Why I Hate Facebook
89If you are like me, you might be asking yourself why do I hate Facebook? Maybe you have a page and are getting tired of the constant annoying updates from your friends. Or, maybe you don’t have a Facebook page and you are sick of everyone talking about it all the time.
First off I have to admit that I do not, and never have, had a Facebook page. I may actually be the only 30 year old without one. You may be wondering how I can hate the service if I’ve never used it. That is a fair question, but it’s like saying I can’t hate murder because I’ve never tried it.
Basically, my Facebook hate boils down to these reasons:
- Privacy and Oversharing
- It’s Like High School on the Internet
- It Makes Everyone Think They are Famous
- Everyone is on Facebook
Privacy and Oversharing
I remember the good old days when people kept to themselves and didn’t advertise every single detail of their life for the world to see. Actually...I don’t. It seems like people have a natural tendency to overshare, and Facebook is like the friend who is too polite to tell you to shut up.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is famous for scoffing at the concept of privacy, and if we are talking about voluntary privacy, he may be right. This is the main reason I hate Facebook. It has grown because it allows people to connect, but their bank account has grown mainly because it has allowed corporate giants to connect the dots on what you are interested in, watching on TV and buying.
I refuse to be a human guinea pig in their materialistic game.
It’s Like High School on the Internet
If you liked high school, chances are you have quite the social networking presence, complete with hundreds of acquaintances and friends that you keep like so many trophies. I hated high school and found the petty fumbling and coming of age to be awkward. While I did have fun during my high school years, I did so by playing in a punk band and meeting people (face to face!).
All I hear from “users” of FB are things like: Why hasn’t he accepted my friend request? I hope he doesn’t try to be my friend. i think I made someone mad...who?...oh this guy I knew 20 years ago but haven’t spoken to in years. These conversations still echo through the hall of my high school, and it seems like I can never escape the banality.
It Makes Everyone Think They are Famous
I blame Mr. Rogers for the “me” generation, because he taught us that everyone is special and important. Well guess what, your not. Nobody cares what you are doing (except GE, NBC, Microsoft, Google and the US Government).
I guess I reject the very notion that everyone needs their own Internet Me Channel of 24/7 programming.
Everyone Is on Facebook
If you couldn’t already tell, I’m a contrarian. That means, if it’s popular, I have a knee jerk reaction not to like it. Now that everyone and their grandma is on Facebook, there’s no way I can join now.
I don’t want you to think that I’m a Luddite, because I’m not. I’m just a intensely private person with strong anti-social tendencies.
I’ve actually considered starting my own Anti-Social Network. All you get is a profile page that prevents you from using your real name. You are not allowed to have any Friends or followers. You can only type your thoughts into an abyss where no one is allowed to read them.
Sounds comforting, doesn’t it?
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oh and as for useing fb to stay in touch with friends n family....... if they was that bothered about you, why dont they pick up the fone( i am not directing this to any specific person ) or better still write u a letter which has more thought into it ( i love letters)or even pay u a visit, i travel all over to see my friends n family, fb has made in convenient for people not to bother getting of their backsides n visiting people, i have had nothing but stress from fb, thats why i dont bother with it, as for the privacy settings well they r a joke, u can pin point exactly who u wanna talk to so that someone your talking about is none the wiser WTF RAHHHH HATE U FB
i hate fb.......... i thought the world was a big place, but fb makes it seem so small, everyone is connected to everyone, even worse when it someone u dont get on with, fb causes nothing but grief, arguments n stress, alot of people i know use it to hook up with guys /girls. or to slag off freinds n family, im a private person, my life is my business ill share what i want to share, n whats wrong with seeing someone in the flesh...give me reality anyday :)
I have nothing against social networking, however, when Facebook makes it mandatory that to enter a contest you have to LIKE that company, or you HAVE to be a member of FACEBOOK, this is unconstitutional. This is still AMERICA people, and as a "free thinking nation" we should stand up against anyone/anything that erodes our individual human rights or rights to think for ourselves. To mandatorily state that a person HAS to be a member of any social group, NO. You don't "have to be" and you don't HAVE to do a darn thing...not here. Not in America. That's what I truly dislike about companies and FACEBOOK for aligning themselves with this type of thinking. Get this through your heads, people. The type of people who using FACEBOOK for networking are trying to get "your last dollar". That's all in the world this is about. Are you going to let them?
Agree on many points with you, every one has the right to say and no two people think similar on one opinion, good points raised, keep writing
Enjoyed it. Reading your rant was like singing along to my favorite song. Vote up & funny.
Facebook has allowed me to reconnect with old friends as well as cousins I haven't seen since childhood. While my relationships with these people are still not close, I'm glad there is some communication. Some people do overshare, if they get on my nerves I ignore them or hide them, they are free to do the same to me. I get to see new pictures of my grandson almost every day, even though he lives 600 miles away. It's kind of in to hate Facebook right now, but Facebook is what you make it, you can use it or abuse it.
Hate, Hate facebook. I was on mine last week sometime. I don't put up pictures of myself but everyone else does, drives me crazy. Completely crazy. It is like high school. We had a family member say some terrible things on there than she said she didn't know everyone would read it. Are you kidding??? She is no longer a family member. voted up.
OMG! We speak the same language. I have a facebook account with over 500 friends and yet it feels so empty.
People literally spend hours on end hoping someone likes them so they can validate their existence as a human being - worthy to live because my Facebook friends think so.
I didn't always feel this way ~ until I see what people will do in the name of being popular on Facebook.
Aside from the fact that we are spending hours of wasted time we will never get back. I have a new found appreciation for the real world connections that I am appreciating much more than virtual fantasy land where everyone is feeding their narcissistic tenancies.
Great Hub! Voting up!
My feelings soften when it's used for business purposes - but not for personal :) thanks for reading
Agree on many points with you.There is no privacy and funny part is you get friend request from people you were never friends with, especially from school. I guess it is more to do with the numbers. People want to display a long list of friends or acquaintance to be more specific. Voted up, great Hub
I have never signed up for FB! . . . and I'm surviving just fine!
Unfortunately, that may not last long as it does appear that to be a presence on the internet and increase your traffic to your site/blog/HP you need to join FB. I'm actually dreading the day - and will sign up only under my pen name. Really HATE that it is almost being forced on me!
wow that's awesome. i still have my facebook though. well the things i hate about facebook is over sharing and bragging LOL. bragging is like a trend on facebook i don't like it.
I have a facebook account. I was addicted in the beginning (for the mindless games mostly). Other people I know are addicted to head games apparantly and use facebook as a tool to either mess with people, get back at people or show the world how so popular they are. I actually found a few old friends on facebook, but I also lost a few after seeing them for who they really are and for their bad facebook behavior. One girl I know uses fb to trash her family when she fights with them. She trashed me once. Once was more than enough. She's in her mid 30s like me. There are so many like her too. And yes, the privacy issue really irks me. I keep telling people not to like the little ads on the side of the screen. lol. I only keep FB now so i can keep in touch with family members and to post my articles of course.
I rated this up, useful, awesome & shared as well!
This is pretty awesome. I have a love/hate relationship with Facebook. I try to keep my sanity by not posting anything too personal, not responding to drama, and mostly just keeping up with people I geniunely know and like. Unfortunately, not everyone lives by these rules. I dumped someone recently and part of the issue was his obsession with Facebook and Foursquare. Foursquare - now that is the root of all that is evil! Great hub and voted up!
Ah, yes, the dreaded FB. Well, I admit I use it, but it's for networking generally. I actually never really look at others' feeds. I just don't want to spend that time doing so. I'd much rather spend it writing. It's quite the "me" world. Continue in your contrarian ways: they're good for writing and very entertaining. I myself am contrarian...sometimes. :)
It looks like you wrote this several months ago. Do you still feel the same way about Facebook? I like it because it drives a lot of traffic to my hubs. In fact, it's my third best source of traffic after Hubpages itself and Google. So that may be a reason to give it a second look.
Thanks Toombs!
Your anti-social network sounds a lot like a blank page in Word. :) I think if more sheeple exercised self control on Facebook, it wouldn't be the social havoc that it is. I don't really need to know that someone's kid ate a cat turd and they are now updating their status via smartphone from the ER. Voting this up and hilarious. :)
I go on Facebook periodically. I do not like that everyone posts so many pics of their kids. To me you set-up a timeline that can in someways be too much down the road for the world to see. Some of it is far to personal too. And to think employers want your password when you interview to see what and who you talk to and about. If you can't say it in person, don't put in words where it can be never forgotten. There is something to be said about the power of the pen.
if someone using FB every time and he rarely meeting people believe me he will get a weak personal he couldn't put his eyes in the eyes of the people also in the work or everywhere he speak to the people
FB was designed for the empty people really think about it
why should i share every minute or every second of my life with the whole world (to know what im doing now) doesn't they care nobody cares FB is the most dumbest thing in the whole world i prefer to wasting my time on video games watching movies listening to music talking to people face to face traveling understanding the life not to stick behind the screen with the stupid FB
absolutely with no doubt i hate FB stupid social network
I still like facebook. It's like anything else, you can use it or abuse it. At first I did find it quite addictive and checked it many time a day. I have reconnected with people I never would have heard from again, like my cousins on the other side of the country I hadn't seen since I was 10. Now that I'm addicted to HubPages, I check facebook much less often, but I do enjoy seeing photos of my baby grandson (yeah that's right, I'm one of those facebooking Grandmas that makes it uncool) that my daughter posts regularly. I don't overshare and sometimes have to hide some of my "friends" who do. If I wouldn't want it in the newspaper I don't put it on facebook.
Agree that it's ridiculous to share so many minute details about one's life with the whole world. I don't understand why people are willing to share such intimate things with the entire world, such as many people do post on FB.
I do have a FB page, but it's not in my real name, and I rarely even visit the page. There's all but nothing on it. I know that employers visit FB pages and in fact my own does. I like to keep private things private. I may have to get another FB page to use in conjunction with hubpages since so many people recommend that, but you may be sure it will be limited in personal info.
Great hub! Think it's good when people share their courage to buck the system (in this case the FB marketing system), when that system serves no good purpose. May give other people the courage to do it also. Voting you UP and interesting. Sharing with my followers . . .
Hey, what about me??!! Just kidding - thanks for reading.
And your right, who cares about people you went to high school with! The past is the past, the only friends I care about are the ones I have now.
And by the way, eMichael- You are hot!
Ha! Ha! 'It makes Everyone Think They are Famous' So True!
Funny, but scary. I bet they will hold onto it forever.
I hate every single thing about Facebook, from unwanted "friend" requests, to fb announcing my birthday to "friends" to girls from my husbands high school flirting with him, to my mother-in-law using it to snoop and gather info for her incessant gossiping and people writing inane things on my wall that I can't delet. I finally figured out how to "delete" my account. They won't even delete immediately but hold your info for two weeks, so they say, but most likely forever.
Thanks so much. Would you like to be my Acquaintance on my AntiSocial Network?
This is the best/most entertaining as well as realistic article I've read about facebook. Mad props to you for writing it!!
The main reason I'm commenting is because your idea of the anti-social network sound very appealing!
@ Seafarer Mama - I've wondered if I should have a FB fan page at least for my writing, but I can't get myself to pull the trigger. Hopefully I'm not hurting myself.
@ shuck72 - thanks so much for the compliment! Those are the updates and information overload that frighten me.
This article is honestly the best thing I have read on hubpages since I have been here. Sadly I am on facebook and am subjected to such updates from people as "Just finished the dishes, now time for a walk!!"
Great article. I have 2 fan pages on facebook, but "update" them only occasionally. Try to stay off as much as I can....and only publish links to fresh blog posts, and to promote my cafe press store.
Otherwise....FB is a waste of time. It sucks brain cells out of brains and into the computer...and one lets days go by without accomplishing anything new in the real, physical world.
Weird...I really don't care how many FB friends I have...only the real friends I see face-to-face...and places I go...thank god I have those communities where I get to know real people in read time. :0) Some of those people are also fb friends...and only the ones with iPhones have a convenient way of updating their status so frequently.
As I have grown older (late 40s), and live in an intentional community...my desire to be "plugged in" has diminished...and I like to spend more and more time offline...accomplishing real things.
I hope that what I have written thus far on HP will help me attract traffic so I can earn money....and once a month I write a blog....but for now, real time rules!
Thanks alphagirl. Good job standing up and letting your middle schoolers know they are too young. I remember when Google debuted Buzz and decided, without telling anyone, that they would post all your stuff to your friends. That really soured me on social networks and personal data. Glad you stopped by.
I am with you. I don't hate it, but i am definitely not an avid fan. I think TOO MUCH INFO is already out there. There is no decency or boundaries. I am amazed at those who post every thing( literally). I don't trust facebook. Especially knowing they changed their privacy controls, let it all loose and people lost jobs. OMG! They did it twice. I have a facebook page but I stopped posting pic 3 years ago. The whole idea of other people tagging is scary. I have 2 middle schoolers and do not allow them to have face book. i hubbed about it too. Thanks for your RAW honesty. Voted this hub UP!
Hey Brett - thanks for reading. I predict that right when everyone give FB up is when I sign up. Go figure...
LOL! Spot on! I have an account but it definitely doesn't run my life and I'd care not if it went the way of the dinosaur ....
Hey Joshua, thanks for stopping by. This is what you get when you 'drink and Hub.' Congratulations on your upcoming marriage and welcome to HP. Feel free to hit me up anytime if you have questions or need advice.
Enjoyed the humor. I am starting to hate facebook because my mom and aunts are now on it. As far as I'm concerned, anything that my mom and her sisters do is no longer considered cool. =)
Hi Smarter - glad to meet a fellow smart aleck! Hope you got your issue sorted out on your other post. Thanks for stopping by.
This is hilarious! I think we share a similar sense of humor. Cool!
I do not blame you. I hate facebook too! I hate hearing about your exes sending you virtual drinks on your birthday.
you blame Mr Rogers...Ha! you are funny. Actually it was the sweaters that started it all, he was covering up his Marine Tattoos..... hiding how special he really was. A decorated hero that saved the life of another marine and friend, Mr. Kangaroo. party on.........
Loved this article - you are bang on the money with it. I do have facebook but like high school, I skip a lot. When I first found out about facebook, I ran with the rest of the hoards, but turned against facebook when I discovered I could not delete my account only turn it off. I try all the social medias, but none hold me long and I roam away.
In regards to the dopamine effect, its one of the reasons social networks and online (mainly mmorpg) games are so addictive. Its being social and in the mmorpg sense it adds the removal of being rejected based on looks. How many greasy haired pimple face tweens are gods on WoW or Call of Duty ... immediate acceptance, release the dopamine.
Took me a bit to find it, but here it is: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/11/teens-on-
Interesting. Mind sharing the link to the article?
That's one thing I struggle with, knowing how useful it is for promoting your small business. I read an article the other day that suggested social networking gives users a druglike dopamine high, so I always enjoy hearing people talk about it like an addiction.
I am ashamed at how addicted I have become to facebook. As a writer and musician, I recognize its usefulness as a tool. But for so many, myself included, it has become so much more. I keep telling myself I am going to being the process of excising it from my DNA, but I know how painful it will be.
As I said...I am ashamed.
Hey titleguy - that would be funny. Is it a common occurrence that someone would say something they regret, then delete it? That's one of the reasons I don't trust myself on FB - I have a caustic sense of humor and many people take my jokes the wrong way. I'd be explaining myself to people every day.
Hey I'm glad I you liked Woodkid's EP review I wrote... and in regards to FB, you know what I would like to see? I would like to see a Social Network that won't allow you to delete comments, status updates etc... NO DELETE button... everyone is galavanting around like as if they got a second chance which makes the digital life a lot more appealing than real. my 2 cents ;)
Yogi Bear 6 days ago
Between what moonlightlady and you the author have had to say, I agree wholeheartedly. I'm glad to see that I am not the only one who does not have a retarded facebook account. Thanks for the article, one day us facebook haters will prevail!