Why I Hate Facebook
If 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?