Someone sent me this:
Hey there you facebook-hater,
I’m forced to contact you though the boring medium of gmail, since you are too cool to be on facebook. I guess all the hilarious comments, and interesting videos and pictures that I post are not relevant to you. That’s fine, I guess if I was a truly interesting person I would know how to make my own personalized blog. My personal life’s tapestry is worthless in your eyes, because it has been woven with the low class, and easily obtainable fibers offered by facebook. If everyone can do it, then is must be crass.
But I didn’t email you to lecture you on your elitist, seclusionary stance towards all the people who would like to be your friend and share the interesting tid-bits of their ever-changing lives with you through an easy, fun, and convenient social networking device, which can only invade your privacy as much as you let it…
It’s funny cause I barely said anything to him about Facebook. As usual, I just explained that I don’t hate it, but don’t think it’s necessary for me when I have a personal domain that gives me complete control of my content (and privacy). This is my polite answer. But he saw through all that and quite elegantly summed up how I feel about communicating through Facebook in the first paragraph of his e‑mail.
I don’t know. I think you’re in complete control only if you’re IT savvy enough. I know lots of people who use FB have zero idea of what kind of security risks they face, and they take no security measures. An interesting thing is it’s more likely that you can learn about a person’s private life by simply googling the person’s name in western societies than in eastern societies.
It’s true that Facebook is a great tool for people who aren’t IT savvy enough, but what this person explained (which is also how I feel) is that if one is really committed to expressing oneself, one would branch out beyond Facebook and pick up the skills needed to run a personal website. Or perhaps hire someone else to set it up for you.
Why is it that it’s easier to find out about someone by Googling in Western society? Is it because people here tend to put more personal information online?
The technology is changing so fast you have to be personally really into it. They come up with new ways of cracking codes and causing havocs everyday.
Yep, easterners are more reserved when it comes to revealing personal things in the public domain. Aren’t you afraid someone would use the information against you? All I need to do is google your name, and it ‘ll lead me to everything about you.
Nope, I’m not concerned about personal information being used against me. I follow a quote that Will Rogers once said: “Live that you wouldn’t be ashamed to sell the family parrot to the town gossip.”
Bwu…wha?
Hahaha, wow, I know fanboyism is all over the place, but I didn’t know Facebook has fanboys of its own.
Some people take things like this too seriously without realising the main reasons or motives people do things. They jump to whatever they want in its defense at the slightest whiff that someone says something remotely critical (though not necessarily negative) about it.
I guess you’re going to leave a person like this be. After all, if there is anything to stay far away from, it’s not to feed the fanboys.
Hahahah, maybe some context is needed; I know this guy and he’s a bit of a joker, so what he said was meant to be slightly tongue-in-cheek. He wasn’t really trying to convince me of the benefits of Facebook, he was just trying to be self-deprecating about people who use it, for the sake of humour.
I think what he wrote shows a lot of intelligence because most people on Facebook just use it blindly, without any desire (or need, which could be considered worse in my opinion) to move beyond the restricted and convenient confines of such a medium.
It’s true Jeff — you are a totally internet snob :)
Okay, admittedly, it isn’t the first time I’ve heard this.
And now you will scoff at me because of my typo.… I’m horrified!
Admittedly, I didn’t notice the typo until you pointed it out either.
Wat??? Someone supporting facebook doggedly in the middle of a trend to ditch it? Puhleese.
It wasn’t a completely serious letter or attempt on his part.
seems like satire, or sounds like the next step Facebook would take as an automatic letter to invite people to join. when you want to erase your account FB says poignantly oh but friendX will miss you and never be able to contact you again…won’t you reconsider. they throw every guilt but fluffy puppies in body casts.
I wouldn’t put it past Facebook to (eventually) pull a stunt like this. It seems like all social media communities sell out in some way because it’s a difficult model to sustain financially.