I read once that Mark Zuckerberg figured out a formula where he can tell with a 33% accuracy who Facebook users are going to be in a relationship with based on who's profile they're looking at, how recently their last relationship was, and who they chat with. What do you think he'd find if he spied on you? Here's another Facebook question: how do you determine who you're going to unfriend? I've talked about this before on here, but it's come up in several conversations lately. I usually only unfriend guys I was in some way involved with and no longer want any contact with, or people who's names I don't recognise when they show up in my news feed. A friend of mine said that if she sees that it's someones birthday but she doesn't feel the need to spend 15 seconds clicking on their page to write "happy birthday," she should just unfriend them. I can see where she's coming from. Thoughts?
I haven't seen the Facebook movie, in case you were wondering. For some reason I'm just thinking about Facbeook today. Probably because all I hear about anymore is the Faceook movie.
Ok, here's one more Facebook story. A few weeks ago I ran into someone I was friends with in elementary school. We also went to middle and high school together but were in different groups at that point. A year or two ago, we became FB friends. When we ran into each other at the store a few weeks ago, we hadn't seen each other in many years, but she immediately gave me a hug and we talked about stuff we knew about each other based on FB. What if we hadn't been FB friends? We're both nice people, but honestly, I think we probably would have pretended we didn't see each other simply because we wouldn't have known what to say to each other. FB creates a weird reality.
My friend Christi sends me links sometimes to these fake news feeds Slate does and they are hilarious - you should check it out (link).
So, in the commercial for the FB movie, fake Mark Zuckerberg calls it "The Facebook" - I think I'm going to start calling it that. Make it sound like I know what I'm talking about.
Ugh. I'm really mad at The Facebook for taking over my blog right now. Honestly, I should commit to not talking about The Facebook on my blog for the rest of the year. And I'm thinking about sort of phasing it out of my life a little. It seems like it takes over, don't you think? Have any of you gone cold-turkey?
Happy Wednesday.
17 comments:
I've tried to go cold turkey and have at points,but now I get it on my phone, so when I'm waiting in line at the post office or sitting at the doctors office I can check out peoples stay-tus updates. Its addicting. Sometimes I feel like, if I wasn't on facebook I wouldn't know of anything going on in life. "What?! Elizabeth got married?! I wasn't aware. Oh you sent the invite on facebook? Yeah,sorry. My fault then. Next time evite me!"
You know what I mean? Barry missed kat's bday,sean almost missed paiges...its this viscious cycle.
Yeah, I think that's the thing - we're all afraid we're going to miss something if we're not constantly checking in, but you're totally right, FB isn't perfect. Barry had no idea about Katherine's party. If I recall correctly (and I think I do), life was ok before FB. We all just called each other. haha! Seems so primitive.
For the most part, I would say that FB is more inclined to tell me things I don't want to know than things I do. It's information overload and I have to sort out what I want to know versus what I wish I didn't know.
That being said, I'm not going to leave FB any time soon. Pathetic.
I have friends who refuse to join (or rejoin) The Facebook (yeah, I don't know if that works for me), and I don't understand how they survive. How do they find out that their friend's relationship is "complicated?" Or that the guy they sat behind in that math class as an undergrad is going out with friends tonight in another state? That's no life.
I really does create a weird reality. I had a long conversation via FB recently with a high school classmate who I rarely talked to in HS. What is that? Kind of fun, I guess, but weird. Oh, The Facebook.
Hey, I wanted you to come to a party so I taped an invitation on your basement window. What, you don't check your basement windows at the top of every hour?
Common sense (and Miss Manners) says that if you ask a question and don't get a reply, the other person may not have received the query. Posting something on an internet site is like leaving a phone message without asking the person to call you back. I like the FB feature that allows me to check Yes/No if I'm attending "My Cousin's Naked Again.." because that allows the organizer to see replies, and who's not yet answered.
I'm likely to hide someone's postings if they clog up the page with Farmville updates. I'm much more likely to unfriend them if they send me multiple invites to "Romney/Palin 2012". Once is enough. If I didn't join the first time, the seventh invite is even less likely to succeed.
I've never updated my FB status.
Romney/Palin 2012!! hahaha!!
I usually choose to unfriend people who keep sending me Farmville invites, just to use me for their own selfish gain.
if you were truly a friend, Kathy, you would care enough to help Justin and me expand our farms.
You're really hurting my feelings Kathy. I only need two more neighbors and then I can purchase another market stall to sell my produce. don't you care at all about my future? I'm trying to make a living here and you're practically spitting in my face.
I have only unfriended one person because she had friended some of my current students and I just couldn't trust myself not to comment on her post that I was, "drinking wine until the letters rantogether and then grading papers." Again.
Usually I just hide annoying people on The Facebook. (I like it.)
FB has it's down sides, but for me the up side are worth it! Most of my friends on FB are my relatives and it is wonderful to see how their lives are going. We are all far flung through out the US and Cananda and FB links us all together. Most of my Aunts & Uncles and cousins are on FB, lucky me! I knew to be praying for certain people to help them overcome trials. Now we know what's happening with their kids and when we meet at reunions we know who belongs to who and enough about each other to chat more meaningfully.
I see pics and videos of my grandkids that all live way too far away!
I get to peek into the lives of my children's friends (Elizabeth, Kathrine, Sean & Heather! I knew to buy Sean's book because of FB!) and feel reassured that they are happy and doing well & see pics of their kids too!
It is so cool to find that dear friend that used to be in your old Ward that somehow you lost contact with and see what their kids look like now. I have connected on FB with friends that I have then called and talked to for 3 hours! Or written longer letters back and forth with.
Yes there is lots of nonsense too & I have even blocked some old friends from seeing my photos, because I don't know much about them anymore. But on the whole I like The Face Book. I try to limit being on to no more than 2xs a day though. I have to justify my existence by getting SOME work done too! :D
I used to like The Facebook better than I do now ... remember when everyone was posting those "25 Things About Me" posts or listing their "Five" lists? Much more interesting. I have hidden most of the games, I couldn't take it anymore (of course, this is after I went through rehab for Cafe World addiction).
I get in these weird moods where I want to unfriend a ton of people. Those would be the people that I really didn't know in high school but accepted their friendship request simply so I could look at their pictures :)
I also hate that everyone can see all the pages you "like". Maybe I liked a page for a freebie ... then I look like a weirdo for liking something like Honey Nut Cheerios.
You know what else annoys me? That people can see my pics the instant i post them. I'd like to put together a whole album, get everything organized and then publish it. Stupid Facebook, I can't quit you.
I thought it used to be officially called "The Facebook".. y'know back in the days when the little face was the logo... before 10 year olds and moms had them and it was just a college site. *sigh*
Honestly though.. I could never full on quit Facebook but I HAVE limited it a LOT. I don't have a wall and you can't see photos or videos others tag me in. If you want to contact me on there you have to send a message. I also get messages and event alerts on my phone app so I don't even have to check the website. I need it for some of those things though... otherwise I'd never know when those random ward parties were or when people were having birthdays at Red Robin!
I probably should have better criteria for accepting friend requests. I do agree that it is a bit weird to run into someone you haven't seen or talked with in a while and already know a ton about them. I am supposed to be using it right now for my sponsors, making comments and posts on a weekly basis on their pages, so I feel like that is one of my excuses for being on way too much.
So I'm friends with someone on Facebook who I haven't seen in over five years. I think we wish each other a Happy Birthday on Facebook, but that has been the extent of our communication.
One day I see him at the mall. Or at least I think it's him. I haven't seen him in five years and only have random pictures to go from. And if it is him, I'm not sure he will recognize me. So I just avoided him all together to avoid the embarrassment of it not being him or him having no idea it's me. Is this an unfriending situation?
Ditto to what Michelle said.
I desperately want to get off facebook, but since I have no friends in WA, I need friendly contact!
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