Culturally speaking, does anyone else feel this way about Facebook/ Timeline...?

[Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨Sa♪ahॐ]

Personally speaking, when I first made a Facebook, it seemed like a handy little thing... for awhile.

Facebook gave you the ability to talk to your friends, share pictures, write witty statuses that everyone could socialize over, message your coworker a work related question- without being all invasive in their life, etc.

It seemed to be a convenient, efficient way to communicate. It wasn't too invading or overwhelming but also was easy to make connections when you wanted to. Culturally speaking, Facebook became a step to making friends: Become acquainted with someone. Add them on Facebook. Check out their profile. Chat on fb. Exchange cell numbers. Hangout.


However since the birth of Timeline. I don't know. I am just starting to feel like it's all a bit too much. Two main points: 1) Facebook gives too much and 2) it takes away too much.
Lol. What?

1) Nowadays the way people use Facebook, someone is capable of knowing so much about you, they probably could stalk you if they wanted. You check in where you are, your status from a phone gives your location. You can list where you work, go to school, etc. There is a list of everyone you practically know, and God knows what else people can find out about someone when they update their status however many times a day.

And 2) I feel like it really takes away from what humans are all about, desensitizes them. I mean, I think it is very important to have family and friends and to socialize... But timeline seems to be reaching for more. I don't believe that Facebook is capable of defining what someone is truly all about- but that's what it seems to be doing. Facebook is like its name suggests, a face. I feel like for through all the information you can put on Facebook, you can only be so intimate through status updates and comments and pictures. It doesn't seem very creative, it seems sheepish, and forget the ads on the side!

I realize I just might be in the minority, everyone I know loves facebook.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

Thanks!
*It seems to be TRYING to define people.
I'm saying... people who are regular Facebook users tend to be very open. I think Facebook *encourages* you to be open. Not that there is anything wrong with being "open." But on the internet... eh... I just feel like people will get used to Facebook and use each others profiles to define and judge each other. You can put a lot on facebook, the stuff used to stalk someone, but people don't really write their intimate stuff, their philosophies, their dreams, their fears, etc.. The last time I checked, people get annoyed when people write "deep" stuff on facebook... And I know that people use facebook differently, and I am WELL aware of pricy settings, but I am saying I think Timeline is pushing people to put a lot of their info on it, create more of a detailed FACE, ya get me? And I'm am saying I am afraid people as a society will become accustomed to that. I feel that there is more to people than their FACE. lol
MTR 2.0- Very insightful. Wow.

[General JellyBean]

I don't have time to write much, but just wanted to say I totally agree with you!! I've been thinking of deleting my account, and I have already "hidden" a bunch of my stuff.

[confused]

It's called privacy settings. Also those same pll would probably be annoying in real life too by telling everyone where they went in reg conversations. It sounds like to me that you don't like art. But anyways. Dude just no. Timeline is good aI someone doesn't have to repeat the same stupid story a million fcjing times. Jesus Christ child. It's called being open. Everyone has a diff lvl of openness.perhaps you aren't as open as the ppl saying where they've been everyday. And you don't have to be. But it let's those ppl be their open selves.

[MTR 2.0]

I do not use facebook.

The terms of service agreement put me off, and by agreeing to it, you forfeit all intellectual property rights to any content you submit to their site.

I do not know what timeline is, but I can imagine.

Facebook is neat in a lot of ways, it is instant socialization at the push of a button, and it is less...awkward than more conventional gregarian pursuits.
You can be out going in a setting that is less intimate, and therefor more causal.

But, like you have pointed out, that lack of intimacy that made it more causal, also removed some of the...sincerity perhaps?...of a more conventional form of socialization.

Another interesting thing about facebook, it is a pioneer in social science application.
Yes, facebook is a virtual laboratory, the compile and quantify huge amounts of data about their users.
All sorts of things that can be used by facebook to accurately predict things about you that a private investigator stalking you for months would only be able suspect.
Facebook knows who you are more likely to add to your list than you are, and they know who you would never add better than your family.
They are literally tapped into you daily self, provided you use at least once a day for more than an hour.

These are some serious issues and it is not often discussed philosophically.
What are the ethical concerns?
What are the potential hazards of mass social manipulation?
What about discrimination and intellectual property rights?

Your concerns are very valid, and it something you should be thinking about.
But it is not just facebook, the entire internet is a treasure trove of our most secret information.

Even if there is not more to most people than just a FACE.
Most people look at their list of friends and do not realize that facebook knows a lot about them, probably a lot more than the 'friends' in their list.

[All hat]

Anything that makes us feel any degree of companionship that is not actual contact with other people is as dangerous as heroin and for the same reason. We're disintegrating as a society. Dis - integrating.

Other than that, it's quick and convenient.

[Sparrowbird]

I do agree with you and the other answerers in many ways. I think facebook is somewhat troubling. I got it to look at pictures of my niece, and having never felt comfortable with expressing myself on it I've simply posted songs and random crap on it now and again. To me, I feel that people use it as an excuse to sort of trivialise their life and in reality it sends them further into a psychological cage, further away from creating meaningful connections with others and really learning about themselves. When every 'reflection' is something that everyone else will see, is it really a reflection? A personal insight untainted by the eyes and judgments of others? I doubt it. As such, I don't know that people really are very open on it. How open can one be in such a short space? No - facebook comments are socially-oriented, fleeting, and one can derive from them if one tries.. but I wouldn't say they are truly open.

I refuse to get timeline, only because it starts as "Joins Facebook", as if that was the beginning of my life. Creeps me out. Not to mention I hate the idea of mapping out my life on the web in some horrendously trite manner, as if that's all I ever had to show for it. Goodness me, no.