Social Me-Me-Media

I spend a good chunk of my day dealing with social media and all of its wonderful features. It's part of my job. But I still think that Facebook is sort of the devil. Especially since most people don't really understand what it's for. A fraction of those 500,000,000+ users really understand Facebook. This is one thing I'm sure I know something about because (GASP!) I was on Facebook when you needed to have a student email address to get an account.

Facebook wasn't always for everybody. It was named after the books given to students at the start of an academic year. Facebook was supposed to be a way for college students to get to know other college students. It was a slow growth. It started at Harvard, then moved to other Boston colleges, then the Ivy League, and Stanford. Then most other colleges and universities across the country got in on it. It was a cool college club.

I remember the backlash over every little format change. I remember how clean the profile pages used to look.

I REMEMBER WHEN FACEBOOK WAS CALLED “THE FACE BOOK.”

The real downfall came, of course, when Facebook launched its high school version in September of 2005. Because that just opened the door for Facebook to extend its membership to the employees of some companies... And on September 26, 2006 Facebook became available to everyone over the age of 13.

And that's when all the crap started. There was no Farmville, no Mafia Wars, and no garbage. Facebook was better when there was no such thing as a “status update.” (Do you remember that? I DO.)

It's fine to want to get to know the people around you. It's great to keep in touch! I get it, I get it, I agree. But Facebook sucks if you use it wrong.

Opening Facebook up to the world was like opening up the VIP lounge to everyone in the club.

If you want to keep putting up little updates, use Twitter. (Twitter is way cooler, anyway. It's also a much better source of information. I follow news feeds!)

If you want to write about your feelings, start a blog. (HELLOOOOO.)

I'm just saying that we have to remember both parts to the term “social media.” Yes, it's social. Yes, we should interact. But it's also “MEDIA.” That means that it's broadcast. Don't say something on Facebook unless you'd be okay with saying it on national television.

Facebook ain't what it used to be, and I just have to accept that.

(Though I really can't wait until the movie The Social Network comes out.)