sound mad! But I’ve heard this whisper a few times…this hopeful light that says “I used to be on it a lot, but now not so much anymore”… I mean remember when out of no where in the mid-90s blue and green nail polish came in style?? And the horror you may have felt, like me, when even your friends’ old immigrant moms started to sport it on their big fat toes?? But look how quickly it passed! It took all of maybe one year! Maybe once everyone adds everyone they’ve ever known as friends - the ‘delight’ of re-connecting will pass…and once you’ve posted the same tired party photos every other weekend…that will pass too…eventually the nature of facebook will become (it already has!) routine. And then maybe then a new day will dawn. Perhaps a couple of key celebrities will mock it in a hit movie and suddenly the trend will tip in favour of privacy again. I know I sound crazy - but a girl can dream can’t she?? Say it’s possible! It’s possible!!! And when you lose hope…just remember that masses of people once believed Apartheid was forever too.
February 9th, 2009 at 10:25 pm
TOTALLY AGREEEEE… thank god there are still logical creatures living on this planet yet.. facebook and other social networking sites are rubbish, childish, silly, immature and tend to decrease human pride and iq level. it’s all about the perspective that each one of us looks at it.
”nice pic..you are hot..btw thnx for add(what’s your name again???)”
”my god you look nice in that dress(i hope you comment back on my photos)”
”how may friend do you have? 589? i have 720(but i just know 20 of them)”
”join the group……..”
”take the quiz………”
February 10th, 2009 at 6:48 am
I hate facebook because when you say you haven’t got one people look at you as if you are some kind of recluse or social leper.
I havent jumped on the overloaded bandwagon, I just dont feel the need to do what everyone else is doing. Ive always hated peer pressure, and am quite a proud person who likes to think im unique and original, so the thought of being part of a trend (especially a boring one like facebook) slowly eats away at my greatness.
I hate the pressure it creates, the pressure to always look like your having fun, living an amazing life, have loads of amazing friends hilarious photos taken (posing, pouting) in loads of amazing bars/pubs/clubs *yawn*. Lets face it if your life is so brilliant and exciting would you have the time to be on Facebook 24/7?
I conclude that facebook is for people who lack originality and need to be told what to do. People who are desperate to create a mirage showing off how amazing their life is, (in all actuality it really isnt). Their just boring average, so so’s really. Na’h :p
February 11th, 2009 at 1:34 pm
Yes I agree, i cannot stand that tripe known as FACEBOOK, and I too have resisted it since it came around. What i dont understand is that my friends have my mobile number or email address, so why should i join it. Any requests are sent straight to delete. I dont want to become a pawn in peoples lives so that they can simply inflate their ego’s.
What also makes me laugh is when people ask if im on facebook, I’m like no chance. The looks on their faces says it all. They think you are some luddite!. Well maybe, but at least the whole world doesnt know whats going on in my life.
February 12th, 2009 at 10:43 am
I couldn’t agree with you all, more. I have now finally, deleted my FB account for all the above reasons and some more. I am so therefore thankful I saw the light, ok later rather than sooner. How accurate you all are!.
February 12th, 2009 at 11:41 am
i just love this blog.. there were times that i thought i was alone against this Face-thing.. and i couldn’t agree more with teabag at comment #226.. when i speak with somebody and tell them that there is no way of creating a Face-thing account they look at me back as I am 20 years behind them or from another planet. and maybe it’s not our business to tell them that it’s a silly thing and that they should stop using it but when i have conversations like that it makes me feel more sorry about them.. it’s a pity..
February 13th, 2009 at 11:40 am
What about those stupid scam ads? There used to be some nice ads,but now you only see get rich schemes.. A friend of mine was unfortunate to sign up for those and now trying to get his money back. Because of that Facebook makes me wanna throw up!!
February 14th, 2009 at 2:31 am
Facebook should be renamed to “1984book”
February 14th, 2009 at 3:05 am
my ex walked out on me before xmas because he was cheating on facebook, now he is seeing yes one of his old school friends who he hasn’t been in touch with for 22 years. i did’nt know he had one myspace and two Facebook accounts, and have only been with him for 15 years. As for the school mates never heard of them either, must be going back to his youth. Funny thing the woman concerned knows what he did,so why date him (must be desparate) run fast i say.
February 14th, 2009 at 9:24 am
I despise face book as much as I despise the weakness of those on it, My signifigant other, loves to display pictures of her xlover’s( all under the venue of nostalgia. She joins groups that allow her access to her past lovers and liasions as a mockery to our relationship. An interesting point about facebook is that there are a meriod of backdoors that allow private conversations and pictures that you will never find. So, don`t be fool if your wife gives you you access and says Ì have nothing to hide.. What I have learned from facebook is that people love to live in the past and by doing so negate any value you might have in the relationship in the present. My wife`s big save is thatshe won`t speak to her x lover`s directly on line , she prefers to back door it and speak with thier friends and relatives to find out about tere lives. Luckily she likes to throw compliments thier way thrugh these relationships.. I notice pictures of me on face book are chosen to make me look as undesireable as possible and the friends of her outh are prsented in the best light, I hope my wife finds happinesss in the past. And to all the SOB`s trying to get into her pants one more time through fscebook. … I hope to meet you someday and we can discuss it old school!
February 14th, 2009 at 2:42 pm
Does anyone here, want to be added to my friends list!. Joke.
I couldn’t agree more with the above comments!. I had most people on my list mainly just to be nosey and to see what they were upto. Some people I instantly deleted shortly after adding them with my justification being simply ” they were never friends anyway, who cares?.. Most achieved precisely what I expected - others portray an idealistic view of what they wanted to achieve as some I know personally or see in passing. Others, I will never know and they too know that. I’m sure with my average life and achievements, I slide rather poorly into the uninteresting category!. I’m glad I have rejoined the land of the living.
February 16th, 2009 at 4:44 pm
cripes, I hate it too. Every time I log into it I feel dirty. You said it perfectly. I don’t want to keep in touch with these people not really. I’d like to forget the past and the shades of creepiness these people painted my life with. Yes, i like them “in theory”. But I’d like to move on, and it’s like having family members living with you, you just wish they’d go away and let you quietly forget the past.
February 16th, 2009 at 8:06 pm
there are 234 comments on this blog all of the against the face-thing.. let’s assume we are 200 people already…against 100 million face-thing users. wooww.. we are getting stronger each day.. we can win this..
February 17th, 2009 at 12:51 am
I left facebook this evening and thanks to this blog realized that I only deactivated my account and had to reserach how to actually delete it. Im so glad that its now deleted thanks to this post, and I will hopefully never join another lame social networking site again.
People posting their whole lives for the world to see, myself included, had just gotten really old, and I didnt know who would be looking at me and I was certainly doing a lot of looking myself.
I think its much better to have a real social life with real friends who actually give a damn about you. Its better to do something that doesnt destroy my creativity and can actually teach me new skills.
Facebook is garbage, and im so glad to have found this blog to state that I TOO HATE FACEBOOK.
February 17th, 2009 at 9:11 am
As a software system, Facebook’s usability is crud.
Interestingly, most people are slamming their acquaintances’ behavior more than Facebook itself.
Comment 85 hits the nail on the head in suggesting it’s the human condition that needs to change.
I came here disillusioned with the “service” FB provides, but I found a lot of burnt people reflecting on issues of privacy, morality, and - quite frankly - depravity.
To be fair, FB is just a tool. It can be used well and it can be used in unhealthy ways. Those who do not desire 24/7 connectivity can refuse to participate in FB just as they can refuse to purchase a mobile phone or even a TV.
The allegations regarding the goals behind creating Facebook (and the usage of private information submitted willingly) are a separate issue and valid concern.
Likewise, the ease with which FB users can publish photos of third parties, taken on private property which results in all rights assignments being shared with FB is frightening. But really, aren’t there other sites operating under the same conditions? Or do other photo hosting sites really allow you to retain all rights, including the ability to remove your material thereby preventing any further use by the hosting site?
February 18th, 2009 at 5:31 pm
I completely agree with those that abhor it due to the fact a hell of people try adding someone who they would never speak to beyond ‘hello’ in real life. It’s like people don’t value their privacy anymore, which is something I find hard to grasp. Why would you want people knowing what you do every hour of the day? Mystery is one of the most wonderful parts of life. It’s also not good for people relationship wise as a lot of you have described. Sometimes it’s good to let certain people in your life go and remember them fondly, rather than subsequently knowing what they do every day.
February 21st, 2009 at 9:44 am
My life is an open book for critizism on wife’s facebook. Luckily I get to be compared to the victories of my wife’s ex’s with there relatives and friends. At what point do you recogognize that you can’t compete with the false memories of the past and remove youself from asking about your spouses other life on facebook? Facebook is good for one thng, it allows you to recognize your true place on the foodchain.
February 22nd, 2009 at 4:30 pm
Very well put.
February 25th, 2009 at 3:12 pm
Facebook to me is the deterioration of the moral fabric of todays younger generation. We are idiot farmers planting the seeds of stupidity and shallowness. Facebook is not used to keep intouch with old friends. It is used to spy on people and see what type of nonsense people are getting themselves into. Sorry d-bags who want to just broadcast ur relationship status on the net but u r the worst type of asshole. The kind that will change ur status multiple times in one week because u are to worthless to be content with the time well spent. You remind me of those tragically shallow sweet sixteen d-bags on mtv. And the past is the past, people grow over time and change but not everyone needs to know just how much progress u are making. how about waiting until you’ve graduated wth an upper level degree and land a job with a companythats not at risk of downsizing due to the economic situation before you start bragging about how you were making it rain in the club. 1. you look like an ass and a whore with ur ass up on some guys crotch and a drink in your hand (always sure to be updated weekly) and 2. one dollar bills dont dont constitute rain.
February 25th, 2009 at 11:26 pm
i love facebook
February 26th, 2009 at 10:26 am
I am also a vehement facebook hater, but hey… if people enjoy exploiting their life for the internet’s sake, that’s their choice.
February 27th, 2009 at 8:24 am
I completely agree. I tried Facebook out and canceled it after two weeks. First, I can see how it would be an unbelievable time waster and some people I know post information that is way too personal and revealing and say things they would never say in an open group (not to mention to virtual strangers). I just can’t believe that these people all have hundreds of real friends. Most of my good friends are not on facebook at all so I ended up making contact with a few high school friends I had fallen out of touch with. However, once I had caught up with them, I realized I didn’t have anything else to say to them. (There was a reason we fell out of touch). Also I saw people who had become Facebook friends who would not have tolerated being in the same room with each other in high school. Now I understand that High School is in the past and that people change; however, I can not accept that all of these people have changed that much. So I have concluded that Facebook is basically a narcissistic tool for measuring up ones life, by saying look at me and all the friends I have collected aren’t I important and popular. It makes me sad!!!
February 27th, 2009 at 9:29 am
Who needs an RFID chip when the masses have Facebook??
There is no such thing as invasion of privacy when it is posted willfully.
Welcome to the culture of privacy consumerism.
February 28th, 2009 at 2:48 pm
Below are the reason(s) I gave for closing down an account I held (Sadly, Yes I held one, I hang my head in shame) This was sent to the “site admin” (Read: Students that run the pointless site)
Start:
It’s a pointelss waste of time and resources, this site is for people who believe other people give a shit about what they think or feel, or even care what they did or did not do last night. I dont want to know what peoppe had for dinner last night, I dont care that jessica has just curled her hair - it’s pointelss! Why do I need to know this? Surely I will see this when I meet up with her?!
If you are reading this, can you please make sure that my account is trunacated (properly! - I know what you lazy student types are like!)
In addition to this, I dont want to administer my “social life” from a computer, for me, my social life is the last bastian that a computer should not get involved in or even thought of during social interation.
There is no substitute for face to face communication.
Unfortunately we have a younger generation of people who are at the very least unable to communicate eloquently - this is all down to their reliance on technology and smilies - they cannot hold intellectual conversation becuase they do not know how to. Frankly it is shocking, and I feel this site excasserbates human inability to communicate effectively, meaningfully, properly or articulately.
Anyone that uses facebook unfortunately also appears to lack the ability to spell anything even nearly correctly. What happened to taking pride in the way you write, what happened to taking a moment to think about how people may percieve you?
I was watching the BBC News the other day, and a “yound girl” approximately 16 years old had been dismissed from her job through what she had written on her facebook status. I dont recall what It was, however, It was clearly bringing the company into disrepute - which is Gross Misconduct, She was moaning about getting sacked and her manager was made to look like a terrorist - he was doing his job - and if this site did not exist that particular girl would still be in employment today (Well, theoretically anyway, she must be fairly stupid to use facebook at work)
There are people who are additcted to facebook? How - what fun do they have? I dont Understand? It is useful for Social Engineering though, I will give you that one - when you need Date of Birth info, or address info, or mothers maiden name info - this is the place to come to for that . It is a goldmine - or should I say a veritable data mine of information waiting to be exploited by anyone with half a brain to use these days.
Another thing - Privacy! - It is bad enough owning a mobile phone these days, people can now reach you anywhere when you are doing anything - people moan when you fail to answer, I get moaned at and berated for not having an account on facebook - why should I? It’s not like I get paid and I dont want what little privacy I have left to be taken away from me through some “teenage” website.
Complete waste of time…christ. what is the world coming to? I wont be missing this site - at all.
Kind regards (Mr Site Admin) - Hope you get this and my message strikes a resounding chord inside you, you close the site and die quietly in some drug fuelled sex binge, or maybe you contract cancer - who knows?! hehe - bet you wouldn’t put that on your fucking status…”I’ve got cancer” Well, unless your Jade “Racist Biggot” Goody in which case you would be inviting the whole facebook user base and milking them for cash…
March 1st, 2009 at 10:35 am
I couldn’t agree more with all the posts on here (except for the one FB lover). Sadly, FB has become an “ism” as “ism by definition, is a belief or a system of beliefs, accepted as authoritative by a group. Facebookism is now some kind of cult religion and a geek known as Zukerberg is its deity.
I used to have a FB account. I used to also get crap from my friends - the then non FB users – for having an account. These were the same people that were ridiculing some of the FB account users about their profile pics and how if they had an account, they would NEVER exploit themselves by posting pics of themselves in skimpy outfits and/or in their bikinis or bathing suits.
These are the very people that have now converted to facebookism. They are the epitome of religion extremists. They are the very people listed on the NewsFeeds every minute of everyday, constantly updating their status from: So and so “Is tired from working a 12hrs day.” to “I’m now taking a shit on my toilet!” These are the same people posting notes about the 25 Wonderful Things That Everyone Needs to Know About The Greatness That is Me”. They are also the very people constantly updating their profile pics. Yes-the very pics of themselves that would NEVER be under the scrutiny of exploitation are up and running for everyone to see and comment on.
It’s ironic how the so-called popular groups and the wannabe’s in high school wouldn’t want to or still would want to be associated with being a geek. Yet this geek Zukerberg has made it popular and oh so-cool to have a FB account. So, now it’s the “in thing” and the popular folks and the wannabe’s thinks it’s chic to be a geek. It’s one thing to be a Star-Wars-loving, D& D-playing, Compute-Programming-Geek; it’s another to be a Self-Absorbed-Superficial-Hypocritical-Follower Dork. There isn’t anything wrong with being any of the aforementioned, as long as you own up to it.
March 1st, 2009 at 2:01 pm
February 28th, 2009 at 2:48 pm - See Previous Post (One post above this one)
I cant help re-reading my post today, feeling that somehow, there is just not enough time to cover every single aspect of why I despise facebook.
I cant help basking in a glow of hatred when I read other peoples posts regarding the ever increasing behemoth that is facebook, I fully agree with “IHFB” - very well articulated post there
I cant help feeling it is almost like a free “adult” dating website, I am farily convinced that it must be used for this purpose by a “vast” amount of it’s subscribers worldwide.
Who wants to know about people in the past? you moved on and forgot about them, and all you say to them on facebook is “hello”, they get to see your private pics, status updates blah blah blah…why would you want tot do that to yourself?
Christ, this site makes me angry. I could go on writing for days on end about the site but unless people realise what the site is, how it affects them or may affect them then they will not stop using it.
Do you think that one day, a user might just go to login and think, nah, sod it, I cant be arsed with this shit anymore. Then close their account? How much “fun” can these people be having??!
Anyway, time for some relaxing reading…
Deathwish….
March 1st, 2009 at 9:30 pm
I am so glad to have read this. I HATE facebook and everything it represents. It pretty much sums up the decline of social interaction and human emotive response. I agree with everything you say , and then some. The part that really gets me f**ked off is the fact that even if you are not a facebook member people can stick photos of you on it for all their “friends” to see. It is awful. I pity kids at high school these days. It was hard enough in the pre-internet world, but now it must be diabolical. Going to a party in the weekend, getting a bit to f**ked up and doing something stupid, it happens to the best of us. back then it would only live on in the memories of the few people that saw it. Now there would be 20 people with video phones taping it and, hmmmmmmm would it end up on facebook for all in your high school to see. . me thinks yes. DIE FACEBOOK !!!!!
March 2nd, 2009 at 3:29 am
Jesus, what a catalogue of sweeping generalisations.
People talking to eachother sometimes on the internet. Crazy. If that’s religion, then you are a pretentious trollop.
March 2nd, 2009 at 1:06 pm
What Brian seems to have missed is that they are not “sweeping generalisations”. They are (in my opinion) considered views of people who care more about real people.
March 4th, 2009 at 10:18 am
TODAY i have been accused of being ‘Unsociable’ !!! because i DONThave a facebook!????
This is laughable, im a social person who likes going out and having conversations with real people! Im at the point im going to explode. Its becoming insufferable! Everyone is talking about it, and nobody seems to understand that i would rather read a book, go out and meet new people, or go on a run in my spare time rather then uploading posed pictures of myself, making out that im going out to different places doing crazy things-when in reality im down the local with the same people. I like my lifestyle! I dont wish to prove i live some chaotic,crazy rock n roll lifestyle- because i dont. People need to realize that their not celebrities! If i want to keep in contact with people i will use my phone, email…or erm whats that thing again…o yeah talk to people face to face.
March 4th, 2009 at 6:00 pm
Face to face? Surely you meant Facebook to Facebook? ^^’
Well it took me two days to read all of the comments here, but man was it worthwhile. I will have to agree that it is not necessarily Facebook’s fault if its users are making it so big, but the situation has definitely gone out of control, regardless of whose fault it is.
I also have to be fair and admit that for some, it can prove to be a great tool to find lost friends or contact distant family, etc. For example, I moved homes almost 15 times in my life and I’m not yet 20 years old. That made it hard for my sister and myself to keep in touch with friends. While I got used to making new friends (and/or not getting involved too much into relationships, put it as you like) and don’t mind not being in contact with some of them anymore, my sister was lucky enough to find a high school friend she now is chatting with on a regular basis (as far as I know). There could have been other ways for them to find each other, but Facebook certainly did make things easier.
As for myself, I would indeed do my best not to lose sight of the people I now care for instead of awkwardly trying to hook up again 10 years later. I coincidentally met my primary school best friend just yesterday — that’s almost 8 years back now — and guess what… after less than 5 minutes of (face to face!) conversation, it was clear than we didn’t have all that much to tell each other anymore. Life goes on and people move on, and change…
If I take 15 of my closest friends, I think there are only 2 or 3 of us who don’t own an account. Like many, I almost gave in to creating one, but my goal was to have it up and say “There, I have one, now leave me alone ’cause you’ll never see anything on it”. But I first read their terms of use and that totally freaked me out. Basically, whatever you put on there, say or do will be saved somewhere and used as they see fit, becoming their property. Whatever picture you upload becomes *theirs*. Whatever information you reveal can be used by them in whatever way they see fit (or should I say profitable).
I can hardly believe how so many people are willing to give away all rights to their privacy so quickly and expose all about themselves to ANYONE witty enough to access it and use it as they like (rumors? stalking? …). While they wouldn’t even dare say what they had for breakfast to someone on the street (”I don’t know these people!”), they don’t mind plastering all sorts of pictures of themselves everywhere for the whole world to see and giving details about the colour of their underwear, the name of their dog, whom they had sex with in the past two years…
I personally (luckily) didn’t have to face any particular drama related to Facebook, other than being constantly reminded that I should get an account and that I was the only one not to have one. Even some of those who used to “resist” alongside myself gave in to some extent — although I believe the people I know don’t use it in such an extreme popularity contest-like way as I have seen described here (although I can’t tell for sure since I’m not there to witness it).
So that’s a bit of the situation for me… I would conclude and summarize by saying that what frightens me the most about Facebook and makes me hate it is that
“If you’re not part of it, you are against it…”
March 7th, 2009 at 7:03 am
Jesus what a load of arse licking, ignorant, pretentious pricks you are. There is nothing wrong with Facebook. It is merely a social networking site for people who enjoy it. I do have a life. I am always out with friends, taking pictures, having fun, and in the evening I go on Facebook for an hour or so. Big deal.
Most of you people are actually complaining about the PEOPLE who go on Facebook. How they “collect friends” and “have too many pictures” and have pictures of you without your consent. That’s that persons fault, not Facebook! Seriously, obviously you’re entitles to your own opinion, but calling Facebook “the devil” and saying about how anyone who has a Facebook account is “pathetic, vain, ignorant, etc”. Basically what you’re saying is just immature and ignorant. People who have FB accounts are not below you I’m afraid, despite what you think.
I’m 15, I use FB in moderation, enjoy it, and so what? I’m neither ignorat, vain or pathetic.
It’s not the end of the world that people use it! There is no “downfall of society” simply because of Facebook. Grow up you cynical morons.
March 7th, 2009 at 7:09 am
BRAVO! Send this to Time.com or CNN. We may or may not be the minority, but we have a voice too. It’s just that we like to speak to people. Hmm. Imagine that.
I also think Facebook and the ilk destroy the fundamentals of interpersonal skills. Constantly chatting it up on here is not going to improve your ‘face to face’ skills talking to that recruiter or CEO for a job.
Get a life. Get an education. Get a job. Secure your lifestyle and family. GET EXTRA TIME on your hands - THEN chat away.
I think Facebook would be great for the retired community. Having retired persons stay in touch with friends, long or lost, would help stimulate the brain’s thinking skills and stop the onset of possible dementia.
March 8th, 2009 at 4:43 am
Msg 254 says it all really about facebook users + the whole idea of facebook.
I like his comment at the end. “Grow up you cynical morons”.
This coming from a 15 year old…… need i say more, and yes down with facebook.
March 8th, 2009 at 9:40 am
Comment 254. Hilarious. Anyone could figure out the age of this person just by reading the comment. I’m not saying that every 15 year old is like that, but at that age nobody really has a personality. I guess that’s facebook’s target demographic.
March 8th, 2009 at 10:13 am
Hello fellow “Individuals”. Facebook is just another example of how america is becoming dumber. I have noticed several posts here, where the writer appears to be fighting off urges to join facebook because of peer pressure. Fellow smart individuals….we must join together and be bold… If someone questions your reasons for not being part of this childish site, remind yourself that you are smarter than they are! Openly show your disgust for the site, don’t be afraid!. You are a superior person!, you are “Above” them.
I have never entered a comment in a blog ever, but I read this blog and I was very impressed with level of intelligence here. So to all my fellow individuals friends on here that dislike this new example of dumbness they call “facebook”…. I applaud you, I respect you, and I am proud of you!
March 8th, 2009 at 1:19 pm
@254 Really? You’re one of the main demographics that FB targets, and they’re taking you in easily. The privacy regardless of what dick-function you put on is always at risk, there is no safemode honestly. To put it metaphorically, “facebook is the devil!” Take it as you will lol. Its so annoying when people talk about it to, like “shut up!” I don’t care what 130 of my friends are doing every single day, I don’t have time for that shit, if its actually important I’ll get an email or a phone call. No it doesn’t shot that you have a social life, it shows that your trying to have one. Its just a website where people snicker while posting messages and other things. FB is infantile. Your 15, you don’t have to worry about much nor is your life all that busy. You can say its busy, but it gets even more busy from there. Older people should have better things to do then worry about this stuff, fooling themselves for “attraction”. People who put FB first are foolish.
March 9th, 2009 at 5:50 am
Hi, i just stumbled upon this article and i love it!
Im disliking facebook more and more. One of my friends has deactivated her account, and i wish i had the will power to do the same. I guess im scared of losing my contacts, but i think about how i managed life without facebook: just 5 years ago i would call/text friends, email them and meet up, all without facebook. And those are the people i have on facebook, who i still contact and see now. So, facebook doesnt really improve friendships if the friendship was good to begin with. I mostly use it to keep in touch with friends who live abroad, and still we just email each other. While i cant get rid of facebook completely (for now), i’m doing the next best thing: leaving some groups/applications, deleteing friends who have never spoke to me and never will and i have no chance of seeing, and deleting my photos. When i think about it, in the past i always developed pictures and showed them to my friends when they came round, or emailed them copies, without relying on facebook.
I love this article, is it ok if i link your article in my blog post?
thanks in advance!
March 9th, 2009 at 1:05 pm
I’m so glad that i’ve found this website. I hate facebook, i hate havin to listen to people talk about having facebook and trying to get me to get facebook. I completely agree with the opening posts that if i wanted to talk to people from my past they wouldnt be in my past. Its so nice to finaly say these things and know that other people out there think the same. The bright side of things is that I know that facebook cannot last forever soon people will either see the light or just get board and find something else (perhaps a real life).
March 9th, 2009 at 1:28 pm
Courtesy of Vishal Agarwala.
The next time someone gives you a hard time for not being on Faceache, tell them the following information. Then tell them to re-read Faceache’s privacy policy and ask them how comfortable they feel afterwards:
Early on, Facebook received $12.7m of investment from venture capitalist group ACCEL Partners. ACCEL manager James Breyer is the chair of the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA). Also on the board of the NVCA is Gilman Louie, CEO of In-Q-Tel, a venture capital firm established by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in 1999. In-Q-Tel works in various aspects of information technology and intelligence gathering, notably including the nurturing of data mining technologies. Breyer has also served on the board of BBN Technologies, a research and development firm known for spearheading the development of the internet.
In 2004, one Dr. Anita Jones joined the board of BBN along with Louie. Prior to joining BBN, she served on the board of In-Q-Tel and was previously Director of Defense Research and Engineering for the US Department of Defense. Her responsibilities included serving as an adviser to the US Secretary of Defense and overseeing the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). This goes further than initial appearances: DARPA shot to fame in 2002 when the existence of the Information Awareness Office (IAO) came to light.
The IAO stated that its vision was to gather as much information as possible about everyone, in a centralised location, for easy perusal by the US government, including but not limited to: internet activity, credit card purchase history, airline ticket purchases, car rentals, medical records, educational transcripts, drivers’ licenses, utility bills, tax returns and ‘any other available data.’
How does your silly Faceacher feel now?
March 10th, 2009 at 4:57 pm
I am so thankful for stumbling into this website. To be truthful I haven’t accidently stumbled upon it but just like many others I googled “hate facebook”. I have spent a few interesting and quite awakening months on Facebook and finallly erased AND deactivated my profile this past week. Deactivation is not enough - there might be an easier way, I don’t know - I went on erasing every single wall post, info bit, photo album, application and friend, and then went on and deactivated.
It first looked like a great way to keep in touch with people. Great, indeed. I live half a world away from my parents and family and some friends..my husband’s family is not very close either. I have friends all over the world from previous “old fashioned” e-mail and penpal relationships.
It made sense to join and be able to keep everyone updated at the same time. I thought I’ll save time - but instead of that it suckered away my whole life. Just in a few months.
I have to agree that this site feeds to everyone’s narcissistic side. It was like that with me too, I admit. I wanted people to see me, to know me, to understand me a bit better.
I am that kind of person who truly and genuinely cares for family members and friends. I am the kind of person who spends night hours awake if needed, comforting a friend’s hurting soul or pray in an emergency even if I can’t do more. I am the one who was a true friend for many, or so I thought naively.
And then came the rough awakening.
The amount of people who snubbed and completely ignored me on facebook astonished me. After all I’ve done for them. After being genuine and loving. I am being snubbed. And in the other hand I see people - two sided and untrustworthy, snake personalities who constantly lie whenever they open their mouths..being exalted to high, why? Simply because they say the right thing at the right time on facebook. Some people actually have so little lives that they feel the need to go around, post “holy looking” comments on others’ profiles so for everyone they’ll appear as the most caring and loving and genuine person, like a true friend….but it’s a far cry from the real truth. It’s all for the image.
Well let’s just say I’ve lost that deep friendship with a couple of people because they rather believed the falsified online images of false friends…they definitely lost the true friend in me. They snubbed me because of this when I was in desperate need of friends.
It broke my heart.
It still breaks my heart how Jane Doe goes online and makes updates about her interesting life every few hours and expects people to respond to it and admire every step she takes. She expects people to jump immediately and react no matter what. BUT in answer she doesn’t care the least bit about others, doesn’t do the same for others.
Let’s not even get started on the fake friendlists……half of the people I added I don’t even know but when my self confidence started to sink (after people I thought to be true friends, snubbed me) I started to add whoever sent a request just to show to myself and others that I’m worth that much..what a lie.
And then there’s the topping, the icing on the cake….I’ve done it before but I completely grew disgusted by it.
It’s when married couples (or people living together) messaging eachother through their walls. “Oh I am so madly and passionately in love with you darling XOXOXO. Really? Then what about letting the person know..er..personally..instead of shouting it out to the world to show off how good of a wife or girlfriend you are? Whatever happened to the privacy of relationships? That these things are really not the business of anyone? I’ve had times when I wrote on my hubby’s wall a lovey dovey message, just in hopes of getting something equally cheesy answer from him..so then I can show off on my wall how much I am loved and how happy I am..
Well guess what, I am happy, and I don’t need to prove it to people I barely even know, every single day. I truly want to enjoy my time with my husband and children and we don’t need a third party to mediate between us.
I have a few relatives who still have my pictures (and my husband’s pictures, my children’s pictures) up on their profile without any of our consent. I too am guilty of doing this in the past and I feel awful about it even though I’ve erased all of them by now.
I wish I could be sure that these people will erase MY family’s photos as well. Unfortunately I know they won’t. It disturbs me greatly but I guess from here on out I’ll just make sure they won’t get new photos e-mailed to them personally anymore.
Sorry for the long rambling. I have so much to say but I am so hurt, disgusted and disillusioned. I wish I’d never join, never even hear about it. I wish I could erase the hurt that some “true friends” caused me.
Pass the torch on to others…wake up from this enchanted nightmare of the Facadebook…before it’s too late and it takes over and destroys what’s left of our families and lives.
March 10th, 2009 at 5:55 pm
-Facebook is starting to rearrange the way I am viewing the real world and I hate it so much!
–In my everyday life, it was like this fake presence that was subconsciously stealing from what I appreciated in reality – an adulterer of time; taking away the value of time and the custody of our senses in our everyday interaction with others.
-It irreversibly stole away the excitement, the mystery, the deep human connectedness in relationships.
-We are worth more than circulating advertisements.
-We are worth more than a fake technological illusion.
-Peace out for now!
March 10th, 2009 at 7:24 pm
Oh yeah, and I forgot to add we should always keep ourselves away from the greatness which does not bow towards children and the philosophy that does not cry.
March 11th, 2009 at 3:22 pm
I opted to delete my account permanently on Saturday February 28th of this year and was told it was to be deleted permanently within 14 days, so it’ll be gone by this Saturday.
All I can say is I’m pleased. I was hardly ever using it but it was creating severe drama for me and it really wasn’t worth my while keeping it. I had it temporarily deactivated before but reactivated it after 6 weeks, I still to this day don’t know why. I honestly dreaded logging into it and didn’t ever log into it at all unless I received a message or wall posting, and even logging in for that was greatly reduced when Facebook decided to include new messages and wall posts in the e-mail body meaning I didn’t even have to log in to read it.
The whole thing was just so cretinous; the dumb applications, endless photo-tagging (yeah, all my friends took photos on nights-out for the sole purpose of Facebook and not any other constructive reason and it irritated me greatly), the horrendous quote-trains that followed whenever anyone changed their status, the popularity contests (everybody look at me; I’m the Social Queen and I have 1000 friends LOL -> give me a huge break), the stupid quizzes and gifts (a virtual drink? Why not just use your current Facebook session to arrange a meet-up for a real drink?), the data mining and continuously changing ToS and Privacy Policy… … … there are so many reasons I despise Facebook that I honestly can’t remember all of them to put in here. I’ve been added by people that I have literally spoken to for five minutes one evening and never seen again since.
Another thing Facebook did was annoyingly interesting, actually. I regularly got e-mails saying “[insert name here] sent a message to all members of the group [insert dumbasss group name here]“: I’d never heard of the group, never heard of the original sender, never been invited to the group and certainly never joined it. The same went for event invites. That happened very regularly and was totally unsolicited and annoying.
Of course, people were like ZOMG WHY OMG LULZ DONT QUIT!!111one as if life both began and ended with Facebook, and two people (work colleagues that I see literally every weekday) even said they’d never talk to me again if I closed it because I’m being antisocial. How utterly pathetic is that? I am far from antisocial, I am out every Friday night and have all the friends I could ever want. Since I quit, another few of my friends have signed up but I know I won’t be back. I like not being one of Zuckerberg’s mindless sheep, thank you very much.
Roll on Saturday 14th when the thing will be deleted forever, apart from the stuff that was data mined.
March 12th, 2009 at 10:30 am
Finally! I have found my tribe!
I’ve managed to not give in to the peer pressure to join Facebook but am becoming increasingly annoyed with “friends” who insist that I join! I’m very civically engaged and serve as vp of my church council at a very progressive (read: not right-wing) church. I wish that people would spend more time connecting to their real-life communities by going to a city council meeting, volunteering at a nonprofit and getting to know their neighbors. These things require effort, but they are much more interesting and rewarding than posting pictures to a website.
March 12th, 2009 at 2:11 pm
So glad I am not alone in finding this whole Facebook thing utterly insane. Up to now I have to say it hadn’t actually caused me any problems - I had received the odd request from a friend (real life friends actually), but I simply ignored them without any negative effect on our friendship. Hell, quite a few of my close friends don’t even have my email address - we communicate face to face or on the phone - only using email as a last resort, when meeting up just isn’t physically possible. My main reasons for not ever having wanted to be on Facebook or on any other similar site is that I abhor this public displaying of one’s life. It just screams look at me, me, me. I do not want a whole bunch of people to know what I am up to at any moment - this is something I want to share in private when asked. As for finding out what people are doing on Facebook, this just seems voyeuristic to me and somehow sneaky - if you are a close friend you would know anyway and if you are not, you shouldn’t know.
Anyway, the only reason Facebook has become a problem for me now is that my boyfriend of 4 years has joined a couple of months ago - and this drives me mad. Not only because of all the time he spends on it, the reconnecting and chatting with any ex girlfriend he can find on there (which of course I don’t like), but mainly because it makes me realise that we have different values. I probably could just about accept it if he had a very minimal profile and “checked in” once in a while, but sadly this is not the case. It might of course just be the novelty of it all and wear off, but otherwise our relationship is doomed.
Of course I questioned my attitude to the whole thing and started wondering if there is something wrong with me for being so against it, which is how I ended up on this site - looking to find out if I am the only person in the whole world who feels this way. Thank goodness I am not!
March 12th, 2009 at 6:31 pm
Sorry havent had the time to read all the posts of all the 200 and what people, so dont pin me to the wall with sharp sticks now;)
Any ways, what i hate most is that you cant delete your acount, i dont whant facebook to have some extra stats so they can show the world “how succecfull our product is” by having fake stats?!
Another thing who actually cares of some girl or guy having 4000 friends or what not.
I also dislike the whole idea that facebook as i qoute “Facebook is like high school all over again and honestly that is one thing i don’t want to do again!”
By Michelle, and i do really agree with you to a 100%
So in the end what the facebook product amounts to is;
1: A place where people can brag about there achievments, travels, house, income and what partners and people theyve been with and have.
2. To be keept on a leach by the company, basically they know what youre up to and other companies can use this information.
p.s before i end this have any body heard about the guy that got his as cand becouse he had a funny picture of himself on facebook?
His boss didnt like it:P
(Sorry for my bad english skills;) )
//The Swedish Dude Who Dislikes Facebook
March 12th, 2009 at 9:12 pm
This is a riot. I read some of the comments and I am totally overjoyed. As my screen name states, I am an “IN TOUCH” teen, not some weird sociopath or and isolated dweeb, but a regular teenager who has real friends and a life absolutely can not stand Facebook. Unfortunately however, my social life is disappearing because alot of my friends are converting or have already converted to Social Platformers and they don’t want to talk on the phone or do anything. What am I doing? Who do I know? What’s my favorite color? It is usless!! The other day, I joined momentarily for community purposes. I saw that it was a very creative way to get in touch with other like minded individuals who wanted to make a change in the community I live in. Well, I did a search of people I knew just to see what this thing was all about and was disgusted to find that almost everbody I knew (Family members, Neighbors,Teachers (How the heck does your high school teacher have a facebook???) had one. I couldn’t go on so I deactivated it immediately, but when I returned to the site I found that it still had my email as the login name. I tried to erase, it but I can’t. And I can’t delete the email adress, because I have to many important links to it. So now I have unintentionally been chained to the Facebook monster.Whatever the case, I hate FACEBOOK!!!!!! I recomend 1984 for all facebook haters. It will be like a splash of cold water as you realize what our society is comming to.
March 12th, 2009 at 9:20 pm
Uh.. I had IN TOUCH before….
March 13th, 2009 at 8:28 am
Just type “Facebook” and “CIA” into a search engine and you’ve found yourself a nice little research project.
Data Mining Technology is the future (and current) evolution of social networking.
March 14th, 2009 at 11:08 pm
I’ve been trying it for about 6 mo. now as an experiment. Recently I’ve hated it twice and a considering getting off. Tonight enough to google hate facebook! Once when I was bumped from a once in a lifetime event due to lack of space and logged in to fb when i got home only to have to read about it when I got home and my friends were at the event posting about it while there having a blast. Irritating and depressing. Who needs it?
And tonight when I had called a friend twice today -who is always responsive via phone and a dear pal- to report good news and asked for a call back and she never called back- I thought-odd -hope all is okay. And then saw her posting on fb tonight disregarding my calls altogether. It is certainly her perogative not to call me back and I wouldn’t have thought much of it but to see her posting tonight rankled me in a way I can’t describe. Like I knew she was not returning my call but had no problem posting dumb little things on fb. It gave me pause in a friendship I would normally not have. Pre fb I ‘d think nothing of the delay. It feels like fb is making me more thin-skinned- a trait i do not admire in anyone especially myself.
Initially I thought- oh fb is kid of fun and have learned about some cool stuff happening etc. and found some old friends/relatives etc. And now and then there is a fun thing. But it has become more and more a chore. And I think- who needs those extra stressors in communication and pokes and reminders of situations and or/ people that jab at you unbidden and in unpleasant ways? Maybe that’s why they call it poking. Poking at a sore spot. Don’t we have enough?
March 15th, 2009 at 3:09 am
I too would like to join this lovely group of people who just absolutely hate facebook. I bookmarked this page because i love to return to it again and again when people are bugging me to join fkbk. Here are some of the reasons I left facebook:
1. Relationships
This is the area that suffers the most from fkbk. You just cannot have a healthy relationship with ex-girlfriends and ex-boyfriends lurking about in the grimy world of facebook. The slimy tentacles of infidelity (even at the cyber level) are bound to creep into that relationship of yours and render it artificial.
2. Privacy please!
I do not want to repeat what has already been said so well in most of the comments above, but the voyeurism trend does grow with fkbk.
3. Time wastage
Back when i had an account, the first thing I would do upon arriving at work would be to check my facebook account. I’d tell myself I’ll only be there for 5 minutes, but end up spending up to 3 (otherwise profitable) hours on the damn thing!
4. Fake friendships
Again, his has been commented on at length. But you accept a friendship request and after one or two exchanges, you realize you have nothing else to say to each other.
5. “Why did you leave facebook?”
I’ve had this lousy question thrown at me so many times since i deactivated my account. Apparently, it would have been healthier to just remain inactive, but not to deactivate it altogether. It surely irks me no end.
There are two comments i saw above which capture the way i feel about fkbk:
“I have a vehement dislike to it bordering on the realms of psychopathic.”
“Words cannot convey the contempt I have for Facebook.”
I feel sad when i see most people in my country (who i had previously believed were right-minded individuals) busy praising fkbk to the skies and signing up like crazy only to play some silly Mafia games. And they do not critically think about possible implications of signing up and posting all their lovely photos there.
Talking about photos, some people unthinkingly put up pictures that would definitely compromise them if they were to run for some important office. Today, people may cheer you on for being a true party animal. But its just a matter of copy and paste and off to the tabloids. Then you can forget about being president or whatever.
I could go on and on, but let me end by saying i too feel good to know people who think like me exist, even though I’d guess that none of the above commenters are from my country.
March 15th, 2009 at 8:44 am
Ah yes, Facebook is crack for undernourished egos. Facebook users submit all of the private and personal information to a website that sells your information to spammers so that they can have “friends”.
It’s fake and very sad. You will never become closer to someone or know them by looking at their carefully edited and tweaked profile page.
Facebook is actually a step backwards for communication. It’s not novel at all. It’s glorified email that makes you work hard to maintain. Communication tools make it easier for you talk to someone, not more difficult.
I work for a company that markets and we use Facebook because many users are on it. You should see that amount of information that is at my fingertips.
If I type in show me users in Texas who have the word scorpion assocaited with their profile, I will see a list of 15 people. And, that is all before I even submit we dime to the site.
C’mon wake up facebook users. You don’t need a marketing website to make you feel like you matter. It’s an illusion.
By the way, in order to delete your account you must do the following:
1. Delete every single piece of content or photo from your page.
2. Delete or remove yourself from every application or group you’ve joined.
3. Delete all the messages in your inbox or sentbox.
4. Delete anything you have posted on anyones wall or photos.
5. Once your account is clear of all posted, incoming and outgoing content, go to account settings ( i think) and say that you want to delete your account. You might have to go to deactivate.
6. Find the proper email address for Facebook and email them, give them your page URL and tell them that you want to be permently deleted from their website.
7. They will respond back saying that you have to delete your content etc…
8. If you haven’t missed somthing that you need to delete, email them back and tell them everything is gone and to delete you.
9. They will respond back telling you it may take 48 hours or something like that.
Then you’re free.
March 15th, 2009 at 4:11 pm
No, now you can actually permanently delete facebook without sending an e-mail!
here’s the link
http://www.facebook.com/help/contact.php?show_form=delete_account
March 15th, 2009 at 6:13 pm
Actually, Layla, Facebook do now offer a no questions asked, one-click account delete option. It takes 14 days to all go through but you don’t have to go around deleting individual wall posts etc. anymore. What happens is your account deactivates and then deletes itself automatically after 14 days have elapsed. You can log in at any time during that process to call it off and reactivate your account if you want to keep your account after all.
I tried logging into my account yesterday to see if it had gone, and it had - instead of asking me to reactivate, it just said invalid username and password.
Happy days, the beast is slain.
March 17th, 2009 at 8:42 pm
Needing some commiseration tonight, I googled “why I hate Facebook;” arrived here. Thank you for your comments, everyone. I, too, hate Facebook because it gives people just one more thing they feel they must do. As if everyone didn’t have enough e-mail clogging their inboxes already. Let’s give ourselves one more cyber-responsibility. In fact, let’s join Facebook AND MySpace as well. Come on now, everyone has their hands full, as it is. It’s time to simplify, not complicate, our lives. It’s time to pursue the dreams and passions God has placed in each of us. For me that is writing. As it is I spend way too much time on the trivia of life (laundry, cooking, etc.) and not enough writing. How on earth am I going to get that book written unless I ruthlessly cast the dead weight out of my schedule. Think of all we could achieve as people if we get rid of that low payoff stuff, such as too much tv, shopping, internet surfing and Facebook. Let’s pursue those dreams rather than sitting on our butts before a glowing screen, talking on and on about our favorite colors and movies! p.s. it saddens me so much that “someone very important to me” always finds time for Facebook - but not to visit their neighbor next door.
March 18th, 2009 at 8:20 am
I too hate Facebook. I can only hope that it gradually becomes so over-exposed that it becomes uncool. Hopefully we’re getting there.
I’m the only one in my immediate family not on Facebook and am continously nagged by my 60+ year old mother to join! I think this is a sign of the apocalypse. WHat ever happened to meeting people for coffee, making a phone call, or even writing an email? Do people really want to read about the inane details of my life? Is a mass message to a worldwide network of pseudo-strangers preferable to a personal note to someone now?
Ugh… so relieved to know that there are others like me out there. Thanks for this blog.
March 19th, 2009 at 10:40 am
what is most interesting about facebook is what it says about us.
I think that the site exposes peoples insecuirities. People deal with being insecure in different ways though;some need to feel loved, important -and know that they’re a ’somebody’ (the meglomaniacs if you will!) whilst others don’t like to be made to feel insecure. They wish to hide (leave the site) they’re more content with being a ‘nobody’(not in a bad sense). Either way it leaves most of us feeling fragile.
It frustrates those of us who don’t wish to properly partake. However those of us happier to shun facebook i imagine are happier to accept a truthfull loneliness over a stage performance of a freindship.
To return to an idea mentioned previously; facebook is for those who view life as a race. It is like we are advertising ourselves. Like we have got something to gain. it feels like a sin to me because i cannot find any sincere justification for using the site. For instance why would you list personal information in the ‘about you’ section. I do not know either how anybody could justify doing this. It is simply self obsession and its embarassing for all.
I think that loneliness sparked the use of facebook and loneliness is inherent in all of us. sadly i think facebook might be here to stay.
March 19th, 2009 at 12:20 pm
I found this site by typing “I hate facebook” into Google. Two years after the original post, your words still ring true.
I had hoped to vent somewhere about what I hate about Facebook, but you summed up my thoughts thoroughly.
I don’t WANT people I’ve lost touch with to bump into me on-line. I don’t WANT to have my picture on-line–at least not so clearly associated with my name and other personal information.
People who have time for setting up Facebook profiles and chatting with these old friends they’ve bumped into should get a life. Leave the technology at home, go to the nearest national park, and take a week or so to contemplate how easy and natural it is to be alone.
March 19th, 2009 at 8:25 pm
I had a great thing going with a wonderful woman until a read a comment from a guy to her that was on my wall. She hadn’t read it yet on her account and she accused me of spying. No amount of explaining helped.
This damn thing is so “high school”, I can’t stand it. I’ve watched her get on, make her status change, read some wall crap, read some messages, and then just bounce around her account looking for… who knows what.
God help you if someone sees you’re online. They want to chat and you don’t. What a pain. I can only hope this thing dies a quick death but I don’t see that happening. Too many people are addicted to this stupid thing.
March 20th, 2009 at 6:02 am
I am so glad to know I’m not alone …maybe we should all start a group on Facebook?
I am so there with you! As a busy adult woman I don’t have two hours a day to sit and keep up with people who knew me when I had braces, stonewashed jeans, and ugly glasses. I agree, I have my friends that I keep in touch with, but I have NO desire to be on a social networking site. A few of my friends and brothers just don’t understand why. And mention it regularly. I have email, I have two phones, and the people I’m friends with know how to reach me. I’m not an ogre, I’m just a private person who doesn’t feel like I need to put every bit of my life out there for long ago aquaintances to know.
My children are gorgeous — but I don’t need to post every picture of them. If I want to share photos, I’ll send a link in a private email. If I want you to know how I’m feeling I’ll tell you. I don’t need to post it. I don’t text and most of the time my cell’s ringer is off. Maybe that’s so Y2K — but, oh well, (ok, I sound like Andy Rooney).
One of my closest and oldest friends is the total opposite. She is obsessed with Facebook and about 3 to 4 times a week she’s calling or emailing sharing some bit of gossip about high school people (it gets old…). Do I care who had an affair or who had “work done” — honestly, no! She’ll say, oh, but it’s so fun just to know what people are doing. I could care less. Mostly it just seems like a gossip circuit (at least for the people I know). I went to college, lived and traveled all over the world, I married and now I have two wonderful children and husband. I don’t feel like I need people to know everything about me via Facebook. Although I could, I don’t feel the need to boast about various parts of my life.
If it serves a purpose for someone, that’s great, but honestly, I think as a society we’ve become way too dependent on the Internet and other technologies to make social connections (ok, more Andy Rooney). I can’t be in a room with two of my brothers unless they are texting. Again, if someone likes a social networking site — great. But I’m not interested. Is email the new rotary phone?
March 20th, 2009 at 3:03 pm
This is well-articulated article against Facebook.
I am in the process of de-friending people, as well as setting my privacy to the minimum. So far, you cannot find my profile by searching my name on Google (mind you, there’s another girl with my name, but that is not me). I am classifying people on my friend list so that I can sent privacy setting differently for those who are under “close friends” from “family members” or “classmates.”
It happened after a guy who worked at the dentist’s office found me on Facebook days after I talked to him while waiting for the anesthesia to work. He send me messages about wanting to “hang out” or “text me” with the most hideous grammar you could expect. Since bad grammar is a big turn-off for me, there was no way I wanted to be friends in real life with this person. Apparently, he is new to Facebook, no wonder he doesn’t understand that being friends in Facebook is not the same as being friends in real life. Yet how can he not understand this when he obviously uses MySpace (he asked me if I had a MySpace account on the first message). First two times, I said that I didn’t have MySpace, and that I was not even on Facebook often. The third time, when he asked if I “text,” I freaked out so much I ended up talking to a psychologist about what to do and to the receptionist at the dental office. The receptionist talked to him about how he had to stop immediately, and that what he did was completely unprofessional. I solved this in one day, but I waited two days before de-friending him. I have been feeling anxious about him being mad at me or something like that, but now I realize I did what I had to do. He was not taking the hints about me being busy enough, or not having text messaging or MySpace. On the reply to the third message, I wrote: “Thanks, but I am not interested in any relationship. Bye” He has not bothered me since, and I won’t be going back to that dentist’s office. I called them yesterday to have my dental history record to be mailed under my mom’s name because I don’t want that guy knowing my address.
March 20th, 2009 at 7:39 pm
I went shopping… I’m tired… I was so drunk… YAWN!! Who cares?! I certainly don’t. What a time-waster. Oh, and by the way, I have two teenage sons who can’t stand it either. There is hope for the younger generation.
March 21st, 2009 at 9:58 am
Anti-Facebook Friends,
Ironic that here we have a micro-version of an internet gathering place (shades of Facebook) for strangers to comment on stuff….
Perhaps we all have a need to have our voice heard. To feel we are not alone. Isn’t that why I’m writing this now? In writing, in reading, we realize we are not alone…
Thank you, princeharrysloafers, for your brilliant comment: “…those of us happier to shun facebook i imagine are happier to accept a truthfull loneliness over a stage performance of a freindship…”
Recently I realized how devoid of content some of my relationships really were.
We don’t like the way people go on about themselves on Facebook - but for the purposes of explaining my point, allow me to go on about myself:
In the last 12 months my husband and I have experienced: three cross-country moves, multiple jobs/job losses, being deceived and disrespected by employers, sexual discrimination at work, walking miles to work (in ancient shoes) due to lack of car, unemployment, living in a hotel for one week while contemplating making it our permanent residence, leaving our first house for an apartment where kids skate-boarded across a paper-thin floor above us, then moving back into our home due to it not selling, a church “split”, my best friend almost dying and then being cast out by her husband like garbage, infertility (learning I am not ovulating, perhaps due to stress) and childlessness (my plan was 5 kids) while multiple family members have multiple children and celebrate (on FaceBook, among other places), learning I am at risk for glaucoma at age 39, turning 40 this year, poverty, extreme debt and not being able to make debt payments, having to go to food banks, accepting money from parents, facing criticism, lack of respect, advice-giving and rejection from family and friends, and worst of all, losing our beloved cat of 11 years, Phantom Titus, to heart disease. When my little man died - that’s when I wondered if I’d ever be happy again.
So our house didn’t sell and we moved back into it.
I then tried to get together with my “friends.” It was then that I realized just how insignificant I am to them. Although I have been back for months and have tried to “get together” they have not called me nor stopped by to visit me. The willow tree outside my window cares more for me than these friends do.
I called one such friend, tried to talk with her and also invited her to my place for tea. She has not visited nor invited me to her house. This same friend has sent me multiple mass forwards in which she invites me to scrapbooking events where I can purchase stuff (from her), though I have (hopefully tactfully) told her I don’t do scrabooking (truth is - I despise it). The same friend sends mass e-mails telling in detail about the minutiae of her and her family’s lives. I have also received multiple invitations from her to join FaceBook. I sent her an e-mail explaining (again, hopefully tactfully) that I don’t want to join, don’t have time, but would love to hear how she’s doing and get together with her. No response. Continued mass forwards.
Now I’m sure that if I were to join FaceBook, this person would accept me as their “friend.” As princeharrysloafers so aptly put it, this would be a “stage performance” of a friendship. And not a very good one at that.
When Phantom died and this friend barely said “I’m sorry for your loss” in fact, I don’t think she did - but had plenty of time to launch into details of her human sons’ lives, I realized this friendship is devoid of real compassion.
“A truthful loneliness.”
Yes, it is true that I can leave my home, leave the state for months and barely be missed.
the truth hurts but I’ll take it over a lie. I will put one foot in front of the other. I’ll be thankful for my few true friends. Husband. Friend out of state. Jesus Christ. Phantom.
the truth is, it’s okay to have just a few friends. and I am happy with my own company and the company of the characters in the book i’m writing. the book I’m writing because i’m going to “dejunk” the dead weight out of my life and schedule to make room for it. This includes not letting a time-killer like FaceBook even in the door.
The morning after we moved back I rushed off to WalMart and bought end-of-the-season impatiens for 25 cents each. I planted them in the shade, where they proceeded to thrive and actually grow. Those fuschia and pink petals standing in stark contrast to the peeling gray paint of our house’s shingles…. little sentinels against the doom. We can go on and we can find a few people to truly love. we can thrive in the shade, in the shadows not on display in front of hundreds of faux friends.
EM
March 22nd, 2009 at 4:15 am
Me too: http://fxxxbook.blogspot.com/
March 22nd, 2009 at 9:52 am
A lot of good points made here. Others not so good. Fauxbook is no worse than Myspace or the internet in general in my opinion. In fact some ways it’s better. You don’t get bombarded with invites from bands or whatever and only people who know you and ask to be your friend can see your profile. You have complete control over that. If you want to have real friends on Fakebook, you can. If you want to have 200 people you never met, well you can do that, too.
I don’t see why there are 287 comments on how people hate Facebook. What’s worse, spending time on a social networking site or writing diatribes against why you hate a website? They’re both expressions of pride, both tell the world you want your voice to be heard. Do I care when a friend says ‘Snow again??? When’s Spring coming??’ on the front page? Hardly.
And who among us really has the right to define a friend solely as someone you can physically go and drink coffee with or visit a museum with? That’s stupid. Any of us who have lived in various points of the country and/or world and done a lot of things have developed friendships with people and time, distance and other priorities prevent you from having a so-called real friendship with them–”friendships” marked by visiting one another’s homes or watching each other’s kids. Fecebook is in YOUR hands not the other way around. Don’t want to add ‘faux friends’? Don’t do it. You don’t want Fxxebook to have any intellectual rights to your photographs? Don’t post them.
Where I tend to agree with most of you is this: Facebook contributes to the social isolation of humanity. We can make it the “fall guy” but it’s only the latest in a long line of gears that have set the machine in motion. When I first signed onto the internet (back when you had to use a capital I) in 1994, America Online was a hot commodity. It stunned me how I could go into chat rooms (before the advent of bots) and “talk” to people all over the country and I was shocked at how quickly things I said drew laughs and compliments. I had a wealth of “friends” very quickly. It took no time at all for me to realize how shallow it was and it bothered me a great deal how easy it could be to sit in a room all night and talk to strangers with your fingers. Thankfully, I didn’t do that (hours at a time).
Another thing I agree with is Facebook does cater to people wanting to be the center of attention. On the other hand, anyone posting here is guilty of the same thing. Anytime we want our voice to be heard, aren’t we really demanding people hear us (see us)? We live in a broken world where people live in fear of rejection and want to be recognized and want to impress others. Facebook unfortunately provides the opportunity for people to do that. But is that necessarily any worse than the loudest person at the party? Whether online or in life, there are always going to be people like that clogging our worlds.
I’m on Fatebook and I don’t deny it. It’s one thing to be ’sucked in’ and another to use it to occasionally shoot a message to friends, relatives or former co-workers. Like a knife, it can cut and kill or it can be used as a tool.
And that’s the truth.
March 22nd, 2009 at 10:22 am
I hate Facebook, I hate the status updates, I hate the way people can post pictures of you without your permission, I hate the way when you delete an account it doesn’t actually delete as if they expect you to come back. I hate all the mindless pissheads on there who do the same shit every week, I hate the way Facebook automatically owns everything you post, I hate the way the media uses it for information. To me Facebook is exactly that - a voluntary book of faces and a book from which you can never remove yourself, it has grave implications for privacy and freedom but nobody seems to care about protecting those things these days. It saddens me how millions of people have access to the biggest information resource in human history but chose to spend there time on facebook. And finally I hate most people in the UK there so damn dumb:(.
March 24th, 2009 at 4:16 pm
Here’s a brilliant video called “The Twouble with Twitter”. It’s tasteful, witty and hilarious!
March 25th, 2009 at 7:06 pm
I hate facebook. I think it’s crazy that people should give up so much information about themselves for nothing and it reveals a really shallow side to people. Why do people want to be spied on!?
The issue I had when closing my facebook account was, what would replace facebook as the way to keep in touch with the friends I really wanted to keep in touch with? Social networks have recently overtaken email on logins per day and a lot of my mates don’t even check their emails.
Luckily I came up with an idea.
On my way out from facebook I decided to tell everyone that I no longer accept POSTS on my WALL, unless you send me REAL post, which I stick on my REAL wall then I photograph them every day and post them on http://www.myrealwall.com
This had the desired effect that I stopped getting spammed and tagged every day, because to send me spam now costs the price of a stamp. To tag me you would have to come over to my house and stick a real tag on me, which of course I would let you do. Ultimately the point of this is that using a REAL wall instead of a facebook wall requires people to actually make a real effort, be it in putting an address and a stamp on an envelope, or coming to my house.
Facebook has made some socially unacceptable things like snooping perfectly acceptable behaviour and the use of myREALwall has shown that, in real life, when asked to actually do something people suddenly lose heart, because in pen and paper, many wall posts are not socially acceptable. People become self-conscious when they have to write a letter because they need to consider what they write and suddenly they donm’t send you crap.
However people ARE willing to write and design some awesome post when given a chance, and leaving facebook a month ago, I have discovered the awesome global mail-art network as well as making a whole lot of cool penfriends around the globe.
So hear hear for your facebook rant. You’re absolutely right, and keep on livin in the REAL world!
mischief
http://www.myrealwall.com
March 25th, 2009 at 10:15 pm
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thats retarded <<<<>>>>>>>>> i love facebook……..
March 25th, 2009 at 10:18 pm
Why I hate Facebook;
My wife and I joined Farcebook, to catchup with old ‘friends’. I say ‘friends’ because half the people on their just want to make it look as though they have ‘friends’.
March 26th, 2009 at 1:56 pm
Man, I loved reading comments from people that hate Facebook. It’s not that I hate Facebook. I hate the idea of Facebook. I like my privacy. Not every minute of every day…but most of the time. Aside from the fact that I like my privacy, I’m pretty sure that nobody cares which vegetables I hate. Okay…maybe somebody cares about per capita consumption of brussel sprouts. The thing is..I don’t care about that guy.
Now…I also really hate the idea of Twitter. As I understand it, Twitter is all about “what are you doing now?” Are you kidding me? I don’t care what I’m doing now. Why would you care? What I’m doing now is perfectly legal, not even a little bit sexual, not unusual, not interesting…so WTF cares?
Why do people like to engage with social media sites? What is the benefit of baring your soul to the whole world…some of whose residents are looney tunes, and most of whose residents could not care less about you. Truly…I do not understand this whole “social media” phenomenon.
March 26th, 2009 at 9:18 pm
i don’t understand why so many people complain about hoving frindes when they don’t have friends. wtf, right?? why are we so ingraved in our daily lives that we cannot let it go that the facebook phenomenon will incompas our lives. i don’t get it. just want phacebook to go away and take me over. there is nothing wrong with having a billion friends when all of them are really your friends. i just need to lock myself in my room and live on facebook for a year and see what happens. that would be the best exeprience of my life. im addicted to the website and i need some help or i will end up living on the intenet.
March 26th, 2009 at 9:33 pm
if you seek amy and i will write on your wall. tnx, <3 xoxo
March 27th, 2009 at 2:21 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PN2HAroA12w
this is hilarious! it’s about twitter - but the satire applies to facebook too. he he
March 29th, 2009 at 9:19 am
The video about twitter really funny, it does apply to any social network.
March 29th, 2009 at 11:35 am
Today I confirmed the deletion of my facebook account. Scheduled for April 13, can not wait for it. In 1 year since joined, hardly ever used it and found it totaly unnecessary. Period.
March 29th, 2009 at 7:51 pm
Now Twitter is coming to the forefront and the invites have already started to drop into my inbox - the worst part of facebook now has its very own ’social’ network urghhg!
These network sites exist to keep people with very little going on in their lives amused… its very, very sad.
I’ve resisted and resisted joining facebook as I’m all too aware it would only take one bored jealous ex girlfriend or a stupid long lost school friend goofing around to cause real harm to a current relationship - why would anyone put themselves up for that type of potential punishment???
Besides I don’t need a web page to define me - what you see is what you get and what you get I have full control over.
For anyone who has only deactivated their facebook account, make sure you go back and use the new(ish) DELETE feature to finish off the deed and free yourself completely…
March 30th, 2009 at 4:02 am
Don’t worry - Time will come where it will be “cool” if one does NOT have a Facebook or MySpace account. I hate these social engineered network sites, it reminds me of sheep being herded into the slaughter house. Jack A. Netizen uses YouTube to upload his rant video condemning the use of camera’s in public places that patrol the activities of society, while at the same time encouraging people to subscribe to his account, including FaceBook where he divulges everything about himself.
March 30th, 2009 at 12:03 pm
I agree with most of what you say, facebook is lame why can’t people just move on instead of dwelling in the past
April 1st, 2009 at 6:02 pm
Thank you so much for this article.
There isn’t anything I can say that hasn’t already been said, my own experiences of this site mirror the comments posted here.
Unfortunately, I do posess an account. However I never ‘keep in touch’ with anyone on my ‘friends’ list bar, say…5? 5 people whom I see on a regular basis anyway. Facebook is obsolete to me. A complete waste of time. It leeches off the insecurities of our generation. Go read a book, help someone in need, hell just go downstairs and connect with your family a bit more instead of sitting on your arse in front of a screen typing to an ex or old aquaintance that’s moved on with his/her life.
I should stop myself there. Personally, I miss the 90’s where SNES videogames were the epitome of technological entertainment. At least then, I built memories from real life experiences. It’s a shame I have to submit to the zeitgiest just to know what parties my friends are throwing…
To put it bluntly; I loathe facebook.
April 2nd, 2009 at 7:57 am
hmmmm… So many comments of people that hate facebook, yet i can bet that they all have an acount or if not that has loged in from some friends account just to see what their ex is doing or something simmilar… Never the less i hate facebook too…. I had an account in the early days but not now… it`s just too much of everything! good job with the blog! Keep on the good work.
April 2nd, 2009 at 9:25 pm
Mention of Facebook = Nuclear Explosion in My Head
I cannot begin to express what these posts have done for my sense of sanity! It’s hard for me to keep my opinion on this topic to myself and am told I take this far too seriously. Possibly, but I have rarely regretted decisions I’ve made after careful analysis and find the reasons not to join far too compelling to brush aside.
Like so many, I found this website by Googling “I hate Facebook” and will keep this brief because I don’t think I could possibly phrase some of the key recurring observations more eloquently than those who posted before me (loss of privacy, pointless and/or harmful reconnection with people from the past, general banality, increased online obligations, etc…)
I’m fortunate in that most of my friends are also nonusers I have the pleasure of calling or seeing in person, so I have never experienced the h*ll of continual pressure to join the “community”. My otherwise old-school boyfriend keeps a minimal profile (he succumbed to family pressure to join) but it’s my hope he will abandon it eventually or at least keep on with his pattern of absolute minimum use.
I have perused FB by Googling random names and was taken aback at the amount of information one can find about a FB user, without even being a member! It is beyond me why you would want to post (more often than not) pictures of yourself and provide a list & pictures of your friends, family and associates for all the world to see.
Also, on the topic of associates, I understand that it’s quite difficult to deny a friend request in a socially graceful fashion, so when someone you may not want to keep up with makes the bold leap to “reconnect” your options are limited to either accepting the request or running the risk of forever alienating that person you would never otherwise see anyway. Why put yourself in this position needlessly?
I treasure my privacy, am happy to leave the past behind, have some mystery in life and create memories with people who are actually there when the noteworthy moments happen.
April 3rd, 2009 at 4:26 pm
I`ve had an account on facebook until i realice how many of my precious lifetime i was wasting on this crap, you all are right…this is a waste of time…i got tired of receiving hearts, vampire kissess, cows for the little farm, stupid stupid quizzes, requests for joining games who plays with the same click on mechanics (the same thing with different package)and puts you to the wall receiving agressive commentaries of uknown people when you defeat them, this things sucks your life, washes your brain, invades you with publicity , stupid games (little green patch, little blue cove, aggg go to hell) and people gets annoyed when you dont send them the flower or the stupid fake fish back.
Get a life, get real friends, spend time with your wife or girlfriend, ride a bycicle, swim!!..heck dont mummify yourself sitting hours and hours watching pics of people for you really dont care..past is past, keep your privacy..give love to the ones that deserved it…GET A LIFE!!!
April 4th, 2009 at 12:05 pm
Just put my aforementioned account down for deletion in two weeks, and breathed a sigh of relief.
Time for a bike ride I think.
April 6th, 2009 at 8:51 am
The end of seeing pictures of people i barley know living for the weekend and bitching about mondays. the end of poking, tagging, requesting, comparing, messaging and adding.
The suns out the triathlon season is here life is great.
April 6th, 2009 at 3:00 pm
i can’t believe people want the SPAM that is newsfeeds coming at them…how is it possible that people don’t get crazy (in a bad way) by seeing the endless stream of notices that Suzy added herself to X Group, and that Tim tagged Betty in photos…isn’t that stuff just the worst spam ever?
Don’t know about you guys..but I must say that I have been hearing LESS talk of facebook in group settings than I did several months ago….oh how I pray the end is near!!!!
April 7th, 2009 at 2:21 pm
yes thank you im not alone i unsubscribed 2 days ago best thing i ever did fake friends sad people get a life.
April 10th, 2009 at 7:17 am
I too, like many of you, searched: I hate facebook, and I came across this blog. I’ve never commented on one before but this one is worth all the exceptions in the world.
I got rid of shitbook around 2 weeks ago. It was THE BIGGEST most collosal waste of life. I believe it to be for the mentally sick, extremely bored & unproductive people out there because how else can somehow enjoy shamelessly exploiting themselves with useless garbage about every fucking thing that happens in their day such as: “OMFG did you see what he wrote on her wall” Or “I’m sick AGAIN today, my life is over!” or “WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND, KARMA IS A BITCH” who cares!!!!!!
It’s also for those who have nothing better to do but to stir up the drama for themselves, for others, and it is for those who need validation through their statuses which they feel the need to update 22178368934 a day, through all the wall posts, pictures they post, notes they create..etc. Signing onto facebok is like watching an episode of The Hills for christ sakes!
Meanwhile these “facebook abusers” spell like they have never stepped foot inside a classroom. I know facebook isn’t supposed to be like writing an english essay, but once again you’re still shamelessly exploiting yourself with your bad vocabulary, and you’re just plain making yourself look like an idiot regardless of whether you care or not. While I’m on this subject, how many of you hate how some people seem to think it’s cool to abuse 1 letter in every word.
Example: “I ammmm sooooo excitedddddd I could dieeeee”
To all of the facebook users out there I have advice for you! NEVER add coworkers! Biggest mistake you can make! I added all of mine and they judged me left right and center with the photos I posted. “Oh you’re nothing but a party girl and that’s all you do with your spare time” they would tell me. Of course, some of the pictures that I posted were of me having fun with tons of people and with a drink in my hand. Who doesn’t post photos of yourself having a blast? What else would you post? Oh here’s a picture of me taking a dump, here’s another one of me standing up, OH and here’s one of me sleeping! BORING.
It actually was the deal breaker for me to want to get rid of it. That, and also the fact that my 10 year old cousins had facebook (why? I don’t know) and could now see all my shit. I don’t understand how mothers could let their young children have facebook. Over my dead body would I ever allow my 10 year old to have an account!
Facebook abusers come across as desperate and lonely. It’s quite sad actually and I hope the next generation of people will learn how to do more productive things with their time and not be scared to go outside, take a walk with a friend…actually SEE another human being rather than write on their wall all day long and still somehow call them your “friend”, but when you actually try to make real plans to actually see them or if you need help or advice for something important, they fuck off. How pathetic!
I admit I was sucked into the facebook phenomenon and this is actually my 2nd time deleting it, but trust me it is my last. The day I got rid of it I had “friends” freaking the fuck out: “how could you get rid of it??” “HOW could you do that?” “How will you keep in touch with everyone now?” They even clogged up my boyfriend’s wall with their shit posts asking what happened to me? It was like I was gone. I had died and disappeared from the face of the planet… and this was after ONE day of getting rid of the damn thing. Seriously I am truly in disgust I could barf. Whatever happened to the phone? Whatever happened to ringing my doorbell? I’m still here, guys! I haven’t gone anywhere!
Bottom line, if you are thinking about getting facebook despite everyone’s intelligent advice that I have seen throughout this thread, think again!
Now, back to the real world with the real friends I actually care to SEE and TALK to… in person
April 10th, 2009 at 10:36 am
I also would like to pop my blog posting cherry. I hate Facebook. It is the destroyer of your own social life. While you may believe that your popularity and success with people can be judged by the accumulation of “friends” it is not so. I had so many people who would add me, and when I ran into them at my work or on the bus or at school they would not even acknowledge me. Why then, do you consider me a “friend”? I had people comment on my pictures: “omg ur so hottt” and would then be offended if I did not return the favor, and artificially prop up their own low self-esteem. The absolute breaking point for me was when I “ended a relationship”. I chose to do it in the real world, in person. He chose to do it over Facebook, and I did not realize. What a nice surprise it was then, when I spoke to friends at school about my break up over the holiday only to hear: “oh yeah, I read that in my news feed”. I’m sorry, but a relationship should not be defined, publicized and scrutinized in a public forum. It is between two individuals, in real life. Even the idea of saying “real life” is ridiculous. Does that mean I have been living a “fake life” on Facebook for the past year? When I joined I was initially excited about seeing all these pictures of myself that my friends had put up. Then I realized, how many other people have seen these pictures? I like my privacy. I like to be the one who tells you what I did this weekend, not my Facebook account. My stories are infinitely more funny when they are heard, not read. The wall-to-wall option is the worst, you can read people’s entire conversations. And for what? To be jealous of what other people are doing? To see if people are ‘talking shit about you’? Deducing who is into who? It is none of my business. But for someone to put that stuff out there, for other people to make their business, is ridiculous.
I am not going to miss this one bit. I will never get another ‘invitation’ to go to someone’s birthday party again. But if that person does not even want to phone me up and invite me, then I have no interest in going anyways. I won’t be a part of anymore ‘groups’ that publicize my political views and charitable interests. I’d rather donate my time and money instead of ‘accepting to join the cause’. I never even filled out the ‘About Me’ box. As far as I’m concerned my entire personality cannot be written up in a little text box, and even if it could, I would not want people read it. I do not want to know who is ‘writing my third essay, omg kill me plz’ or ‘loves jeremy sooooo much’ or ‘keep talkin haterz u make me famous’. I don’t even say such stupidities to my real friends, let alone broadcast it to everyone I know.
All of the people who I care to talk to, are programmed nicely into my cellphone and I can call them anytime I care to. They have my number too and that is just fine with me. And if I do meet new people or make new friends, they can have my number and I will talk to them too. It is a very refreshing feeling to get rid of people who are nothing but detrimental to your well-being. They zap your time, your energy and they bring you down. But I don’t want to leave them all in the dark now that I’m gone. So…
To the girl who added me from class who always asked me when assignments were due: fuck you, use your course outline.
To the girls who went to Cuba on spring break, and combined added 16 albums of the trip: fuck you, no else was there and no one knows why Jose was soooo funny or why you took 14 pictures of the same tree.
To the ex who tried to make me jealous by posting on other girls walls: fuck you, really? Has it come to this? This is flirting to you? Pathetic.
To the girl(s) with horrible low self esteem who repeatedly complimented my pictures so that I would compliment theirs: fuck you, your ugly and I won’t waste my time trying to say something nice just because you did.
To the guys who added me before getting to know me and then judged me on my pictures and ‘quotes’ section: fuck you, take the time to know people in person.
To the emo child who posted ALL his short stories: fuck you, they sucked.
To the girl who updated her status with Twilight quotes: fuck you, and fuck Twilight.
To everyone I offended by deleting facebook and made think that I didn’t consider them a friend and won’t keep in touch anymore: fuck you, I probably didn’t like you anyways.
I don’t put up with people who are rude, annoying or self-absorbed in real life, so why deal with it on-line? I have created a collection of people who I dislike because I have feared ignoring their friend requests would create ‘drama’ and it has! What kind of fuckery is that? Facebook is peer-pressure, bullying, insults and cat fights all in a convenient online format. It’s your one stop shop for everything you escaped from in high school. And who doesn’t want to be back in high school? The lies, the rumors, the ‘omg she did what?’ and the ever popular ‘did you hear? he fucked her!’ I am so happy now as an adult with a wonderful, supportive circle of friends, why would I keep up some charade with people I never liked in the first place? I was wasting valuable time that I could be spending with my friends. Even writing this long rant on a blog is a better use of my time. I was so frustrated last week with the gossip and drama that this thing has created in my life and my friends lives that I went ahead and deleted it at school in the computer lab. The girl next to me looked at me in shock, while she was cruising on her own Facebook account and said: “But how are you going to stalk anyone now?” My point, exactly.
April 10th, 2009 at 1:05 pm
Gawd, i actually made a fbook and became a zombie =/ mind it was for procrastinating purposes. I’ve found other ways now.
I like the
“To the girl who added me from class who always asked me when assignments were due: fuck you, use your course outline.
To the girls who went to Cuba on spring break, and combined added 16 albums of the trip: fuck you, no else was there and no one knows why Jose was soooo funny or why you took 14 pictures of the same tree.
To the ex who tried to make me jealous by posting on other girls walls: fuck you, really? Has it come to this? This is flirting to you? Pathetic.
To the girl(s) with horrible low self esteem who repeatedly complimented my pictures so that I would compliment theirs: fuck you, your ugly and I won’t waste my time trying to say something nice just because you did.
To the guys who added me before getting to know me and then judged me on my pictures and ‘quotes’ section: fuck you, take the time to know people in person.
To the emo child who posted ALL his short stories: fuck you, they sucked.
To the girl who updated her status with Twilight quotes: fuck you, and fuck Twilight.
To everyone I offended by deleting facebook and made think that I didn’t consider them a friend and won’t keep in touch anymore: fuck you, I probably didn’t like you anyways. ”
by the person above . Aha i’m super sick of these social netowrk sites .. too many of them .. can’t wait til this one dies!
And yes i deleted my account
April 11th, 2009 at 8:30 am
Why oh why can’t this facebook excrement just die? I hate it beyond belief.
There. Everything else I think has been said.
April 12th, 2009 at 12:44 am
mmmm….
ye i agree with all your facebook bashing retorts…
however, i do love taking fotos…and i have a large group of friends…real ones … not the ones in inverted commas ya kno…
and it s a great way to share them…used to make use of myspace…but not everyone’s hotmail and it s abit of a bother nowadays…
so if for nuting else…it s great for sharing fotos…
April 12th, 2009 at 5:45 am
in the beginning i didn’t know what facebook was,
i signed up and found some of my old schoolmates and was really happy,
then we organized a gathering and one of them was taking pictures,
the next day it was allover FB.
i personally like to be anonymous, and i hate it when my photos get posted by friends,
April 12th, 2009 at 11:06 pm
Just deleted my account. WHEW.
I can’t believe I broke my own rules on Facebook, because it seemed so deceivingly “friendly”.
Rule #1:
Don’t mix your friends. They’ll check out each other’s profiles and somebody always gets offended, or hurt, or feels left out. Or they all just end up hating you for having a friend like “that”. Very little good comes out of it. And a whole lot of comparison, competition, vying for attention and hurt feelings. And all this without you having done a thing other than naively open the door to everyone.
Rule #2:
Don’t mix family & friends. Why? Read Rule #1. Wonder why some have started giving you the silent treatment? Could be your political affiliation. Could be your “Groups”. Could be your cross-gender friend, Betty. There’s NO telling what rubs people the wrong way.
Rule #3 (more like Result #3)
If you’re not a fan of organized religion in the first place, this will make you HATE it and those in your life who flaunt it. A wife of a cousin today actually had a status update: “What does Jesus mean to you?” Ugh. No offense, I’m down with JC, it’s his followers that frighten me.
Rule #4:
Do NOT be tempted to comment on things. At best, it will be ignored. At worst, you’ll get hate mail calling you a f***ing so n so…
Well, that’s all i can muster right now. But i can honestly say that Facebook has actually diminished the quality of my relationships, and made me like a bunch of people a whole lot less.
April 13th, 2009 at 1:25 pm
Thank you thank you thank you for this important piece of writing. Facebook, or fakebook as I like to call it, is a stain on society, as is Myspace and Twitter. And what the fuck is a twitter anyway??? Why oh why can we not call each other on the phone anymore? Why can we not make actual plans and enjoy the physical company of one another? Why are we becoming more and more obsessed with text as communication? It concerns me and it infuriates me. I can speak from experience, as someone who was pathetically obsessed with facebook, that this new form of “staying in touch” is destroying everything. Remember the good old days of rambling pointless conversation with your friends all sitting in a bar or a room or anywhere - together? We’ve become an emotionless society of text loving junkies and self-promoting electronic whores…maybe someday everyone can come out of their houses again and take in some fresh air…get to know one another…
April 15th, 2009 at 11:04 am
To my “so-called friend” who ignored me for a week because she saw pictures of me with a girl she didn’t like…. and we are in our twenties! Fuck this high school bullshit.
FUCK FACEBOOK.
April 17th, 2009 at 9:11 am
I am so glad i found and read this so I know I’m not alone in my facebook hate. Everyone around me has gone down like dominoes and become crazy facebook nuts. I feel so annoyed and yet so helpless to do anything.
April 17th, 2009 at 11:35 pm
First of all thanks for the great post. and again i am the another anti-facebook guy. people are damn crazy about this crap. the only thing i want to say is people are wasting their time and at the same time facebook owners are getting billionaire. stop using facebook be real
April 18th, 2009 at 12:22 pm
Please stop using our sick and retarded site…..
April 20th, 2009 at 9:40 am
This is off-topic here, but my brother has mental retardation, and I’m really tired people using the word “retarded” as a slur as the poster did in entry #322. I’m astounded that the author of this blog (whom I generally admire) chose to publish #322. The Special Olympics just started a “Spread the Word to End of the Word” campaign against the r-word.
And for those of you who think “it’s just a word!”, well, remember that language=attitudes. The r-word is a form of hate speech, and it’s just as hurtful as the n-word. And if you think that people with disabilities aren’t hated, let me tell you about all of the bullying that special education students have to endure in school.
April 20th, 2009 at 5:19 pm
I agree with the post. AMEN! Same thing can be said for Friendster (But it’s much worse than Facebook: THE GLAMORIZED profiles, the chunks of music players, and other unnecessary stuff we all don’t need to see!)
But I’m a hypocrite to say I don’t use or didn’t join Facebook. I did join, for communicating with my relatives in the USA (I live here in the Philippines)
But ever since I joined, I’ve been an addict myself. I ALWAYS check Facebook more than once a day, I take weird, stupid, senseless tests (who wants to know what books I read? No one reads them, They don’t care). But unlike other people who collect so many friends, I only invite those that matter to me.
Also, I do upload photos, but only for my relatives to see how’s life going here in the Philippines.
I’m not gonna stop using Facebook because I’m still communicating with my relatives and it’s the only way. They’re not around when you want to chat in YM or Skype, I can’t call them via the telephone (it costs a LOT), and email is tedious. But what I can do is be the black sheep of Facebook: be private in the face of a public domain. I know, I know, it still won’t clear me off the fact I’m using it like everyone else. But I’ll find a way to communicate with my relatives. Then I can put an ax on this damn Facebook
April 20th, 2009 at 8:10 pm
I’m free at last! Never again will I have to be a fly on the wall to a frivolous conversation between people I barely knew twenty years ago who sadly never fully matured. Never again will I be subjected to someone’s family reunion photos that I wish I’d never seen in the first place. Never again will I be informed of which Twilight character someone is most like. Never again will I be notified that whats-her-face is now ‘in a relatshionship’ or ’single’.Never again will I be sent a meaningless cyber gift and have to feel either guilty for ignoring it or silly for accepting it. Never again will the ghost of acquaintance past post some insipid thing on my wall as though we’ve been chums all along, and have other “friends” make snap judgments about me. Never again will I subject myself to the type of high school politics that dominates facebook. Never again will I have a cyber snowball thrown at me. Never again will my worlds collide and be enmeshed online for all of the lemmings on facebook to observe. I’M FREE NOW! I’m free to go have real facetime with people who are my real friends and have a real cupcake while I’m doing it.
April 22nd, 2009 at 8:41 am
326 (counting me) people have written on this website!! I can’t believe this! I am not alone… finally!
I wish I actually knew more people who aren’t on facebook so that I could feel a little less lonely…
April 24th, 2009 at 3:26 am
I HATE FACEBOOK because if this is a planed social experement
then it when completely worng as it is a anti social and depressing website
1,communication wise with friends who you havent seen in Ex amout of years througth primary school or secondary school respectivly
2,it is poision, i can sour and termanate friendship very quickly even when it is a female recent evidence for me is two hungarian friends of mine severed connections with me,and the same with 3 primary school mates of mine who i havent seen in 20 plus or so years and they left me,i was only me in the comments in what i said but i didn’t offend them my friend count was 58 and now it is 53 it is a very bad site and if you hound the females long enougth then you are susteble to blockage attacks and also suspension of your account
3, “people you may know” “find friends” that is a very bad tool as a started as people start using the tool and you sudenly become the flavour of the month you have like 50 or 100 people you know in past years and they hunt you down like hell and you get sick off it and you start to feel like if you want to vomit
4,upgrades can be better ,all quizes,tests,banners,and advertisements will have to be taken off the site.
5,it is a depressing website as friendship is subject to termination from a non relestic sense to a real sense
ie friends name dave, other friends name sarah
facebook friends… dave + sarah = friendship
dave - sarah = no friends on facebook “and possible friendship in real life”
6,you could be playing with fire
metafore
a great metafore would be careful “fragile” as in the symbol as in a cardboard box
i as a user will be using it careful
April 25th, 2009 at 6:09 am
I’m an ex-Facebook user and right from the start I knew something didn’t feel quite right about Fakebook. And why was it so hard to delete it? There is just something wrong with a page where you post all this information about yourself (naively, strategically, accidentally and harmlessly) placed there for everyone to see. Every trace of humility just sinks in a sea of narcissism. Facebook represents everything that’s wrong with Western society; shallow and impersonal relationships, narcissism, apathy, materialism, lack of social cohesion, degradation of friendships, degradation of privacy, advertising, and bad grammar to say the least. I’m glad I took that piece of junk to the trash. Facebook is the McDonalds of socializing; euphoric to the senses, poison to the body and soul.
April 25th, 2009 at 6:21 am
Btw, the KGB would be in complete, ecstatic, paralyzing awe of Facebook. I’m sure they wished they could have dreamed that up. Think about it, people all over voluntarily giving out personal information and photos in a wild race to outdo their ‘friends’. A vigilant intelligence institution’s wet dream. I bet the CIA thought it all up.
April 26th, 2009 at 1:54 am
Facebook is likely here to stay, so we should all get use to it. There is no way that the people will ever give it up because it has to much value to them. The majority of people that are on there have spent a good deal of their time creating their profile, and they have grown with it. It has become a part of them. Its a sad reality and there is nothing that can be done.
April 26th, 2009 at 11:55 am
“Its a sad reality and there is nothing that can be done.”
that is the exact sense of hopelessness which has gotten America into the current dismal state it is in right now. society has lost all standards of right and wrong. we are just going to give up?
April 27th, 2009 at 10:46 am
i once thought that facebook was just a fashion and will wear off someday. i think i was wrong.. i met 10 people that had an account and deleted it but i also met 50 that never had good relationship with computing and that staff and now they have an account in facebook. now i know that we’ ll never win this. why? because insecurity, narcissism and all these psychological disorders of today’s western (mostly) civilizations and way of life will keep on growing. i started to feel pity for the so called human race. i mean are we smarter, more intelligent, is our IQ way higher than these people, are we more logical OR it’s us that we suffer from some kind of personality disorder thus we tend to see this from the perspective that we do?? I mean there has to be a right and wrong point of view in this matter. can you give me your personal opinions about this???
April 27th, 2009 at 3:48 pm
“I mean there has to be a right and wrong point of view in this matter. can you give me your personal opinions about this???”
I don’t have a philosophy degree, and there may be a number of folks who are fans of this blog who can articulate this better than I can.
Part of me thinks that Facebook is OK in the instance of a mother and her two grown daughters on Facebook sharing photos, jokes, etc. But another part of me thinks that e-mail is just as useful for sharing that stuff. My father lives 2,000 miles away, and I wouldn’t dream of using e-mail to ask him how his day was; I would call him up instead.
You’re right on in your analysis that Facebook brings out and even breeds narcissism and insecurity. Facebook appeals to a kind of vanity and self-importance in people. The concept of mimetic desire asserts that people are essentially sheep-like and will copy one another without much reflection. In my opinion, most people who join Facebook do so because “everybody else is joining” rather than the inherent “value” of Facebook itself. In my opinion, choosing to do something just because “everybody else is doing it” is ignorant. Facebook is a tool of social conformity, and there’s a real herd mentality about it, isn’t there?
On a separate topic, the social pressure to join Facebook is driving me nuts! I live in San Francisco, my husband works in tech, and I am sick to death of it. I need some zingers I can whip out when Facebookers start nagging me about not having an account. This happens so frequently that I feel I need — pardon the corporatespeak — talking points. Here are some I’ve gleaned, quite admittedly, from others’ posts:
Facebook is:
“the McDonald’s of socializing.”
“a corporate data mining tool posing as a social networking site.”
“a protracted high school reunion”
“I don’t like digitalized relationships.”
“I’m a private person.”
“I’m a soulful person.”
“Facebook is crack for undernourished egos. I don’t need that kind of validation.”
Any others?
April 27th, 2009 at 6:31 pm
the most accurate was the first one. The MACDONALD OF SOCIALIZING. I would say it’s a drug against personal insecurities. at least people use it that way but they will never be able to understand this.
people like to live the life of a star. they think that by having a webpage dedicated to them and telling what they are doing or like or went or will go make them famous so they kind of enjoying it. they want to show to their high school friends, colleagues, classmates, potential ‘lovers’ and so on how successful their life is, with 700+ friends (from which they hardly like lets say 20 of them) that they live in wonderland, have a good job, go on trips all over the world, partying all the time etc.
they comment on each others photos saying that they look fantastic just to get the same comment back thus FEEDING THEIR UNDERNOURISHED EGOS and insecurities about themselves.
honestly…I feel pity and ashamed for them.
I also agree with the corporate data mining tool but i consider this to be a minor fact against this facebook case.
the answer that i take from my classic question “WHY FACEBOOK?” (of course i know why but i like to hear what people have to say about it) –1. to keep in touch with friends 2. to play games (poker, uno etc) — makes me sick.. I always smile back at them and walk away.
and you know what scares me the most?? That it’s just us - almost 300 in this fabulous blog - and few more that can see the truth behind this thing and the rest 200 million users(i guess) still believe that they use it to keep in touch with people that they dislike or not interested in them. they really believe it..
for me when i meet someone and later i find out that they have a facebook account no matter who or what they are, i cannot take them seriously any more.
April 30th, 2009 at 12:59 am
I thought the last 3 posts were really interesting. If everyone who uses facebook is wright, what is wrong with the people who don’t have facebook? Facebook tends to be best for people that fit in well, and have highly developed social lives. May be the people who don’t have facebook just don’t fit in well in the crowd, or are missunderstood. May be its an age thing? It seems like an average collage student has no problem having an account, but someone past their thirties is less likely to have one. One question that i would love an answer for is have any of you actually tried having an account, fed it the bs that it is, just to fit in, and failed or succeeded?
May 1st, 2009 at 7:26 am
Comment 335.
If you had bothered to read all of the comments on this blog or al least most of them you would have noticed how many of the people that have posted somenthing, are former or current users of facebook and they seem well adjusted from the way they express their dislike for facebook, as for you, you must be very confused, you probably don’t like facebook either, but don’t have enough personality to reject it.
May 1st, 2009 at 10:33 am
well,i think that people who like to waste time in such silly things have defenitly find what they desire,its facebook, that website who even succeed to overcome myspace and netlog and so on. i really do hate facebook and i discoverd that only after i signed up :).. after one day signing up .. many requests were received from students i don’t know .. if u never dare to talk to me personally,then u think fB is solution, i eventually found that the Best Solution is to deactive my account, so i’ll said byebye to fake life.. i found also that facebook is really FAR from reall life
May 1st, 2009 at 10:51 am
This…made me feel TONS better. I could so relate in your situation, xPRimNT. Yeah, I was like most of the 336+ people who comment that felt all alone, but in the end have each other for one similar reason: that we hate facebook.
I used to have one, but I didn’t use it much. Thus, I did not experience the annoyance of the apps, the comments, the wall and the fake friends. Thankfully, after reading this article, I finally deleted my account.
Things that sicken me regarding facebook:
1. Friends who overly peer pressure me to get a facebook. There’s this one friend who asks me to get a facebook, and tries to convince me to get one by various means such as privacy control, etc. But her arguments aren’t strong enough for me to make me join. In some conversations she continuously bugs me to get one, up to the point where I want to scream my head off. I hate it when people pressure me to get a facebook because it shows that they have nothing better to do, and it makes me feel disconnected from them. They have no right to disrespect my decisions like that; they need to learn to accept me for who I am. I’m more on the face-to-face side of socializing; I could get a lot more of that than on facebook.
2. A close relative (i don’t want to say who) is very addicted to facebook. She is totally hypnotized by it ever since she got one a few months ago. She is addicted to all these apps and the 101 Eggs, and is collecting them through various means, and even shows them to me. Even worse, she wastes my time showing me those apps, and even asks me to collect the eggs for her while she’s away, so I said no. What also totally sickens me about her is that one of the apps includes pets. She raises a fake pet panda and is addicted to her. Again, nothing better to do. I wish she would stop showing me those apps like a child because I’M NOT INTERESTED.
I’m really in my happy world, they’re not.
Again, thank you, xPRimNT. Your views on Facebook are very strong, and a lot of us could relate to your situation. If anyone asks me to get a Facebook in their yearbook signature to me, I would consider the whole signature meaningless!
Down with Facebook!
May 1st, 2009 at 2:06 pm
I don’t hate facebook, but it has to be kept UNDER CONTROL. it’s a nice idea but can get way out of hand quickly. I turned off most of the apps.
i mean i got “farm” requests, got hit with a water gun filled with “mustard”, bunches of “superpokes” and other dorky ass things.
May 3rd, 2009 at 11:11 am
Hypnotized - Heh! The story that you wrote about your relative who is addicted to a pet panda and Easter eggs or whatever is really cracking me up! How old is this person? I imagine 12-13. Tell me this is not an adult! This scares me! How odd!!!!
I’m very thankful I don’t have one. Life is too short to spend anymore time than I already do online. Anyway, I am lucky that I have many close friends and stay pretty busy. I also have quite a few goals and collecting fake friends, zombies, pet pandas and Easter eggs is not among them.
I will say that many of my friends have accounts. Whenever they bring it up around me, I listen to all the gossip - then I ask, so what happened in “real” life today? Or, I just laugh and talk about something more meaningful.
The other day I witnessed something that really distrubed though. I went to my friends house to pay her a visit. She has 2 children. Both are toddlers. Anyway, her youngest was screaming and crying and holding some battieries or something in her hand. Her oldest child sat gaping at the TV like a zombie. She payed no attention to them at all. She directed me into her computer room so that we could look at photos that some old ex-friend of hers had posted to her page. I picked up her youngest and took the batteries out of her hand and then I went over to her son and asked him what was new? She on the other hand, hadn’t even been aware of any of this activity, she was completely zoned out on Facebook. I told her I wan’t interested in anything that her long lost friend had done.
When a trivial thing such as Facebook takes your attention away from your real life, living and breathing children who need you, then it is definitely time to quit.
May 3rd, 2009 at 8:23 pm
DISCLAIMER: I understand that many people here may not ascribe to Christianity, and this post is NOT an attempt to proselytize anyone!
During church today, the assistant minister (who happens to be a lay person) offered a petition during our community prayers, asking for guidance in the midst of the presence of Blackberrys, Twitter, e-mail, and Facebook that we remember to make time for prayer and reading of the Scriptures.
I just had to post this because I felt so happy to hear someone make a public statement about Facebook in this spirit. I have hope in humanity, and I suspect that eventually people will grow tired of Facebook. Have hope, everyone! I suspect that there are more of “us” than there are out them. When appropriate, I think it is important that we speak to our friends and family about our feelings about Facebook and come out of the closet about the fact that we do not have an account. Let’s start our own grassroots movement!
May 4th, 2009 at 7:58 pm
Thanks for all the insightful commentary on the scourge of FB. I too found this via the magic Google “I hate facebook” door. The duration and passion of this thread is amazing; iIt confirms and amplifies the opinions I already had regarding this phenomenon.
I have been in the high-tech software industry for 20 years, and have seen many tech fads come and go, but the so-called “social computing movement” is by far the largest, most pervasive, and scariest. I can tell you from recent up-close experience that there are large numbers of venture capitalists, investment bankers, software companies and other denizens of the tech world who are drooling over the potential for making big bucks on this stuff. They just can’t figure out how, IMO because there is little intrinsic value to social computing mechanisms per se…but there are many smart people trying to figure out how to co-opt the phenomenon into a business gold mine. And, it’s all about the data.
So far, the biggest money is being made by consultants and authors who are pretending to have the secret formula to making some dough on the backs of FB and twitter users. (btw I thought nothing could surpass FB for sheer inanity, but then came twitter). One of their prime myths is that people will work for free if offered a social computing platform on which to post their free work. Yeah, sounds goofy to me too, but there you have it.
Another batch of companies starting to make real money are the “monitoring” companies, who provide software that scans rss feeds, blogs, twitter streams, and other web-based real-time publishing mechanisms for “corporate reputation” and “brand management” purposes. If bad opinions start popping up, they can launch countermeasures to limit the damage or turn opinion around. The implications of where this could be headed concern me greatly. These companies don’t have access to FB data. Theoretically. Yet. Maybe.
So, the corporate interests who make fortunes leveraging new market opportunities are all over this stuff, and they love nothing better than momentum, so you can expect to see the frenzy continue. But, you don’t have to be a record in someone’s database, if you don’t want to, thank god. Just don’t get sucked in.
May 5th, 2009 at 12:15 pm
WOW.
I am absolutely thrilled to see that I am NOT the only one who hates Fecebook with a deadly passion. I can now hope for the humanity. Keep these comments coming, people. I agree with each and every word of it!
*goes back to appreciate that sanity still exists*
May 5th, 2009 at 11:07 pm
you are missing LIFE!
I think you are a MONK from the monastery of the highest highlands and you never felt what FUN is all about.
If you don’t like facebook, just leave it to the people who die for it everyday.okay? i love you facebook loveeerrrs! don’t share your delight to FB haters..they are from the 10th Century or whatever you call that. hahaha!
May 6th, 2009 at 2:03 am
To LadyMarmalaid: Unfortunately, the relative is an adult. I’m not going further, but she definitely is addicted to her panda, eggs and snow globes.
May 6th, 2009 at 12:59 pm
UGH! Fakebook. Signed up about a year and a half ago to reconnect with an old, cherished friend in Europe - that was a great thing. Next thing, yes, I admit, I enjoyed the novelty of it - adding friends, posting on walls, etc……the “joy” of that lasted about one week.
I then came to my senses, realized what utter BS the whole thing was, and asked myself that why, as a very private guy, was I even on Fakebook to begin with?
Deactivated my account long, long ago. Adios! Don’t miss it at all.
Call me old-fashioned, but give me face-to-face over face-to-screen any day of the week.
May 8th, 2009 at 3:58 pm
post #344 - honey Z.. I bet you are 15 years old so please go to your facebook will you.
May 8th, 2009 at 5:46 pm
Continuing on from post 338…
3. “I will get you a Facebook!”
Everytime people say that to me, such as relatives and officemates, I BECOME VERY IRKED. I know it’s meant to be a joke, but when it is said to me, I feel very offended. I DO NOT WANT A FACEBOOK. Why can’t people just accept the fact that I do not need a Facebook? It’s like getting in my way, when all I want is a normal and simple life with my real friends. Facebook seriously damages brains of a lot of people, and thus complicates things.
It’s as if the hypnosis Facebook master is telling his minions to recruit more minions to a bigger army. But NO WAY am I conforming to his rules.
May 9th, 2009 at 12:15 am
Facebook is ridiculous!!! I’m glad there are people out there who share my sentiments.
I can’t stand the people who have 50 albums up… relax, no body cares that much about you to want to see hundreds of your drunken pics plastered around the site.
Also, don’t get me started on these young 12 year old kids who have started using facebook!! Their behaviour makes me cringe. I’m glad that when I was that age, I was able to develop in a natural way by going out and socializing with others. It scares me to think about where human relationships are going…
When I did have facebook, I only kept people on my list who I knew I would have an actual conversation with, if I ever ran into them in the real world. What’s the point of being facebook “friends” with somebody if you’re never going to say a word to them in real life? It’s so stupid really.
The weird thing is… you can’t even delete your facebook account!!! You can only deactivate it until the next time you decide to use it again. This makes me highly suspicious…
I understand that people use it as a medium to keep in contact with people, but there’s no need to devote your life to it, and post EVERY single detail about yourself on the internet. What happened to going out and experiencing the real world? I, for one, am glad that I actually go out there and make real friends… no amount of facebook-ing can fill the void of having an actual social life.
May 9th, 2009 at 3:31 pm
When I joined Facebook it was like okeyyy lets just do something on afternoon when there is nothing to do!
After 1 month I was ADDICTED to facebook. I was using my studyin time on Facebook!!! I mean I have like 1300 friends ( I do know 40% of them) I recieve messages and stuff… from facebook I met some chicks and want out with them but still its a waste of time..
I think facebook is OK if you use it one hour a week! People misunderstood facebook! I misunderstood facebook!
I dont know what to say but facebook was a big mistake for me!
Its a habit everytime I want to check my mail or smth I go to facebook.com hahaha.
Now I will have to get used not to use facebook. like stop smokin cigarettes!
May 11th, 2009 at 10:04 am
I think people need to concerned about the amount of information people are sharing on the web these days. It does not take long for someone to build up a profile of you. I think people tend to forget the amount of information they are giving away to bots.
For a test enter your full name in to Google, enter your username in to Google, enter your email address in to Google. You will be suprised the amount of information available to anyone who wants to find out about you.
I think people should be concerned about their privacy.
May 13th, 2009 at 6:13 am
Your argument is invalid. People do not have facebook to keep in touch with those from their past. Infact, it is fairly useful for keeping in touch with everyday contacts. Therefore your argument fails. Therefore you’re a tosser. Thank you.
May 13th, 2009 at 7:06 pm
Well, something I foresaw and dreaded the coming of arrived. An ex-girlfriend of my current boyfriend’s put in a friend request. I was advised anecdotally when we met that this person contacted him to “get together” a few years back (by mail when she still had his address).
I foresaw the shape the debate would take long before it happened - yes, he didn’t want to offend the person by declining their friend request and pointed out he hadn’t seen her in years, did nothing other than accept the request, did not disclose any personal information or talk to her etc…
It’s not that I’m imminently threatened by this person, my boyfriend is totally wonderful, save his Facebook usage, but it brings home my main question, which is “Then what on earth is the point of going through this ridiculous ritual of ‘friending’?” Sure, there are many friends I had back in college I’ve lost touch with, but that was ten years ago and by now I feel that randomly contacting them merely because I could would end up being meaningless, awkward - or both. Don’t get me wrong - if old friends happen to run into each other and find they’re still in synch and can renew their friendship - that’s beautiful. You have a real-life story to tell in those cases, not some mundane shit like: “XX accepted my friend request. Isn’t that cool?” No, it’s not.
May 17th, 2009 at 5:35 pm
For years I was literally harassed to join myspace and all I ever heard from my circle of friends was myspace this and myspace that and oh it’s so much fun blah blah finally I joined just get them off my back. I couldn’t find one thing fun about it and after eight months of being on there I deleted my page along with my 300 + “friends” just like a ghost in the night it was gone, it was so empowering and I felt free.
At present I am now being harassed to join facebook,friends say we cannot keep in touch any other way, it’s almost like they have forgotten how to pick up a phone or send off an e-mail.
No I will not be joining facebook or any other social networking site. To me it’s creepy and intrusive.
May 18th, 2009 at 9:04 am
Your argument is invalid as it appears to be infact not an argument but infact statements. Therefore you are an obvious fecebook lover (therefore you are affectionate of the combination of feces and books) who infact is invalid and therefore you fail. Therefore you are a salad tosser.
May 19th, 2009 at 7:24 pm
Thank goodness I am not alone! I had gotten a facebook account a long time ago because my sister asked me to (had no idea what the heck it was) and as soon as I started “finding” people, I felt like an intruder. I stopped and never added anyone to my account and deactivated it. Perhaps it is neat to see what people from your past are up to, but it felt intrusive, voyeuristic, and plain creepy. Despite peer pressure (everyone is doing it…come on) I have decided to stay with ancient phone calls and emails. No, I am not a freak, loner, anti-social, but I just don’t believe these “friendships” can substitute good old intellectually stimulating, meaningful, conversation. Call me old-fashioned, but at least I know who I am and I don’t need 300 “friends” to make myself feel better. Ha!
May 20th, 2009 at 3:17 pm
To post #344- How can you have fun sitting on a computer? I’m not missing out, you are! People who don’t have a Facebook get to have real conversations and hang out with real people. It’s the best thing ever.
May 21st, 2009 at 11:33 am
alhamdulillah…. aku sudah sembuh dari sakit facebook… thanks…
May 22nd, 2009 at 5:22 pm
I agree that facebook has become more of a problem then it is set out to become. By becoming open source it has allowed peoples’ information to be spread around the world. I myself along with a partner have created a new social site. Http://www.webipad.com. We are looking to secure the privacy of people by not going open source. Adding donations to charity while culminating and captiving all the key points from all social networks out there. I ask you all to join if you want to be part of something new and innovating. Opinions and request are always welcome.
May 24th, 2009 at 1:26 am
Aadam (#359), your attempts in trying to market your website here is highly contradicting what this blog is all about! What makes you think that we would downgrade from one social networking site to another? Essentially, It is the social networking sites as a whole in which we look down upon, not just Facebook itself. It’s about moving on from the virtual world to the real world, where one can enjoy the charms of real life interaction, rather than the colorless forms of interaction the internet offers.
May 27th, 2009 at 6:14 am
I’m so glad others feel the same way, i really thought i was the only person who hated this shit website. Facebook is horrific, it’s a manifestation of all the worst parts of human nature -exhibitionism, attention-seeking, self obsession.
For all those people who claim that “it’s just a way to stay in touch with people”, what is wrong with email? And if that’s true, why put your favourite book, music, tv etc, up there for public consumption? Surely if it’s just for your friends, they all know about your likes and dislikes anyway? And why put up pictures of you being drunk for everyone else to see? Why are people so so proud of their drunken antics? Probably because if they were sober they would be incapable of doing anything even slightly interesting.
I agree with a lot of people on here that even if you aren’t on facebook, it can really impact on your life. My friends are all smart and nice people, yet as soon as we go out anywhere, out comes the camera and, rather than just getting lost in the moment, we have to record just how much “fun” we are having in photos which are then posted on facebook. Grrrr… Everything has become so ostentatious.
Just an extra thing -having just 200 ‘friends’ is actually pretty restrained. Most people i know have over 900, a bit bizarre really. Dunno how you could find time to sustain that many friendships even if you never bothered sleeping.
Anyway, rant over.
May 31st, 2009 at 4:08 pm
Facebook has been the catalyst of problems in my own family that are reality-show worthy.
My husband and I just learned that his sister, who is married with two little kids, has been having an affair with a guy she dated in high school with whom she reconnected with on Facebook a couple of months ago.
The whole situation is so trashy and gross that it makes me sick. Curse you, Facebook.
June 1st, 2009 at 12:10 am
Piece of crap…luckily I don’t need to deactivate since I learned the lesson ages ago with…
Classmates.com!
June 1st, 2009 at 7:17 am
I know that facebook is a bit of a silly website, but I do still think that there are some good things about it. I think people who willingly post lots of personal details about themselves ANYWHERE online aren’t quite the sharpest knives in the drawer, but it’s not something that’s completely required on joining facebook. Privacy settings can be quite useful. I think perhaps the best thing about it is the way in which it can be used to advertise different club nights, local events, small-time radio shows etc (as a UK student I find that this is one of the simplest methods of keeping up to date with the things going on around me).
Maybe some people have just outgrown things like facebook, as it seems to be very much geared towards a younger generation.
June 1st, 2009 at 3:10 pm
Oh and forgot to mention, fakebook has ruined so many relationships. I don’t even wanna go there. It’s just so scary.
June 1st, 2009 at 3:28 pm
The day was again coming to an end. Again tired of the relentless stream of “Are you interested” smoke signals from “wannabe” dikes - and I still can’t manage to delete this f**king site.
FB is a money machine friends. The concept is not built on helping people, or improving awareness. The concept is constructed on shovelling cash in.. and it’s working. The creator saw a weakness in our DNA and zoomed in and torched us.. The weakness being our incessant desire for staging of selves. I believe, though.. am I wrong?
FB feeds on the human race’s primary desire for recognition and acceptence.
Disgusting business idea.
I support all and anyone who writes within these walls.
Williamo
June 2nd, 2009 at 6:18 am
I hate facebook for all of the above reasons and, quite frankly, I don’t see this madness ending anytime soon: 80.000 new accounts are open every day, and even though there are undoubtedly many more people deactivating than those visiting this site, our quest is really just a drop in the ocean.
However, I have noticed that people seem to be more and more uneasy about social networking, to the point that I am almost anticipating with pleasure lashing out at the unsuspecting new aquaintance asking me to hook up on facebook.
My standard response starts with a surprised laugh and then graduates to a sad, disgusted look that prompts said aquaintance to a shameful retreat: ‘But I am hardly ever there… it is useful in some cases, but God no, I am not one of those people who spends hours updating their profile! I have very few pictures… am hardly ever there. Hardly’.
Of course this is probably bullshit, but I think that the post-college age group is starting to see the childishness of it all, even if they can’t tear themselves away from it because facebook feeds on our desperate need for recognition and meaningless celebrity, even if within a ’small’ circle of 500 ‘friends’.
And it’s addictive. In fact, not only facebook promotes addictive behaviours such as self-obsession, voyerism, stalking and OCD (anyone with a flatmate who checks her account 5 times before leaving the house?), but takes them to a whole new level by removing the physical obstacles that normally keep these destructive behaviours in check.
Facebook is just an appendix of reality TV, it’s our neighbourhood celebrity show, it’s the product of societal pressure to conform and thus make us both plyable to marketing forces and indifferent to increasing surveillance in all aspects of our life.
Given all this, it is unlikely that the tide will ever change, and even if facebook may eventually fall out of favour there will be even more sinister options filling the gap.
All we can do is take pride in our stance and never, ever, let anyone of the sheep make us fell like we have to justify why we refuse to be herded.
June 2nd, 2009 at 10:10 am
From the perspective of the average business, FB is like having a March Madness bracket going 365 days a year. There are stats published on “lost productivity” from alcohol, drugs, smoking, etc…..the productivity suckage from FB must be huge.
June 2nd, 2009 at 8:20 pm
I agree..I agree
Hai I’m from Indonesia..
So sad that Indonesian is one of the biggest user of facebook..
I’m so sorry if my english is not really good, but I want to try to explain what I feel.
Earlier, I think I’m the only one who hate facebook.
Happy to know all of you guys!!
Some moslem people say that facebook is using by Israel to financing their attack to Palestina? I dont’t know whether this info is true or not. I’m moslem too. Anyhow, that issue is not my reason why I dont really like facebook.
But you know, I wish someday that issue is true. And then, because moslem is dominant in my country I wish facebook will be blocking as soon as posible. HAHAHA
Actually, I also have facebook account (feeling guilt!!). This is because so much pressure. But I never Updated my account, even I dont put my photo there. Just to make my friends stop asking me to have facebook!! I told them..oh..yeah I have facebook, please adding me! So I think they will never mocking me as “weird”.
Just add me…But I’ll never approve you..because I never open my account..!!!
June 4th, 2009 at 12:04 pm
I thought I was the only fucking person in the world who hated that narcisisstic fucking site. Whenever someone asks me if I have facebook that I have just become friends with I lose all respect for that person. I wish some computer hacker would make a virus to destroy that cancer.
June 5th, 2009 at 8:41 am
What an absolute relief to read through all of these comments. And, unlike the time I used to waste reading through status updates and references to the random photos of my ‘friends’, I genuinely feel that the past 30 minutes’ reading has been a productive and mentally cleansing experience. I’m not sure that I could contribute much more to this discussion. However, this is because I wholeheartedly agree with the majority of comments posted. I am a fan of intelligent dialogue. In person. Again, this is quite unlike the experience of reading through a multitude of egocentric, superficial and pointless crap posted to my ‘home’ page.
I used to think that Facebook was an innovative idea and would facilitate networking and communication. But this is absolutely wrong. How naive was I to believe that when in fact it has done quite the opposite. This has already been covered in great detail above.
All I wish to add is that I am now resolved that when I wish to contact my genuine friends I will pick up the phone and arrange to meet them! Nothing beats a good discussion and face-to-face contact in real-time. I just hope that others ‘ wake up and smell the coffee’ too. Now…where’s my Nescafe?
June 8th, 2009 at 11:06 pm
As soon as I tried to find out what Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter is all about, I know now it’s all about giving up your private data for the big corporations for consumer profiling, data fishing, and privacy invasion. There is nothing that actually is about social networking face to face. You can have thousands of friends, but you will never meet them, and you probably don’t want to either. Having a site that actually allows you to be egocentric and totally self absorbed is actually very popular now a days, but as for me, I will keep my cell phone for the real thing…..
June 11th, 2009 at 7:39 am
I signed up to facebook a few weeks ago because a friend sent a “friend request.”
I connected with 20 “friends” and quickly realised just how inane and pathetic facebook is. Not only is it leading to the degeneration of the English language, it’s also causing an large IQ drop in anyone who is an active member, whilst users post meaningless updates about their petty lives.
Jack is bored
Paul has shaved his head
Rach is tired and sleepy
Andy wants to live abroad
or worse still: -
Mike is owt 2nite proper luvin’ it
etc.
Horrible. Just horrible.
L
June 11th, 2009 at 11:42 pm
I will admit I’ve been on Facebook for about 2 years. I am in the process of totally deleting the damn thing. It’s been a long time coming. There is too much to do and see out there in the ‘real’ world than to be sitting there like a fart for hours on end, doing stupid quizzes that ask rediculous shit like “are you and innie or an outie”. What a load of bullshit!
I regret spending so much time on there. It makes me angry and frustrated that place. Am I bitter? Hell yes! It’s such a frigin crock. My older sister is on there all the bloody time. She meets all her boyfriends via internet, all of her friends are on the ‘net’. She has no life, this fucking laptop and facebook are her ‘life’.
I just can’t believe I let myself be suckered into that bullshit. All of the old faces from high school are on there. Most of them add you and you send them a message or something, and they never respond. They only add you because they want a huge arse friends list.
I’m over myspace too..and all of this shit.
You aren’t “boring” or “common” if you don’t have facebook like I’ve heard around the place, you are those things if nothing else in your life satisfies than sitting there on your arse for ages, farting about on the bloody thing!
Sincerely,
Kristie.
P.S: I’m not usually this vulgar and angry. I just needed to vent. Thank you:)
June 14th, 2009 at 5:55 am
I have been on the site for about 2 years. My husband, the most quiet person ever, asked me to get an account thinking that I would have fun talking to my actual friends. At first it was great b/c I got in touch with people from my past that lived in my area. Well, facebook started growing exponentially!!
There were people on there, as the author mentioned, were in my past!! I left them there for a reason. But I felt social pressure to be friends with them. I admit, I got curious as well. I wanted to see what was going on with certain people. Unfortunately, I also began to remember specific reasons why I disliked these people. Plus I was happy with my life and myself but find myself having to compete with these people to prove that my life is just as good as theirs. I too am bitter! I am also, as some have mentioned, in the process of KILLING my account:
1. Delete unwanted friends.
2. Removing personal information that you can call me on the phone to find out if you really want to know.
3. Removal of photos I don’t think you need to see.
These things should not have been posted to begin with…I know.
June 14th, 2009 at 8:41 pm
guys…don’t you miss the traditional social life?
I miss it so much.
We must find a way to cure this disease
But how?
Do you have any idea?
June 14th, 2009 at 8:49 pm
guys…don’t you miss the traditional social life?
I miss it so much.
We must find a way to cure this virus
But how?
Do you have any idea?
Even my 8 years old cousin has infected by this virus..oh no!!!!
I find is more difficult nowadays, to find trully friends, trully mate..
June 15th, 2009 at 8:17 pm
Lady wrote in 377: “We must find a way to cure this virus[.] But how? Do you have any idea?”
Blogging about how much we dislike Facebook is good too, I suppose, but I think word of mouth is best.
We need to start telling people that we don’t have Facebook accounts before our friends, new acquaintances, coworkers, etc. start asking us questions. I’m advocating a proactive approach instead of a reactive approach: volunteering the information instead of hoping the dreaded question “Are you on Facebook?” won’t be asked, because you know it will be.
Say it loud, say it proud, everybody shout:
“I don’t have a Facebook account!”
June 16th, 2009 at 6:07 am
Today I got an email from facebook, reminding me that someone had invited me to join a few months ago, and listing some of that person’s new friends whom I might know myself.
I didn’t join facebook in the first place for a simple reason: the whole facebook concept repulses me, completely and utterly. I have no desire to plaster inane details about my life on the WWW for all to see. I have no desire to be contacted by folks I went to school with. All the people in my life who matter to me are still in my life; I commune with them frequently via face-to-face conversation. I have more friends than I have time to do them all justice. The last thing I need is a gargantuan list of facebook “friends” over whose photos I must pore, and over whose message-walls I must scrawl meaningless natterings.
Annoyed that I’m now getting unwanted spam from facebook, I googled “why I hate facebook”. This page was the number one hit. Dear author, I must congratulate you on a well-written piece of angstful prose which conveys completely the utter contempt you have for facebook. Your writing mirrors my own annoyances with facebook perfectly. You have hit the target with complete, unerring accuracy. Though this page is now 2 years old, it is as relevant today as the day it was penned. Perhaps even more so as more and more normal human beings become repulsed by the whole facebook concept.
June 16th, 2009 at 4:54 pm
why you delete some recent coment?
June 16th, 2009 at 5:02 pm
Thank you for letting me know its not just me. What a complete waste of life. People all ways ask How do you stay in touch with people - Telephone letter email fax, by actually leaving my house and going to meet people! Anything is better than having to through sheep at people and various people trying to turn you into a vampire because it zany!
June 16th, 2009 at 5:38 pm
YEEEAAAHHH!!! almost 400 now. We can do it. each 1 of us equals 500.000 facebook users. Boy we are expensive individual units..
June 17th, 2009 at 1:21 am
Interesting comments…. I traveled for 6 months and find that facebook is a great way to stay in touch with friends from all over the world… Also great way to share my photos with those friends. Ironic how many people are soooo upset at Facebook. Just stop using it if it is that big a deal. Not necessary to react sooo much! If it works, use it. If it doesn’t, walk away! Pretty simple I thought!
Best of luck!
June 17th, 2009 at 8:15 am
I agree with post #383, but still - I hate Facebook! Everyone I know is one FB, but not me
My fiancee was thinking about joining and then I gave her two-hour lecture about why she should not join. Well, she has not. Win-win!
June 17th, 2009 at 10:38 am
#383 a.k.a “Josh”: I wonder if you are either a Facebook employee or someone who profits from it, or who, deep down, feels guilty for spending too much time on it. You must have pretty strong feelings about this to be a Facebook fan, go on to a site entitled “Why I Hate Facebook”, and post what you did.
I can’t believe that you felt you needed to scold our community for expressing our dismay with Facebook. You don’t seem to understand how frustrating it is to be nagged and pestered to join Facebook by people who won’t take “no” for an answer.
Enjoy your “Friends” list.
June 17th, 2009 at 4:30 pm
to our friend Josh #383: For me you are just another facebook guy and there’s a 98% chance to be the really pathetic user. if not and you just used it when you went abroad for 6 months and you share your photos with maximum 30 friends (family and relatives included) then your comment is acceptable. If you are a part of the 98% then please do not comment again here (better if you take one those brilliant facebook tests e.g. what kind of cigarettes are you? answer: you are Benson & Hedges) because we transmit at different channel and you will never be able to understand the point of view of this blog. neither we to your ideas.
June 18th, 2009 at 6:31 am
I very recently allowed myself to be de-flowered by Facebook, succumbing I’m not proud to say, to the “join the club” mentality. I did it kicking and screaming, dragged by the suggestions of fellow musicians who lamented my band Besharah’s lack of presence on “Internet High School”. We’ve had a website for 10 years, but alas, Besharah is admittedly a tricky name to spell, so I conceded that locating us somewhere else on the net, in addition to cdbaby.com might be smart. I felt nauseous while setting up my account, which should have been my first clue. The Besharah page may just be an example of the most half-assed thing I’ve ever done - it’s a shell really, not a wall. A band shell? I am not in the least bit juiced to upload photos, and add other belly button fluff that’s supposed to gain us some more fans. During the brief moments of my brain death, when I was keying in my answers to “other artists’ the band likes”, I realized I was on the slippery slope to hell. Who gives a rat’s ass? But I did it anyway, like an automaton. So, new bout of nausea rising, I finished the sentence and got the hell out of there, leaving it like a perp at a crime scene - band shrapnel strewn here and there in a most uninteresting way. Like a criminal, I’ll have to return to the scene of the crime at some point soon and wipe my prints of the wall. Just to let you know, repeated showering doesn’t make you actually feel better.
Lizzie
June 20th, 2009 at 2:46 pm
THANK GOD somebody finally told the truth about Facebook. It is the most narcissistic, self-serving and righteous thing I can think of. Who cares what you are doing or what you are thinking at any given moment? If you really wanted me to know you’d pick up a phone (you know, that old-fashioned thing you can talk into?) and call me! Why would anyone think I’d want to be “a friend” with someone say, from high school, who didn’t even know I existed when we were actually classmates is beyond me. The people I want to keep in touch with, I already do, and I didn’t find then on Facebook! I don’t see a huge difference between this and email - if you want me to know something why not just email it to me privately? Why must you put your private life and thoughts out there for the public to view? One post from a friend of mind recently said “I have the WORST cramps tonight”. BLECCCCHHHH Gimme a break. I am ashamed to say I have a Facebook account and I think I keep it so I can brag to these pathetic souls about actual accomplishments. Beyond that, it’s good for nothing except getting into long, drawn-out arguments with people who don’t even know you but are connected to you by a common “friend”. THAT I can do without. My life is too short for Facebook! To keep in touch, share news and photos, abroad or at home, I WILL STICK WITH EMAIL!!
Sign me,
Facebook hater
June 20th, 2009 at 3:53 pm
This site does bring some relief, I am slowly starting to despise Facebook more and more. Ive noticed that people are in some sort of competition of who has the most friends, of which 10 out of say 400 may only be real close friends for the average person.
Facebook is the McDonalds of making friends, it inflates friendship to worthlessness. Facebook slogan should be, “make friends fast you might regret it” Its all about look at me look at me look at me!. Facebook has become shallow and all the groups, causes, fanpages and applications have turned it into a bloated, mutated monster from which few can escape. Planning my exit from facebook as there are people i want to stay in contact with before buldozing my account in a few months time. The antifacebook movement starts here.
June 21st, 2009 at 5:09 pm
Facebook has given people the opportunity to show themselves as the self-important narcissists they are - what makes me the most angry is how people with whom I used to be actual friends no longer speak to me because I refuse to have an account and they no longer personally talk to me because all they use F-Book. Before it got big I set up a page in my dog’s name to see what it was about (I took it down not long after!) and I felt like a total perv looking at people’s profiles I know. If they’re not talking to me directly, what they’re doing is none of my business and I would never have my own pictures or personal info there - it’s just creepy! It’s an Internet popularity contest for narcissistic jerks and I want no part of it - I came here to see if I was the only hater and glad to find out I’m not alone.
June 21st, 2009 at 9:31 pm
BGSU Girl:
The same thing happened to me! A woman I befriended over a decade ago started blowing me off because I refused to get an account. What really irks me is that she came and stayed in my apartment for a week a year ago. I picked her up from the airport, took several days off work to show her around my town, made her home-cooked meals, and went out of my way to show her a nice time. During the time she was here, she tried to pressure me to get a Facebook account.
She told a friend of mine to tell me to “get on Facebook.” I sent her two polite e-mails telling her that while Facebook wasn’t my bag, I’d be happy to call her sometime. It’s been two months since I sent her the original e-mail, and I haven’t heard a word from her. I guess she’s too busy looking at her bloody Facebook account. I thought she was my real friend, but now I’m not so sure. Part of me thinks that she came to see me because I live in a city that is a popular tourist destination. I feel like my real friends would visit me no matter where I lived.
It’s funny; most of my longtime friends don’t have Facebook accounts, and we have all independently decided that Facebookland is ridiculous. While I don’t intend to “defriend” (pardon the awful Facebook jargon) all of my friends who have Facebook accounts, I am feeling like I have, for better or for worse, a new litmus test for true friends.
June 22nd, 2009 at 7:44 am
What a refreshing blog entry. I’m not in the category of most of you here who seem to have been burnt friendship-wise due to your reluctantness to join what is ultimately a snapshot of your life on the http://WWW. If I want to keep in touch with family or friends I’ll phone or meet up, not leave a life-long digital answering machine on the internet for people to prod and poke about at.
Maybe I’m used to having this thing called privacy, maybe I don’t think people would be interested in seeing pictures of me, or maybe it’s because I don’t want to be sucked into a so-called social network which is in reality as anti-social as they come, any serious (or should I say exclusive) Facebook user thinking they are part of a social-network would be wise re-evaluate their perception of sociability. Associating yourself with a few digital accounts and exchange of some email addresses and believing they are being sociable will be the demise of any modern sociable behaviour.
Digital friendship - you’ve got to love it!
June 22nd, 2009 at 8:18 am
I really enjoyed this post, and I couldn’t have said it any better myself! OMGWTFBBQ- that was hilarious!
June 22nd, 2009 at 9:09 pm
someone I think I know him. become someone I really dont know him anymore.
Its begin with all of the social networking site!!
There’s fake
There’s no empathy
There’s no honest
I just hope and pray…
no more drama!
Farm girl in the city #391
True friend doesn’t care whether you have facebook account or not.
They will never judge you “anything bad” just because of this temporary phenomenon.
True friend appreciate what their friend choose.to be or not to be the part of facebook.
Sometimes, something bad must be happen to make the others realize what they have chosen is bad.
Just pray that God will show us the truth
June 24th, 2009 at 9:18 am
Another funny thing is how all these middle-aged people think that they can buy their way into being ‘cool’ and ‘relevant’ by advertising their ‘command’ of social media. blach! All these unattractive 40-50 year old men at work and awkward-ish women somehow feel some sense of relief when they can talk about their participation in social media as if it’s a shortcut to being ‘with it’ - meanwhile, it’s free and anyone can sign up for it - you didn’t accomplish anything, and no, you’re not hip. Revolution my ass - just a mirror of our pathetic human tendencies (to boast, compete, etc). Revolution is people getting off their asses and hitting the streets - the Iranians would be doing that with or without Twitter. No one can tell me something that has TRULY changed. There is still a war in Iraq, total injustice in OPT, climate change looming ahead. What is so different? Awareness? Ok, and? I don’t see any real big measures being taken. Obama would have won anyway - with or without his social-media-savvy. People are so easily dazzled by anything new and shiny hung before their faces. Twitter and facebook away - go for it - but with ‘everyone’ doing it it’s just NOISE. Even this (my) post. I’m ranting here bc it feels good but I won’t be so rude to people directly - therefore, all this ’social media’ amounts to little in the real world.
June 24th, 2009 at 10:59 am
Finally someone with some sanity!
Reading this has made me feel so much better, thank you. Sometimes it feels like you are the only one in the world that feels this way.
God help our generation.
xxxx
June 24th, 2009 at 5:44 pm
I must say, when I first came to this blog, I did not expect to find 396 comments on the hatred of facebook. Generally articles do not seem to be so extensively commented upon, but it is nice to see that so many people feel the same way. I am an ex-facebook user, and I must say, since the moment I deleted it, I felt a weight lift from my soul. I also found it interesting that the comments begin from the year 2007, and continue right up until this very day.
I believe facebook has far too great of a hold on people, and the more people use it, the more they defend it. I tell people often that I think it is a waste of time, but their answers are always defended with glowing reports of how wonderful it is, and how I should get it again. I haven’t the least desire to do so, and I tell them that. It sickens me to see people running to their computers at the first possible opportunity to check their facebook, and do so again 10 minutes later, updating their status at the same time. “Going to sleep now.” 5 minutes later, “Can’t sleep…” Hmm…possibly because you’re to frantically worried about your facebook profile and who might be online, or who might have commented on your “Going to sleep now” status?
The fact that every time I turn around, I hear the word “facebook” is also highly discouraging. I turn on the news, and lo and behold more comments about facebook. I despise the very word. I am bitter towards it because of my personal experiences with it. Ones that I would love to have not experienced. But it opened my eyes to the true nature of the site, and as someone put it, it is like reliving high school with the incessant drama, and I also would prefer to move forward in my life rather than remaining stuck in the past.
I think all has been said by many well articulated comments which I scanned through. And as many have said, it’s encouraging to see that there are a lot of people out there who still hold in high regard the beauty of personal communication that doesn’t involve a technological tool.
June 25th, 2009 at 10:34 am
I hate twitter, too!
June 26th, 2009 at 9:25 pm
Facebook pressure is now taking its toll on me. :’-( This is what people say when I don’t have a Facebook:
“Why don’t you have a Facebook?”
“GET A FACEBOOK ACCOUNT!”
“Facebook is good for you!”
“I will get you a Facebook!”
“Take care of my pets!”
“Look at all these eggs and butterflies I collected!”
etc. etc.
The games that they play in Facebook are a complete waste of time as well. I really cannot stand people who are too addicted to it and make it their main topic of discussion. It actually makes me feel left out. I fail to see why Facebook (along with Twitter and Myspace) is better than anything else - MSN, e-mail, the phone, etc.
There’s got to be a way to reduce Facebook. The majority of these 398 posts all have a point. Maybe post #262 can be one of our solutions. I hope we can stop Facebook from dominating the world… :/
June 26th, 2009 at 11:50 pm
I’m a former Facebook user feeling some pressure to get back on. I even contemplated doing it…until sanity came back. I just don’t like my world’s of the present colliding along with worlds of my past. I like having boundaries between extended family, work life, leisure activity life, etc…only Facebook disturbs the natural order of things ( for example: the fact that Tammy down the street could see what cousin Sue posted on my wall made me CRINGE! even if it was basically nothing) And people naturally come in and out of your life…only those you thought left come out of left field to “friend” you. And I admit that I was also an out of left field “of’friend’er” After one or two exchanges, there is nothing more to say and it suddenly dawns on you why you haven’t kept in touch…only now this person is on your friend list…a voyeur.
June 28th, 2009 at 10:03 am
Wow, this whole page is like one giant, ongoing AA meeting.
My name is Matt and I’m giving up facebook (wasteofspacebook, fakebook, worldsnumberonepopularitycontestsitespacebook.).
Power to the people.
Fuck abbreviated typing, txtng etc.
Although I’m reasonably articulate, ’swear’ words help to get my point across.
Facebook: the place where people (ppl) who hardly know each other come together to celebrate their ignorance of each other via user-made quizzes, games and by sharing the most intimate details of their lives.
I have a better idea: pick up your ‘real’ phone, write a ‘real’ letter, arrange to meet your ‘real’ friends.
Trust me, real people and real, tangible contact are soooooooooooo much better.
Ciao. Au revoir. Goodbye. Asta Luego. Haere Ra.
June 30th, 2009 at 11:27 pm
Another reason to hate Facebook. As of today, previously private profiles are now partially public. I have tested this on a few people with private accounts (people I actually know and value in real life) and their photos, groups, apps and fan pages are all suddenly visible. I understand Facebook wanting to do battle with Twitter but to suddenly make people photos available to the public is just wrong. How many people are going to continue to upload thinking only their friends will see?
Get on the horn and warn your friends to double check their privacy settings. I’m not sure but i think you can control what is public but you’ll have to fine tune your settings.
Let’s be careful out there…
July 1st, 2009 at 7:03 am
Very interesting read… It appears that most of you treat this communication tool (facebook) like a snuff movie where you had to look but were disgusted and now feel somehow enlightened, empowered and more intelligent than those idiots still watching it. Few points stand out, not particularly aimed at anyone here:
Phone:
You’re too old and no one gives a flying fuck if you think it should be used. Even your friends are not using it any more (they are on facebook) yet you keep going on about good old times when everyone was still using it. Nostalgia is great but in small doses as it becomes annoying as a constant reminder of the (better?) past.
I’m better than you are:
“I was using facebook but now I’m not as I discovered how annoying it is and what kind of people frequent it?!” or “Now that I’m enlightened I can see the perils of the big bad corporate world who are all FORCING us into this with their clever tactics!!!” WTF, people get a life and understand that common people will do common things in common places… like facebook. It would be really good if all of us went to libraries instead of wasting our times on shite like this but it will never happen and this has ALWAYS been the case.
Relationships:
Your wife/husband/pet will cheat on you regardless whether she/he/it uses facebook or not?! Blame it on them, not on facebook.
Neither work for facebook nor have a facebook account yet I felt obliged to comment on it, how strange… above posts are pointless, utterly arrogant and smell of self pitty.
Anyway, please continue as it’s interesting
Thanks
July 1st, 2009 at 9:04 am
I’ll admit it….I have Facebook. I bent to the peer pressure. But dear god in heaven, if I didn’t hate people enough already, Facebook has pushed me over the edge. It has made me dislike quite a few of the rare people I didn’t already have a problem with….they’ve shown their true colours, publicly displaying how ignorant, egocentric, lazy, and shallow they are.
Silly me, I thought it’d just be a nice, easy way to keep in touch with family and other people I don’t get to see too often (I’m an emigrant). It does serve that purpose, but along with that, I have been harassed IN REAL LIFE by people I thought were my friends, for refusing to add, or adding and quickly deleting THEIR friends, who I’ve met maybe once or twice and don’t really like. Even though I no longer have my real surname listed, and belong to no school groups, I’m being attempted-befriended left, right, and centre by people I knew from school who made my life a living HELL back in the day. Strange men I don’t know and have no friends in common with are randomly adding and messaging me wanting to hook up. I get to watch as attached friends of mine flirt shamelessly with random people who aren’t their significant others. I have seen photos of adult people I once sort of respected, getting drunk and doing god-knows-what for others’ digital cameras. And yes, Facebook has actually become a huge thorn in my relationship’s side, since the boyfriend is full-on addicted, and that stupid website helped me see, in living colour, what an infantile, overy-flirty-with-all-the-wrong-people-yet-obsessed-with-all-MY-friends, feckin’ attention whore he is.
It’s just a matter of time before I bail. I just need to teach the few people I joined FOR how to use the goddamn PHONE again….
July 1st, 2009 at 10:14 am
Here here Sheena. That nice shiny iPhone I can’t believe people don’t use it no more. I was playing with WolframAlpha the new statistical search engine. I wanted to know what percentage of people on earth were on Facebook. It’s only 3.85% if you assume there are 6.5 billion people and 250 million on Facebook. Not that many when you think about it.
July 1st, 2009 at 11:11 pm
Zoe, 3.85% is A LOT!
July 1st, 2009 at 11:11 pm
Zoe, 3.85% is A LOT!
July 2nd, 2009 at 3:55 pm
its funny sometimes how people who don’t completely understand something just give you statistics (its ususally kids though; my guess would be Zoe is about 12). 3.85% of the world, could be more like 4 % of people in your country, 50% of people in your city, and 99% of people in your age group = 98% of people that actually matter (made up #’s, but it feels like it). I hate facebook, its everywhere and some of us just can’t avoid it. I would be interesting to know all the exact numbers about facebook, which are not already disclosed.
July 2nd, 2009 at 5:13 pm
I’m all for respectful dialogue (which is why I don’t like Facebook). During the last 5 posts or it seems that we have been having a group of trolls or a troll with multiple identities scold some of us who dare speak our minds about Facebook.
Zoe, I am sorry you were attacked by P #406, PP#407, and “Jesus,”#408. You are to be commended for to including the entire world in your worldview instead of just the people in your particular age group. More power to you.
And this post from Dogma#403 (perhaps another alias for “the Jesus” poster? Interesting that both posts have an alias with a religious theme) is really condescending.
Having spoken my mind, I think that it would be best to ignore the flamers and kill them with kindness. Engaging with them will only fuel the fire. Trolls thrive on conflict.
I live in the shadow of Silicon Valley, and a great majority of web companies post anonymous things like this to quash dissent and defend their “reputations.” I have no proof, but it makes me wonder. In the meantime, pay no attention to the man behind the curtain. . . .
It seems that this blog is having an effect and making a few people worried, which is a testament to its success. Kudos to xprimnt, the author of this article.
July 3rd, 2009 at 6:18 am
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July 3rd, 2009 at 8:32 am
I am very glad to see that there are like minded people out there who can’t stand facebook. Sadly, nearly everyone I know is hooked to this menace. The other day I met an old friend of mine on the street that I knew since we were kids. After all the laughing and joking about the old times, she then asked me THAT question. “Are you on Facebook?”. I then went on to say “No”. The look on her face was priceless and she looked at me like I was some sort of freak. I then offered her my mobile number. She took it but she badgered me to join Facebook. After we went our own ways, I would call or text her to say hello but there was never know reply. However, I know another person who knew her and he kept saying that she was on Facebook nearly all the time. She was most probably pissed off that I wasn’t on Facebook because she could have someone else to add to her list of 400 “friends”. I then proceeded to delete her number from my mobile and that was that.
The only thing about Facebook that I can kind of agree with is the part about keeping in touch with your family and friends. Fair enough. However, you are bound to get some prat who you don’t get along in the work place or in school who wants to add you. What makes me laugh is that you get all these people slagging off their colleagues all the time, but when it comes to Facebook, they don’t hesitate to add them to the friends list. Those who think they are smart not to add someone they get along with should think again. Ok, they may not be on your friends list, but a real friend of yours may have that unwanted person as a friend. That unwanted person may be at your friends house and he could be looking at your profile via your friends account.
Also, Facebook users should think twice about submitting photos, details etc. If you delete them from your account, the facebook headquarters in California will have a copies of all your details. Now they have a right to use your photos for advertising purposes weather you like it or not.
And to all those facebook users out there. How many people on your friends list can you honestly say are your real friends? Let me be honest about myself, the amount of true friends I got I can count with one hand. But I am proud of that. These people I can rely on trust.
There is a lot more about this menace I can go on about but I will be here forever. I have never been a Facebook member and I will never will be. For all those who have never been a member or to those who have seen the light about about what a load of rubbish facebook is, you have my utter respect.
July 3rd, 2009 at 10:33 pm
Facebook is CERTAINLY not for those who were ‘POPULAR’ in high school and whose self-esteem solely revolves around that very fact many many years later. They don’t have A CHANCE IN HELL to mentally move beyond their ‘glory days’ once they get sucked into this site! This site simply REGRESSES people! Take my Class President/Party King of my high school. We were kindof (just kindof) friends in middle school, he would come by our neighborhood and hang with me and the gang I grew up with (was really there to see THEM). Then in high school he never HAD THE TIME to hang with me considering his hundreds upon hundreds of ‘friends’/disciples. Even if I had properly been given the opportunity to hang with him I probably would have balked anyway given he rolled with some of the biggest snobiest scumbags in all the school who hated my guts and let it be known amongst other things (this very mega-clique being the same one who those popularity-thirsty childhood friends of mine from my neighborhood would end up ’selling-me-out’ for by the middle of hs). Like a true-politician he would smile and be nice when passing by in the hall only to then go along with the others’ take of me and even laugh along as well, sometimes not caring if I noticied (and wasn’t he their…’leader’? guess you are who you choose to hang with). For years after graduation I witnessed first hand he and his entouage (numbered in the thousands by then) partying around town all the time getting his self-esteem-bath once a week at this big bar in town that all the high-school-revivalists hung out at. Then wanting to convince himself that he can get his self-esteem from other places too, he decided to pack up and move real far far away.
Many blue moons later, I’m new to this Facebook site and already was having quite the time on this surreal addicitive psychological emotional rollercoaster ride of it all. Beit always polishing up my profile, adding new posts/boxes on my wall, checking every so often if anyone responded, checking other friends’ profiles/walls, checking those who weren’t of my connections, checking THEIR friends, etc. Yes, the PERFECT waste of time. It was just me and a few QUALITY (not quantity) connections mainly actual OFF-line friends, relaitves, friends of relatives, excoworkers, etc. Yes, I felt all ’safe’ in my little ‘Green Zone’ until the first SCUD hit! That ’scud’ being none other than……..MR POPULARITY HIMSELF from Christmas past!! Yep, he actually ‘friended’ me. To avoid potential guilt (like I would have really BEEN in ‘the wrong’ anyway - sigh), I decided what the heck and ‘confirmed’ him. I even wrote him a decent enough note. (’Maybe he’s different now’, ‘Still living real far away maybe he finally got past all that hs-mentality with the help of Father Time and geography’).
Nope, not quite. First off, upon checking his friends-list (hundreds upon hundreds just like high school btw, lol) and many of the friends of each of these friends, I see that he was still in touch with all them scumbags from high school. Now granted, can’t say I’ve really seen much of any of these guys since high school, but to me if a whole bunch of assholes from eons ago are still all hanging out together, then it means that they’re all STILL assholes! And if I am wrong, then I’m ENTITLED to be wrong! No apologies. Especially considering no apology nor remorse from any of them to this very day.
I then enter into the King’s wall, like I’m VERY sure to did mine. Out of human curiousity (hey, he DID invite me) I decided to read his posts. The whole gang was there. The saddest thing I’ve ever seen. There the King was surrounded by all his followers telling him how ‘cool’ and ‘awesome’ he still was, and how everyone here at home saying how their alcoholic/drug-addict clique ‘IS’ my home town and how my home town ‘IS’ them. Pathetic. Thanks to this new wonderful site called Facebook, these guys can all go back to high school not only for yet another four years, but FOREVER! The new and genetically-improved, eternal…’High School Heaven!’ I was surprised as heck no one made a smart-ass comment under the note at the beginning of his wall that read that the King and I “are now friends” (surprised actually that it wasn’t already erased to avoid the convenient reminder).
However, as much as I was further reminded of something I already KNEW since very shortly after high school (that i AM better than all of them), this surrealistically mutated virtual high school reunion injected with steroids could only bring back my PAST INSECURITIES from that time instead. I fell into a trance. It literally felt as if I was back in school either in a classroom surrounded by these ‘teenagers’ or out at some rare social-event which I may have attended and being in their vicinity hearing (and I felt I could HEAR) them laugh with one another even if the jokes were bad or spewing off their superfiscial lines of social grace with a nice little twist at the end of each. Not necessarity ridiculing me (nothing was writtien about me on that wall) but simply IGNORING ME as was the usual case back then. This, my friends, is why Facebook ALSO isn’t for those who have deep down hurtful memories of being a victim of social-BS as well. Looking back at reading this wall, I’m telling you, is now like remembering a bad acid-trip.
As for that note I wrote him (big surprise) he never even wrote back days after it was sent to him. Final verdict - he was just being NOSEY! Another person to have a tab on to gossip about at the next class reunion (or better yet, FACEBOOK for that matter). Oh wait, the reason why he DIDN’T erase that me and him “are now friends” note was for conversation-piece purposes. There you go. Yes, he always WAS the Barbara Walters of our high school and them few years that followed, always getting the scoop on someone’s current issue, and because everyone’s heads were so far up his ass, he would never be called out on it. I then reminded myself that the ‘Dam’ was now burst open upon my ‘confirming’ him as a friend and it would only be a matter of time through the ‘recommendations’ list that all the other ‘fans’ of mine from hs would see me through the ‘window’, at least a few of them likely having the gall to ‘friend’ (intrude on) me as well. Forget that.
Yup, between all this just metioned and the weird up-and-down effects this site was having on my psyche/constiution even when I was having fun with it and when my contacts list was still ‘pure’, I decided to leave the Herd! Facebook to me is a site that is no good for the future of humanity hense the future of Western Civilization. At best, if one doesn’t have an addictive personality nor has too many issues with people from their past (or better yet, unlike yours truly, has NO PROBLEM/GUILT rejecting ‘friendship’-requests), it may not hurt, but FB is certainly a site that (like even moderate alcohol consumption) can never ever make one…’better’.
Facebook really NEEDS TO GO!
July 3rd, 2009 at 10:35 pm
Facebook is CERTAINLY not for those who were ‘POPULAR’ in high school and whose self-esteem solely revolves around that very fact many years later. They don’t have A CHANCE IN HELL to mentally move beyond their ‘glory days’ once they get sucked into this site! This site simply REGRESSES people! Take my Class President/Party King of my high school. We were kindof (just kindof) friends in middle school, he would come by our neighborhood and hang with me and the gang I grew up with (was really there to see THEM). Then in high school he never HAD THE TIME to hang with me considering his hundreds upon hundreds of ‘friends’/disciples. Even if I had properly been given the opportunity to hang with him I probably would have balked anyway given he rolled with some of the biggest snobiest scumbags in all the school who hated my guts and let it be known amongst other things (this very mega-clique being the same one who those popularity-thirsty childhood friends of mine from my neighborhood would end up ’selling-me-out’ for by the middle of hs). Like a true-politician he would smile and be nice when passing by in the hall only to then go along with the others’ take of me and even laugh along as well, sometimes not caring if I noticied (and wasn’t he their…’leader’? guess you are who you choose to hang with). For years after graduation I witnessed first hand he and his entouage (numbered in the thousands by then) partying around town all the time getting his self-esteem-bath once a week at this big bar in town that all the high-school-revivalists hung out at. Then wanting to convince himself that he can get his self-esteem from other places too, he decided to pack up and move real far far away.
Many blue moons later, I’m new to this Facebook site and already was having quite the time on this surreal addicitive psychological emotional rollercoaster ride of it all. Beit always polishing up my profile, adding new posts/boxes on my wall, checking every so often if anyone responded, checking other friends’ profiles/walls, checking those who weren’t of my connections, checking THEIR friends, etc. Yes, the PERFECT waste of time. It was just me and a few QUALITY (not quantity) connections mainly actual OFF-line friends, relaitves, friends of relatives, excoworkers, etc. Yes, I felt all ’safe’ in my little ‘Green Zone’ until the first SCUD hit! That ’scud’ being none other than……..MR POPULARITY HIMSELF from Christmas past!! Yep, he actually ‘friended’ me. To avoid potential guilt (like I would have really BEEN in ‘the wrong’ anyway - sigh), I decided what the heck and ‘confirmed’ him. I even wrote him a decent enough note. (’Maybe he’s different now’, ‘Still living real far away maybe he finally got past all that hs-mentality with the help of Father Time and geography’).
Nope, not quite. First off, upon checking his friends-list (hundreds upon hundreds just like high school btw, lol) and many of the friends of each of these friends, I see that he was still in touch with all them scumbags from high school. Now granted, can’t say I’ve really seen much of any of these guys since high school, but to me if a whole bunch of assholes from eons ago are still all hanging out together, then it means that they’re all STILL assholes! And if I am wrong, then I’m ENTITLED to be wrong! No apologies. Especially considering no apology nor remorse from any of them to this very day.
I then enter into the King’s wall, like I’m VERY sure to did mine. Out of human curiousity (hey, he DID invite me) I decided to read his posts. The whole gang was there. The saddest thing I’ve ever seen. There the King was surrounded by all his followers telling him how ‘cool’ and ‘awesome’ he still was, and how everyone here at home saying how their alcoholic/drug-addict clique ‘IS’ my home town and how my home town ‘IS’ them. Pathetic. Thanks to this new wonderful site called Facebook, these guys can all go back to high school not only for yet another four years, but FOREVER! The new and genetically-improved, eternal…’High School Heaven!’ I was surprised as heck no one made a smart-ass comment under the note at the beginning of his wall that read that the King and I “are now friends” (surprised actually that it wasn’t already erased to avoid the convenient reminder).
However, as much as I was further reminded of someth