The Problem With Facebook

citizen news, Facebook, friends, message, MySpace, social networking, wall posts

Even people that hate you will add you as a friend.

Take for instance the (PMT induced) rage I flew into on discovering that my boyfriend had added his ex as a 'friend' on Facebook. But why? I wanted to know. Why a friend?

By Citizen Correspondent Jo London , United Kingdom

Date Posted: 11/14/07

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I'm such a convert to the whole MySpace / Facebook thing. A couple of years ago I was of the opinion that it was strictly geeks and emo, self-obsessed 'look at me' types who were on those kind of sites. I hated the way everyone had these mega posey pictures of themselves (usually black and white, it's more flattering), where they are inadvertently pouting (flaunt those cheek bones, hide dodgy teeth) and taken from a random angle (above = hiding a big nose)...etc etc. And to a point, I still do cringe at that side of it. But things like MySpace and Facebook have completely lifted the burden of leaving school, college, uni or a workplace - where the pressure was on to keep in contact with people for the first couple of months - and slowly drifting off into obscurity.

No more! Join Facebook and everyone, even the people you hated at school - the quiet sadistic looking girl in your uni seminar group in first year, the person you met really pissed one night at a party - will add you as 'a friend'. According to Facebook, I now have 163 of the little bastards sitting there in a list and informing me of their every move. Boris has updated his profile, he now likes Greenday, not the Chili Peppers. Rosey is planting a flower. Jim is breathing today.

Don't get me wrong, there are huge plus sides. I've got in contact with old school friends I haven't spoken to since I was 11, and even met up with a couple of them. It means my whole social group at uni and home can keep in touch about nights out, events and parties saving a fortune on mobile bills and the faff of sending out actual invitations. Forgetting to take a camera out doesn't really matter either if one of your friends has one, and the idea of asking someone to 'make a copy of those pictures for me!' is no longer a redundant request. They just stick them up on Facebook and share them. Done.

So I come to the problem with Facebook. My main gripe is that it gives the name 'friend' to people who quite frankly aren't one, and sometimes it gives you more information than you need to know. Take for instance the (PMT induced) rage I flew into on discovering that my boyfriend had added his ex as a 'friend' on Facebook. But why? I wanted to know. Why a friend? Why give her one more way to get in touch? It drove me mad. Now she'll always be just one click away.