Facebook

[twirlgrrl]

You know, I'm glad so many of my friends are cheating on LJ having so much fun with facebook. But I peeked at it this morning and realized that unless I check facebook multiple times a day I am no longer going to know what's going on in the lives of many of my friends.  

Facebook is cute, facebook is fun, facebook is a very simple way to stay in contact with a whole bunch of people.  I'm glad it's there!  I'm probably mostly glad that the memes and quizzes and such are moving over there.  But... it's so impermanent!  It's not a historical record.  Things scroll down off the screen and poof, they're gone.  That's my big problem with facebook.  I'm a saver.  I'm not down with the disposable aspect of modern culture.

*pout*

Comments

[laren.livejournal.com]

I've been posting to Facebook a BIT more, but I try to keep the bulk of it to LJ.

[twirlgrrl.livejournal.com]

I like that you write long entries and personal stuff. That stuff doesn't really belong on Facebook anyway, amirite?

[laren.livejournal.com]

Nope.

I mostly post to Facebook these days because I have a new set of friends (my roommate and her friends) who don't have LJ.

[alexisyael.livejournal.com]

I'm still anti-FB. :D

[twirlgrrl.livejournal.com]

Really? I guess I'd forgotten. Do you even have a profile there?

[alexisyael.livejournal.com]

No, I don't even have an account at facebook!

I guess putting it as anti-FB is a little strong... mostly, I'm happy with LJ and don't need another internet time waster, plus the anti-breastfeeding pictures stance of FB threw me off. Add to that that I'm not really all that keen on old boyfriends/ ex friends finding me on FB (and have heard some stories that have me convinced of that not being a Good Thing) AND the fact that my asshole ex-best friend is on there, and... well, I'm not planning on setting up an account anytime soon!

[twirlgrrl.livejournal.com]

Wow! No facebook account! I'm strangely impressed. I mean, I know plenty of people who aren't on facebook, I guess I'm just mildly surprised that you're one of them. I am the opposite with ex-boyfriends and high school peeps and such--I love finding everyone. That said, I've blocked two people so far, people I knew in high school but absolutely don't want to talk to ever again.

[alexisyael.livejournal.com]

It almost feels ludite to not have a FB, considering how into the internet I am! LOL I figure in six months it'll be something new anyway... and I can boycott that one, too! lol

[alexisyael.livejournal.com]

I've also managed to steer clear of myspace and twitter.

[twirlgrrl.livejournal.com]

Ha ha, I have those too, but don't use them... again, just a way to make myself easily findable. I am getting close to anti-twitter these days. And myspace is just silly IMO.

[alexisyael.livejournal.com]

I am WAY anti-twitter, actually. I'm thinking about doing an FL cut to cut out all the twitter feeds b/c i HATE them so much!!!!!!!!!!!!

[hallsl.livejournal.com]

I hate Facebook. There, now I've said it... I've been wanting to for a long time. Actually just this week, I had what I consider my first successful Facebook experience -- I found an old friend and will get to know what happened to him. Since we weren't that close, the amount and degree of communication possible on Facebook will be perfect. Generally on Facebook, I either can't find someone because his/her name is too common OR the people are real friends and I find that the kind of communication possible on Facebook is insanely frustrating. Little snippets totally out of context, one side of a conversation, the disappearance of something previously posted. ICK!

[twirlgrrl.livejournal.com]

Yay! I like this comment. I have a fair amount of fun on Facebook, mostly just keeping tabs on people and looking at pictures--exactly the sort of thing you're talking about with your old friend. That's why I have so many Facebook friends; I coordinate my high school reunions every 5 years and it's a very easy way to find people. Since everybody knows everybody in my world, I don't have too much of the common-name problem. In particular, SDAs take to networking groups like fish to water, LOL! But yeah. The last thing you said, EXACTLY.

[psyko-kitty.livejournal.com]

"I'm not down with the disposable aspect of modern culture."

Word. And it's true more and more. Text messages instead of phone calls. Twitter instead of journals. Journals instead of letters. Remember letters? Remember having to sit down and call or write _one_ person to be able to tell them what is going on with you?

What changes do we make to the things we say if, instead of speaking to an individual or small group of friends, we are putting out a message or statement for dozens of people to consume? Does it remove us from real intimacy in our relationships?

That said, I do love that on facebook I can get a quick glimpse of what's going on with people I don't see these days (old friends from high school and college or Matt's extended family).

[twirlgrrl.livejournal.com]

I know! I totally used to write letters! And I'm afraid I have cut down drastically on the phone calls to individuals... but I still make them once in a while. It's been interesting to dive into LJ and other sites over the past few years and to observe after the fact the effect that they have on my closest real-life relationships.

For a while I wished that some of my closest friends would be LJ-active, mostly because I didn't have a social life outside of LJ at all, taking care of Blue and work and Evan took up all the time when other people would be awake for phone calls. But now I understand that there are LJ people and non-LJ people, computer people and non-computer people, and I have more time to spend on ALL my friendships, so I've given up on expectations in favor of trying to meet people where they are. Unfortunately I have realized that I can't meet people where they are if they're only active on facebook. I'll have to catch up with them in other ways.

I used to be weirded out by filters, but for me they are a great answer to your question about speaking to individuals, small and large groups. At least on LJ, I'm getting used to the hierarchy of intimacy and issues-based intimacy in a whole different way. On Facebook, forget it. It's only for the least revealing of interactions.

There's lots more to say about that aspect of how technology changes social interactions. I find the whole topic fascinating, especially because I'm so involved in online communities of various sorts.

And yes, to your last sentence. That's exactly what I find it's good for. But I'd be unsatisfied with JUST that, if some of my dearest LJ friends jumped ship entirely.

[two-roads.livejournal.com]

I agree. I use Facebook to keep in contact with former classmates and family members from out of town, but I can't "keep up" with it. I have no desire to waste that much of my time during the day checking on peoples' status updates, though I do like to look at photo albums and stuff!

I'm sticking with LJ ;)

[twirlgrrl.livejournal.com]

Yay!!!