I was musing with Dan tonight about the future of Facebook, mulling over when the fad might fade. People are notoriously fickle. Today's biggest thing is tomorrow's has-been. Though I can't imagine what the alternative might be, I also can't conceive of Facebook being the primary social vehicle twenty - or ten or even five - years from now.
And now I have a confession to make: technophile though I am, I do not like Facebook. I'll think I plan to use it more - I know it's a great tool in theory - but I really never do. For starters, I'm just not that social a person. I don't feel the need to share every aspect of my life with hundreds of my “closest” friends. I don't want to share my life period, actually; I like my privacy. I don't want to waste my time with silly games or with getting caught up in the trivialities of other people's lives either.
For some people, Facebook is wonderful. If their families are scattered around the world, if they're confined to home due to health issues, if they want to be in contact with people sharing a particular challenge like a rare disease. But that's not me. I still prefer real-life face-to-face contact, or even good “old-fashioned” email. Maybe if I were a sixteen year old girl again ... but I'm not that either.
And not all sixteen year olds are Facebook fans either. It's not so easy growing up online, particularly if you're not one of the popular clique. I've met kids who don't like it, who feel overwhelmed having to keep up with all the social media. They have to write on walls, read comments, tweet, or they feel they'll be left out and left behind. And that's without even touching painful issues like cyber-bullying or cyber-stalking. For a self-conscious teen, even having an unflattering picture posted on a friend's page can be traumatic.
Facebook has its time and place and people it's best suited for. I'm just not one of them.
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