What are your thoughts on Facebook?

[The ultimate essay]

I am writing an essay for college and as research I wanted to ask this question to the public.

You may praise or trash Facebook and the people who use it. I am looking for both sides.

I am to write a persuasive piece showing both sides of the argument, then give my own opinion.

My opinion being that Facebook is just High School all over again and totally blows.

I find that most people on there use it to indulge in their own narcissism, attempting to post model-esque photos of themselves (that really look like ass but they think they look like celebrities), status updates of their every move as if they are awesome enough to be reality TV show material, or people trying to use it to market crap.

Not to mention most people end up with 400 "friends" on there because they basically go around "befriending" people who offline would be considered strangers. It appears they do this as if they are building some kind of fan base fueled by the delusion that they are just THAT AWESOME. It wouldn't surprise to me to see someone out friending homeless people if they had internet access.

That was just a brief summary of where I am going with the essay. Use that to work off of and give me your opinions please. Thank you

[Aaron Mcclelland]

The worst invention since myspace. It's ok to have sites like this were you can ask questions or get info. But on facebook there is no purpose at besides wasting 10 hours a day on it getting poked by complete stranger friends.

[Suziebee]

I hate it. I hate it, hate it, hate it.
You start off with a couple of good friends. Before you know it, you are sitting around for hours at a time, 'liking' meaningless phrases fed to you on a plate and reading people drivel on about things that, quite frankly, aren't very interesting. Then you get attention seeking teenage girls posting countless photos of themselves and having arguments about how 'gawjuss' they are. And before you know it, everything is a contest: who's status can get the most likes? who can get the highest number of friends? eventually, it gets to the stage where if you don't spend at least 4 hours a day scrolling through a heap of unintelligent crap from people that you a) don't know, b) hate anyway or c) could not care less about, you will DIE.

[Francis]

I've always found Facebook to be a complete and utter waste of time. 99.9% of the information shared is downright mindless. What do people have to talk about!? When I saw The Social Network, it was not surprising at all to see that Facebook's inception was largely haphazard. Who would ever conceive of such a stupid pass-time? Certainly not a Harvard student. I'm a member of Facebook, but not by choice. There's the trick!

[maverick_0121]

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[Mary Smith]

I think it's causing a huge reduction in productivity. It's a huge waste of time, which really just appeals to our desire for attention. For the true narcissists it is basically a place where they can entertain the belief that they truly are extremely important. For the narcissist that exists in us all it's our 15 minutes of fame.

It's not only a stupid waste of time, but it is a huge factor in depression, especially among teenagers and young adults. The ability to be selective about what you post means that you have the opportunity to present yourself and your life in the most positive light. This leads to people feeling inadequate about their own lives.

Some people argue that it is great for staying in touch. It's definitely more convenient to organise an event. This is because most people are on facebook, so within 5 minutes you can invite almost everybody you want to your party.

However, the site encourages a very superficial way of staying in contact. Because it isn't quite as personal as an email, a phone call or a face-to-face meeting you have the chance to
a)be more of an asshole
b) be more selective about what you write for fear of other people seeing it on your wall and judging you
and
c)develop an internet persona which is very different to how you are in real life. While this may present many an opportunity for shy people who do not have the ability to express themselves in real life, it also gives us a warped perception of other people and ourselves. Sometimes, we may end up more disappointed when we discover a person is not how they've portrayed themselves to be over the internet.

I honestly wish the site had never been created.

[Intellectualarmy076]

omg do NOT get me started...oh wait....i already have (btw i am not on it and never will be)

First of all i totally agree with your opinon of it and would like to add mine, from what i see:
It is a nasty, addictive, insidious, wasteful, ugly thing designed for nothing but a-self-promotion b-exposing yourself and others and c-the worst drama on the planet. I have lost "friends" because I won't get on it. I think its the devil, to put it bluntly. Tons of people i know use it just to spy on half the planet and then turn around to criticize and ridicule them behind their backs. It gives everyone the idea that everyone is into you, its perfect for the self-absorbed. The ability to post pictures is half the problem, ugh, its just wrong. Its a private person's absolute nightmare. It gives anyone you "friend" (ha thanks to this thing that word is probably a cuss word now) the ability to completely verbally obliterate you from behind an impenetrable electronic wall, perfect for cowards, pot-stirrers, loose canons, attention-whores, and people living in ivory towers who love to tell others how to live. I have seen family members stop speaking to each other over it. I have seen people abused, bullied, extorted, blackmailed, denigrated, ridiculed, and ruined because of it. I have seen marriages get in horrific fights over it. I have seen people ruined at work over it. WHY would anyone make something that makes it possible for anyone in your past to find and flay you? Its nothing more than a self-imposed torture device! Why don't people just get naked and stand on a platform and yell "hurt me in any way you like"? Same thing. Its the one of the top three things on the net that I would destroy TODAY if I could.

[Daniel Tremblay]

Opened an account. Meet some nasty people then closed. Open, shut case says it all.
If your not in there validating other peoples EGOs. They can be pretty rescind-ant after the preposition of a friendly proposition of pick pockets. Cheshire cat syndrome at least... just ask Alice. As you are observed through the looking glass of the internet. Inalienably should I say, i'm so MAD that I had-her, butt we spieled tea together.

[Mir]

Great subject for research!

However, seeing the answers and your own opinion, it seems to be quite skewed towards the trash side. If you on the other hand would go to some schools and interview kids, you probably would hear a different story.

I am on neither side.

For me it is a way to keep in contact with people who do not live close to me, but at the same time I am not someone who will post hourly updates of what my day involves. I also only have people I know as my friends, therefore keeping my information relatively save (as far as that is possible)

So, with regards to your essay, try to get an understanding of the praise side and collect why these people think it is so good. Then also check what actually the strategy of Facebook is and see how that matches people's expectations.

Have fun with your essay.