Face-time vs. Facebook

This is another aspect of Web 2.0 that I was not looking forward to and I was only willing to do it anonymously. There is no way I would want to put my real name on Facebook.

Why is Facebook so popular?

Perhaps it is to connect with long-lost friends and relatives -- although we must ask ourselves honestly, how and why did they become lost from our lives? (And like bad photo-day haircuts or awkward moments at the grade 7 "shag", aren't they best left relegated to the compost pile of the past?)

Or, perhaps it is because people have heaps of time in which to share heaps of information about themselves, and they aren't afraid to do it.

I was quite startled, while signing up for an account, at how MUCH information a person can share (willingly or unwillingly) about themselves: birthdate, hometown, schools, place of employment, current position, personal relationships, etc. And while you're at it, throw in a photo or two so everyone knows what you look like. To me this is a frightening amount of information to be sharing online and possibly (if - whoops! -- you forget to set some important Privacy Settings) to people you don't even know. What normally takes months or years in a process of "getting to know you" now can happen in seconds with the click of a mouse. Scary.

Perhaps (and this is the cranky cynic in me) our society is just becoming increasingly narcissistic and social networking sites just give us a plum opportunity to talk ad nauseum about ourselves and every little thing we are doing or thinking. (The hardcore narcissists would use both Facebook and Twitter, and probably at the same time!)

I don't feel the need to search for "Classmates", since I graduated many moons ago and have kept in touch with those I wanted to since before we had Web 1.0 let alone 2.0. I don't really give a fig what the rest are up to these days.

I don't feel the need to look for "Coworkers" either since I see them pretty much every day at work.

In their "New User Guide" Facebook states:
"Most of Facebook's features depend on the idea that there are people in your life that you like to stay in touch with and connect with."

And there's the real nub of the issue: I do that with face-time, where the other person has my actual in-person undivided attention. (With perhaps a preliminary phone call or e-mail to set up that real face-time.)

And that's why I don't find Facebook useful or meaningful.