Facebook: Why is it so important to people?

its a fantastic tool, i use it to track my colleagues and business partners more than i do my friends. your closest friends will always just be a phone call away, but there really isn’t a more convenient, centralized tool that lets you get an update of your contacts in a glimpse.

Facebook is very interesting from many different angles.

One angle is that it is a simple website, using no new technology that wasn’t around beforehand. As a web developer I look at Facebook with a curious eye as to why certain features are implemented, and I sympathize when they get backlash from users who don’t like the changes they make.

Another angle is that Facebook is simply the most prominent manifestation of the social Internet we’ve seen so far. It is now when people have iPhones and other portable internet devices, where wifi is common, and simply when other people participate, that allows and spurs the individual to communicate. In this, Facebook is not an object, it’s a platform. You wouldn’t blame your cellphone for delivering bad news, and this is similar. However instead of the cellphone being a one-to-one, sometimes people use Facebook to share it to many instead of just one. This has advantages (I like seeing what other people comment about on photos, for instance, also saves the person showing their photos each time they go to a person’s house), and disadvantages (visibility settings aren’t nearly as easy or explicit as they need to be, but also some people simply don’t have a brain-to-keyboard filter and post inappropriate things). The point here is that it is not Facebook itself that is the item of deire, it’s the fact that Facebook allows you to participate in such discussions and interactions and sharing, this is why people are “obsessed with” Facebook or “take it so seriously”.

It doesn’t have to mean anything. Facebook is certainly not a critical part in my life, and my group of friends do not post their breakups etc all the time so I would suggest that your data points may not be as diverse as they could be. Remember, Facebook doesn’t really tell you what to do with it. It’s the person’s desire and choice whether to add every single person they know, or whether to not add an aunt they don’t particularly like (as I have in one case). It’s a new social tool and the rules and usage hasn’t really been established. Heck, even with cell phones the usage hasn’t been established (using in the bathroom? really?) and they’ve been around since the 80s.

Use Facebook like you want. Let others use it like they want.

I don’t accept invites to every flippin’ application. That’s me. For other folks, that’s all they want to do.

Facebook is so successful because it can be many different things to many different people.

Live and let live.

Connecting people.Unless quicker and more people to check.

Certain people take certain things seriously. It’s not a new thing, and it’s not caused by Facebook.

I don’t actually know anyone that takes Facebook as seriously as you describe, but maybe I’m lucky.

Oh, I do love Facebook, I’m thinking that I just have very annoying “friends” on it. The mass application requests is driving me bonkers.
I use Facebook to show off my son to family and friends, and keep up on my friends and family. I don’t have any issue with Facebook itself, just the people that take it so seriously.

I don’t find it useful, except as a way to share photos, and perhaps other work. Fluther is much more useful to me as a way to meet and get to know people.

@casheroo, You can easily block application requests on a per-application or per-user basis. That’s a very easily overcome annoyance.

@MrItty Can you block them before people send you requests? I block the applications as I get invitations..but I have not seen where I can block them from being sent to me all together.

@casheroo, Yes, you can. When a request comes in, choose “block all requests from this user” .

I don’t use facebook. I did have a myspace when it first started but I got annoyed with how important it became to everyone so I deleted it. Actually I had two myspace pages, one private for friends and family, and one for work that I left open to the public. I probably got 50 friend requests a day on that one.
I think a lot of people use facebook/ myspace because they like to feel important. Here I am, this is what I’m doing right now, look at all the friends I have, I’m so special. That’s fine if they like it, it’s their choice. I just think it’s silly. Some people use it to keep in touch with friends and family, and I can understand it’s easier to put info up once instead of emailing it to 50 different people. Then again, I don’t think most of those people care that you are currently eating a ham sandwich and are then going to walk the dog.
I guess the bottom line for me is yes I think it’s a matter of self importance, but it doesn’t affect me so I don’t really care. Everyone likes different things!

@elijahsuicide, I see it 100% the opposite. It’s precisely because we DON’T feel that what we have to say is important, that we just post it on Facebook. If I thought anyone cared what I had to say, I’d call people, or email, or text message them. I know that no one give’s a rat’s behind that “I just saw the Watchmen” (my current FB status). So I post it to FB. Therefore, I don’t intrude on anyone else with pointless information. The only reason they’d have to go see that information is if they’re already bored and are on FB killing time.

@MrItty if you didn’t care you wouldn’t post it.
There’s nothing wrong with being on there, if you like it. that’s the point of sites like that, to keep others updated with your life and stay updated with theirs.
I don’t need to know where everyone is at this very moment, and if there’s something they need to know about me I can just call them.

Because people are drones

I like being able to talk briefly with my bff who lives 6 states away. It keeps her phone calls to a minimum (I have a hard time getting her off the phone). This way, I can tell her my vagina itches and be done with it. Also, there are other people who I like to talk to in brief and see what they’re up to. I don’t enjoy lengthy phone calls and am too busy fluthering to go visit people in person.

@elijahsuicide, I didn’t say I didn’t care. I said I know no one cares enough to have me contact them directly about it. Rather a large difference.

@MrItty ok then, to each his own.

I think facebook is the devil

oooooh you’ve just reminded me!

I love Facebook! It helps me keep track of all my friends and family that have moved away and feel connected to them on a daily basis. Plus, I’ve made friends I never would have met otherwise. AND I get to post pictures of all the cool dogs that come stay where I work. It’s great!!!

I love Facebook, too. It’s a cross between talking to myself and poking people. And I get to gather the various disconnected groups of people I know in one spot.

I love Facebook, too. It’s a cross between talking to myself and poking people. And I get to gather the various disconnected groups of people I know in one spot. I like posting pictures, and just messing around.

I don’t have time to answer this question, I gotta get on facebook and see who is doing something exciting!

its another way to reach out to people

a lot of people like to be able to constantly check up on their friends, or people they secretly aren’t that fond of, but ‘friend’ anyways. i don’t know. of The Two Evils, i prefer myspace. facebook bores me. i don’t care if Whatsherface joined a group. i don’t care if Whathisface commented on Whatsherface’s wall. and i certainly don’t care i whatsherface and whatshisface are dating (well, sometimes i do, but, you know.)
but yeah. i think it’s mostly about monitoring when it comes to facebook, and self-promotion when it comes to myspace.

I’ve found a way to make fb work for me. Namely, it lets me say happy birthday to people who I like enough, to let them know I am glad they were born, but not as much as placing a phone call or attending a party. I also like being able to exchange family pictures and avoid getting a-million-and-one phone calls from my mother requesting them.