One of my prospective clients is in the social networking space. I have learned that unlike many of the other sites out there, Facebook is geared toward White and Asian MBA yuppie types that interact with the program mostly while listening to dull conference calls in the board room. Oh. So that's why I am on it all the time.
Facebook has revolutionized our world. Many special features include:
1. The ability to stalk people....via status updates we all know what our ex boyfriends and girlfriends are doing every few hours. No need for drivebys or long hours spent with binoculars outside their window. Ahem. Not that I would ever do that.
2. The ability to pretend you have more friends than you really do. Every time you go to a BBQ or Happy Hour and meet new people you can almost instantly become intimately connected to them. The most exciting part of meeting them is actually rushing home to see if they are on Facebook so that you can add them as a friend. The best 'friends' to add or those that have lots of photos (so that they can 'tag' you in them, making you look more popular) and lots of other friends. A good number is over 100. There are some FB social pariahs out there that only have 15 friends. Don't add them.
3. The ability to have half the world know when your birthday is. FB reminds everyone in your friend network of your special day. I just had one and received about 200 messages...some from people I only met once at a BBQ. My wall was a wall of love. My self esteem rose 50 points.
4. The ability to let everyone know how cool you are by posting pictures of your exotic trips. Everyone will see how well traveled you are when you post sunset pictures of Bali. Don't post your family reunion pictures of Orlando though...that would take down your cool factor.
5. Dating. I am serious...my last boyfriend (the first American one in ten years) actually asked me out on Facebook. Seriously. Once you are in a relationship you can also let the world know this by changing your status from 'single' to "in a relationship with..." You can also add interesting comments about the nature of the relationship like "it's complicated." Well....really aren't they all?
Ahhh yes Facebook is changing the way we interact with one another. However sometimes it can bring stress along as well. I recently noticed that one of my ex boyfriends (the French one) "de-friended" me! Can you believe it!? And after all this talk of trying to remain friends! Mais c'est pas possible! He said it was too hard to see me in photos all over the world. I became very puffy chested about it. And now I can no longer stalk him.....guess I'll have to go old school binoculars again.
In addition, some people find it a conflict of interest to add someone they are newly dating. Alexis hemmed and hawed about adding one of her datees. For now he can stalk her including seeing photos of her grinding with other men (or more likely me) at a dance party. And if things don't work out between them, well..one may have to "de-friend" the other and that is never pleasant.
To Facebook or not to Facebook. That is the new question.
2 comments:
Shoe Girl - Love the assessment of Facebook. You failed however to mention some of the stranger downsides of FB like when random men with wierd glasses, small dogs, and 500 "friends" try to "friend" you though you have no friends in common. Or when people from your past that you never wanted to see/hear from again (because, well, maybe you once cried over them after too many drinks at your highschool graduation party, hmm) "look you up" and then you are forced to "ignore" them and feel bad about it for, well, a couple minutes.
Yes I did forget to mention the multitude of men in speedos holding small dogs trying to be part of my friend ecosystem. Obviously the decision to "facebook or not to facebook" and ignore their 'friend' request was easy.
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