Letter to Nicole

So how often do you get on Facebook? It is really common to be on Facebook on campus here. I see so many students messing around on Facebook in class or at the computer labs. I wonder if it is the same everywhere. My guess is that it is.

Students our age really like Facebook. I know you have an account; even I am in contact with you through Facebook. But doesn't it seem like our society is kind of overdoing it? So many companies want you to join them on Facebook. The radio station I listen to offers contests where they give away concert tickets to their "fans" on Facebook. What does that even mean, to be a fan on Facebook? I know how you become one, but what does it achieve? Do more people buy products if there are more fans of it on Facebook? That would make Facebook more than just a social networking site. That would also make it a marketing tool.

It also amazes me how detailed the advertisements are per each account user. My friend, Sadie, just got engaged. She posted a comment on her wall about how all the advertisements on her page are now for wedding diets, wedding dresses, or otherwise wedding related! It is really crazy how the world can now create advertisements around each individual person.

Speaking of Sadie, she announced her wedding date through Facebook. Her wedding date! And sadly enough, it seems a natural place to post an important date like that now. While she probably will still send out official save-the-dates, it is a good place to start letting everyone know. But we now use this site for more than just connecting with people we have lost touch with, one of the number one reasons people claim they use Facebook.

I know hear stories about people who were dumped through Facebook. A fellow student, Jessica, posted the other day “Jessica… is sad how her boyfriend doesn’t put her first anymore. She wanted to go to his house just to say hey, but he wouldn’t let her because he had friends over.” I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t seem like anyone else’s business but Jessica and her boyfriend’s. How can that help, telling the world you are unhappy with someone close to you? It goes well beyond discussing your problems with one or two friends, just to get a trusted opinion on the matter. I get it; sometimes you need to talk your thoughts over with a third party. But to openly tell the world: I’m pissed off at so-and-so, and here’s why. That seems like a recipe for disaster to me.

I don’t know. I see the great positives to Facebook. I know I’m in contact with people I wouldn’t be if not for Facebook. And I do appreciate it for that aspect. Clubs for UCF are started and kept up through Facebook. People can stay in contact easily without having to arrange rendezvous times around students messy schedules .But I still think we over use it here. I don’t think it should be used to stay in contact with those we see everyday, that we live with, that we are close to. I don’t think it breeds for healthy relationships. And I think there is too much temptation to tell the world what you think, when sometimes it’s better to keep your mouth shut.