What is even the point?

If you are anything like me you have found yourself of Facebook wondering, "What is the point of Facebook?" There have been many times that I have opened Facebook and while scrolling down through my news feed filled with pictures, memes, and advertisements and wondered why Facebook even exists. Maybe you are with me?

 I've taken the last week or two really pay attention to how my friends are using Facebook. With the exception of yesterday's explosion of support and hate for Phil Robertson, very few people are actually posting "status updates." When I first joined Facebook it was to keep up with what my friends (real world people that I actually knew) were doing. It was truly only a social network. It was private and I could post status updates and know exactly who saw them. Now days I'm not even sure who all sees my updates.

One of my many pet peeves with Facebook is that anyone can join and many people have 2, 3, 4 or more personal pages. When I first signed up you either had to have school email address ending in .edu, or you had to be invited by someone already on Facebook that could prove you were really part of your school. Then it expanded to include jobs. Then it grew more and made you pick the "community" you were a part of. And now all it asks for is an email address which you can get as many as you want for free.

So what is the true purpose of Facebook? Facebook claims the site is to "reinforce pre-existing social connections, not build large groups of new ones." I do not believe that getting 50 game invites from my friends is reinforcing any social connections. It is also hard to further develop relationships through Facebook when I am not sure who all is seeing my posts. If I share a story or thought on somebody's "timeline," if their privacy isn't set like mine anybody in the world can see that post. For this reason Facebook has become very shallow because people do not want to put anything on Facebook that describes who you are.


Speaking of Facebook being shallow, I mentioned the lack of "status updates." This does not mean there is a lack of posting happening on Facebook. Probably 60-70% of my news feed is people that have shared pictures that have no point. Pictures that say "Share if you love your daughter" or "If you love Jesus share this picture, if you don't you will go to hell." The cat pictures and catchy quotes are funny, but a "social network" is not the place for them. If you want to post your favorite recipes or quotes that describe your life, go to Pintrest it is the perfect place for that. Facebook has been around since 2004, and it is weird to say it has potential to be really good, but it will never get there.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, there are people who post a status update every 20 minutes. They are those people who if they do not post it to Facebook then it never happened. Yes I want to know what is going on in your life, but a play by play is not what I want. Facebook has also turned into a political platform. People sharing pictures and websites that slam the government or other organizations. Take this issue with Phil Robertson, yes I agree that A&E are wrong for asking him to leave and I agree that Phil is in the right by standing on what he believes, but Facebook isn't the place for me to share every article or picture I see about it. Sure share one good article and let it be. Trust me by "occupying Facebook" nothing is going to happen because Facebook has become such a joke.

I know I sound like a grinch, but Facebook is a place where I try to stay in contact with friends I graduated with, people I went to college with, and the people that live in Lead Hill. It is an awesome way to send a message to my students. It is a great way to advertise an event or get together we are having, but I hate to see all that get lost because people are abusing Facebook. I am friends with people for a purpose and it is not to see you sharing pictures and quotes and recipes all the time. I am friends with you so that I can "reinforce" my pre-existing relationship with you. I plea for you today is that we reevaluate the purpose of Facebook. I know that my small circle cannot change Facebook but if I start using it for it's intended purpose I know at least the people who are friends with me will be happier.

And in case you have not figured it out by now, this is why I think Twitter is greater than Facebook. Have a blessed day!

God Bless,
Tyler