Facebook and peer pressure

[Tips_of_Fingers]

-snip-

all this could have been easily avoided if you weren't so stubborn and just had a facebook account, which takes 4 seconds to make.

Who's the irrational one now?

Escapist's most retarded statement of the day award goes to...

...Oh yes because I love posting my life story on the internet!

I have never posted a single wall update in my life, having a facebook account for over a year.
It has a neat, convenient little chat button that makes life a lot easier.

I think the most retarded statement of the day award goes to... TehCookie for saying "Escapist's most retarded statement of the day award goes to..."

 

[NeuroticBabbler]

Unless your friends are adamant on planning everything through Facebook, I wouldn't use it. If there is no other alternative, then you may have to.

I don't need Facebook. My friends either don't use it, or have the decency to tell me when something is planned.

 

[vivalahelvig]

Facebook is a great way of keeping in touch with old friends, and organizing things. Keeping yourself updated in general.

So is FriendFace ( cookie for the refernce ), but that has a horrible germ analogy to it.

 

[Elburzito]

Euh, I have the exact same problem as you. In fact, I recently got reported in school because I had to do a group project with some friends. The only problem with this is that I was THE ONE WHO DID MOST OF THE DAMN WORK but the only one to get reported. The reason I got reported was because a jackass whom I had asked to take some pictures decided to upload them to Facebook instead of telling me about them.

So yeah, fuck Facebook. Mind you, I would NEVER let my friends plan a get-together and not tell me about it because of Facebook. If it did happen, there would be hell to pay.

 

[Snotnarok]

No offense sir but you're in the minority of your friends. Yes they're a bit shallow if they won't invite you on the basis of not having a facebook but really ...it takes 5 minutes to make one, it doesn't even have to be you linked to your real email and you're being just as stubborn as they are.

Facebook makes some peoples lives easier to organize because believe it or not hanging out isn't a life priority.

Suck it up, get a facebook and realize it's not the devil because YOU CHOOSE WHAT GOES ON IT.

 

[T-Bone24]

If you get a Facebook profile, people, you don't have to do anything. You're not obliged to use it to bug your friends with every teeny bit of information for you and it won't make you any worse of a person or any less intelligent. Get a goddamn grip, people.

As for the OP, your friends are extreme examples. That's ridiculous why they wouldn't arrange something whilst sat next to each other but, hey, what are you going to do about it? Do you try to arrange anything outwith the internet?

 

[Smooth Operator]

Screw peer pressure and this fake socializing through facebook, if you don't like it don't use it, and don't let anyone dictate your standpoint on that.

I used it for a while, until I noticed that "keeping in touch" to most people translates to spamming me with retarded messages or videos, this was quickly ended by blocking everyone and "removing" my account.
This "trendy new messaging" thing is just repeating over and over again, a new thing comes along and everyone hops on that wagon like good little sheepies, I don't even remember howmany times friends convinced me to switch to some new bullshit that they were all hyped about for a few months and then went on to something new.

 

[Sajuuk-khar]

But recently, when my friends have been arranging to go somewhere, they've been organising it over Facebook and never telling me about it.

A casual study society (of my study) that hangs out together has been doing exactly the same at my university. I sorta feel like I'm missing things.

But I still refuse to sign up. Vive la resistance!

 

[mjc0961]

Get new friends, because if your current ones actually gave a damn about you, they wouldn't exclude you from everything just because you haven't signed up for a profile on that cesspool.

 

[RustyMcPlwood]

Name me even one single human invention that does not have a draw back. Just one. Facebook is no different.

Pokemon

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

Sounds to me like you're just being stubborn. As much as you're going to hate to hear this, Facebook is the social medium of choice, and if you don't have one, you're going to continue to be left out. It sucks, but that's the simple truth of it.

Queue-Eff-Frakkin'-Tee.

I really don't get all the hate Facebook gets on this site. There are legitimate concerns over data mining and privacy, but those are oddly never the reasons brought up for why people don't like it. Speaking as someone who uses Facebook to organize events on a regular basis, I can tell you why your friends wouldn't organize it in person; Facebook is the modern event calendar. An event on Facebook gives you the place, the time, who's going, and it even gives reminders as the date comes up. At this point, it's pointless to try to organize anything that isn't completely spontaneous and happening right then in person. Facebook just does a much better job of keeping everything straight than the average individual, let alone the average group, can on their own.

I'll give you a few examples. Last week, my university did a game of Humans Vs. Zombies. The players used facebook groups to organize pretty much everything, from missions to dining hall runs. Today, I wound up eating lunch with someone who I met through that game. Not only would I never have met her in the first place if it weren't for facebook, but the lunch itself was organized after a conversation in the comments on a wall post.

As another example, I went home from college for the weekend of Halloween. I have quite a few friends and acquaintances back home, some of whom I knew had to be interested in trick or treating -- something that, at my age, has to be done in a group to avoid looking creepy in the wrong way. I made an event on Facebook, got a few people together, and got free candy for all of us. If I had wanted to do this without facebook, but still invite everyone that I did, it would have involved calling 60 people up, and then trying to keep track of it with pen and paper -- so basically, it wouldn't have happened without facebook.

In conclusion OP, give facebook a shot. It's insanely useful, and it's not like creating a profile is some horrible commitment.

 

[RustyMcPlwood]

Hold out bro, don't get a facebook. I've got one and yeah its useful but hold onto your dignity and don't let the majoritory win. Jesse Eisenberg wont be happy though.

 

[Rakkana]

Same thing happened to me. I caved but I refuse to put anything but my name on that damn thing!

 

[Knusper]

Who needs Facebook when you've got The Escapist?!

 

[oppp7]

It's times like this that I'm glad I don't have friends.

 

[SirPumpkinLongshanks]

Dude, just get a facebook. You don't have to do anything to maintain it and it's free. If you continue to be stubborn and not get one you're going to have a lot of trouble making friends in college simply because it's too hard to keep in contact with you without a facebook.

Jesus Christ, is it that hard to call somebody or leave a text? No matter what people say Facebook does become a replacement for real communication in many circles and that is one of many reasons I agree with the OP when he says it's a piece of shit. If you don't have the decency to text someone with "Bowling at Joe's 7pm" then you don't care enough to call them your friend.

Myself, I have major, major problems with the privacy policy of the website. Everything you post is broadcasted and even if you lock your profile down tight you don't have complete control over your information. Facebook is constantly gathering data on you without your conscious consent and anything you post there becomes their property.

I could bypass all of that by never posting anything about myself and just watching for scheduled events but when you take away most of that functionality the appeal of the service is greatly diminished. (Yes, I myself would be more willing to use it if Facebook had a reasonable privacy policy and things like IM weren't monitored unless somebody reported someone else for harassment.) Add in that most Facebook updates are pure noise (I DON'T FUCKING CARE ABOUT YOUR FARMVILLE ACHIEVEMENTS THAT'S THE FIFTH UPDATE THIS HOUR GAAAAH) and that if anything important is posted it easily gets lost in the cracks and you're left with a piece of shit.

Fuck. Facebook.

 

[CoL0sS]

I agree with you wholeheartedly. I despise what Facebook represents, and refuse to sign up for it. Yes I know I'm being stubborn, unreasonable and perhaps immature, but damn I'm entitled to have one thing I hate.

 

[BENZOOKA]

Name me even one single human invention that does not have a draw back. Just one. Facebook is no different.

Well, how about dynami... No, wait. Never mind.


OT:
It's cute and all when so ferociously opposing to a thing like a social networking website, but I just don't get it.

Oh, I almost forgot: millions of people use it so it's seriously uncool.

 

[supermariner]

what's your beef with facebook originally?
all you've presented us with are reasons why you should get it ...

 

[Danik93]

I am a Facebook addict! I check Facebook the first thing in the morning and the last thin I do before I go to sleep and a couple of times during the day! Since I got my new HTC Desire I check it even more! Gotta love the smartphones!