06.04.09

Not My Kind of Book

Posted in 2009 Medley at 12:17 am by Miracle ♪♫

Yes, I finally gave FB a try, but I have liquidated my account after several short cyberweeks. I thought I could dodge this entry and go on with my FaceBookless life, but people keep on asking why I closed this particular “book”.

Before anything else, I would like to make it clear that I do not think FaceBook is inferior in terms of features, nor do I think that I am better than everyone else in there because I have the guts to leave and they do not, nor am I trying to cajole Multiply in rewarding me with a premium account for loyalty (haha). It is not like that.

I who have constantly flirted with the prospect of deleting all social networking accounts (but keep Friendster because of the blog and treasure my little territory at Multiply because of the new family I have discovered there), simply find Facebook useless.

During my first week on FaceBook, I was greeted with a predominant stream of quizzes! It honestly gave me the impression that FB was all about quizzes – and yet it is, for most people. It was only when friends began coaching me in the ways of the cyberworld that I was reminded of being able to upload photos and share links as well. “Oh, right!” I replied. But oh, I won’t be a hypocrite. I indulged in them quizzes, too! Within two weeks, I was told that I am a philosopher, have flawless grammar, an I.Q. of 130, am an unconventional bride, am Kierkegaard, am Starbucks’ Green Tea Latte who “does not look yummy at first but is actually sweet when given a try”, am a passionate kiss if I were a type of kiss (but I did not publish this result publicly *laughs*), and that my taste in music also says that I am philosophical and intellectual to the point of being cerebral, etcetera, etcetera… Given such results, who would not love FaceBook?! Well, after a short while, I could not. Hence the status message stating that after all, we do not need quizzes to deceive us into believing such foolishness.

Then I remembered this, “The latter rain weatherbound my already limited outdoor activities, which in turn left me spare time for answering those silly personality quizzes on the internet. One amusing thing about these self-imposed interrogations is the certainty that no matter who you are, dumb or dumber, smart or smarter, they always come up with flattering facts about yourself. Kinda like the courteous acquaintance one foolish person is prone to call a bestfriend because he only says the good about you, and you go on craving to believe that you are that man’s reflection. Naturally, those who dare to tell you the ugly truths about yourself become the enemy, and naturally, there is no such internet quiz that exists.”

If not for some friends who tried to convince me about FB being the best thing that ever happened to social networking, and if not for the sake of being un-ignoramus on something that everyone already knew about, I would not have signed up. As expected, my interest in FaceBook dwindled especially when it ate up part of my reading time, when people who could not and would not dare hug or poke me in person began hugging and poking me, when I saw that they relied on computer-generated messages to figure out what “God” wanted to tell them, when people who knew my heart to nauseating degrees only got 20% on the “How Well Do You Know Meewa” quiz, and when I realized that I was only wasting precious time in there.

Compared to Multiply and Friendster, it is definitely easier to keep in touch through FaceBook, but if these people who are not already connected to your other cyberhomes really want to keep in touch, wouldn’t they bother making a little extra effort? I mean, no one is exactly asking everyone to send a handwritten letter via snail mail. How difficult is it to send an e-mail?

I only speak for myself when I say, “FaceBook is useless.” So there you have it.
I still envy my friends who have liberated themselves from all forms of social networking. They still retain that certain mystery in them that makes them way “cooler” than anyone technologically au courant.

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I close this entry with videos to entertain you. =P

FaceBook in Reality

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Julian Smith’s 25 Things I Hate About FaceBook

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