Facebook. It Has Come to This

Long before Facebook, MySpace, and Window's Live Messenger there was the "Uh-oh" of ICQ. Then there was msn; a program people continue to use to often complain about their life, publish their most recent Soap Oprah, how drunk they were last night, or profess their undying love for someone/something. This idea of expressing ones' self with emoticons and profile pics lead to a slew of friend networks such as Hi5, or FaceBox. Microsoft wanted a piece of the action, so they came up with MySpace. Eventually, the friends network known as Facebook emerged and flooded my hotmail account with emails from people I already rarely talk to on msn.

It seems to me the majority of people add absolutely anybody they recognize to their facebook. I log into hotmail fully expecting to see at least 4 or 5 facebook emails--even if I've checked my account just a couple of hours ago--I proceed to facebook hoping a friend has left me a funny comment, or perhaps that girl I had a crush on back in High School has excepted my friend request (who I found through long hours of searching and feeling slightly like a stalker) But, no. It's more often someone I met breifly, or somone I haven't talked to in years. Facebook is contageous, addictive, and too cluttered when I have Joe-Blow filling up my wall with "Hey, what's up?", inviting me to ridiculous groups, and telling the world what religious revelations they've recently experienced while jerking off.

People, you have to wonder why you haven't spoken with someone in years. Maybe our personalities clash. Maybe I hit on your sister, or maybe even your mother (anything goes these days). Maybe you're a tool and have yet to realize it. I don't want these people on facebook and I certainly don't want to be on yours.
Then you have to consider how close you are to the person you're inviting. Facebook can get pretty personal. Compramising pictures and stories can surface at thee most inconvient of times. Keep the socially inconsiderate off of your facebook, they'll tarnish the image you've worked so hard to create. I'm keeping facebook limited to my friends I have spread across the world. I'm keeping facebook to those who I've spent more than just a couple of minutes chatting with, or a random drunken night when you lost your real friends and had to hang out with some clown.

I don't mean to be rude. Friend networking is great. It introduces you to women who might otherwise would never have talked to you and people who might be able to get you a sweet job. But honestly, does everyone need to know everyone? It's already hard enough to go out in Halifax and not worry about running into someone who will ruin your night by bringing up a part of your past you've tried to escape. Or, some socially annoying busy body who wants to hang out because they're on your facebook.

Cheers
KAZ