Facebook: Friend or Foe?

Good day all! It is funny that I am talking about Facebook today, because that is how most of you access this site. I had heard of Facebook long before I began using it. I heard about it from everyone that I know. "You aren't on Facebook? What do you mean you don't have a Facebook account? You're not cool unless you have a Facebook account." These were almost daily statements that I had to deal with. I believe that I actually signed up for a Facebook account so that people would stop telling me to get a Facebook account. It has been both a great tool, and a total nuisance since I have had it.

I have been able to use Facebook to reconnect with friends and family that live far away from me. Used it to talk to people who I was once close with, but due to this crazy little thing called "life"...have lost touch with. I have been able to see my cousin's baby, my friends' new homes, view foreign lands (like Oklahoma) through the eyes of my friends. These are all great things that Facebook has allowed me to do. I have also been swamped with "game" requests. I put game in quotation marks because none of these are actually games, nor are any of them really fun. They pass time when I have insomnia, they gave me something to do when I was stuck on the couch, recovering from multiple knee surgeries, they give me something else in common with friends and family...but they all suck. And the worst part about it is...they consume you.

Never in my life have I had the desire to work on a farm. I have never really even wanted to VISIT a farm. But damn it if I am not in front of my computer every 4-8 hours making sure that my crops haven't withered, or collecting chicken eggs, or whatever other crazy shit farmers do. I actually think I put in more time virtual farming than an actual farmer puts in to actual farming! This would make sense if I grew up on a farm or had a secret desire to be a farmer...but neither of those statements is true. I also have a city that I tend to everyday. I am the mayor...do I receive a paycheck from the city? I say nay, nay. It is just one more huge waste of time bestowed upon me by Facebook and my Facebook friends.

Causes....I almost don't even want to get into this..but of course I will. I am a man with very strong convictions when it comes to things I care about. I am a 20 year veteran of the United States Navy, and most anything dealing with the support of the military and its men and women is a cause that I believe in. I don't need invitations from 30 people telling me to click this button and show your support for the armed forces. I don't want to click to show that I think people protesting military funerals should be clubbed like a baby seal. I have seen such ridiculous things as "click here to show that this piece of corn can get more votes than Miley Cyrus." People have become so involved with the "click here" causes, that I believe it is impossible for them to care about any of them. I think there should be a "click here to stop stupid causes" Cause. I am not doubting that there are many legitimate causes out there, but by putting those causes on Facebook, you kind of take some of the legitimacy out of them. People will click on anything on here if their friends clicked on it before them.

Facebook is a great invention (as is evidenced by Mark Zuckerberg's bank account). But just like anything else, people will find a way to make it more of a pain than a pleasure to use. Do me a favor people....walk away from Facebook for an hour. Call your friends on the phone instead of waiting for them to post something about their lives online. Invite them over for some face to face time. Have a beer, eat a meal, watch a sporting event together. Don't let Facebook become your primary means of communication with your friends and family. I am not asking anyone to stop using Facebook. I know I couldn't stop doing it myself. What I am saying is...don't let it become all that there is. And for Pete's sake, stop posting stuff on there that you would never say to someone else face to face. Remember...if it is on your wall..EVERYONE can see it. Until next time....Stay Salty!

-Salty Dog