As the news that Facebook's IPO
(whatever that may be) is already oversubscribed (whatever that
might mean) pops onto my Reuters newsfeed, I feel a second Facebook post coming
into life. But one rather different from the last, complimentary one, heralding
the social network as brilliant and having the potential to communicate far
beyond what we usually use it for. Today sees a return to cynicism, I'm sure
you're be pleased to hear.
I've been very lucky. My course has given up on exams
now, and we're left with the odd assignment paired with an unhealthy amount of
down time. I see my friends ploughing through a thick sludge of revision, exams
and continuing assignments as this academic year draws to damp close. I
certainly cannot envy their position, but I find myself imagining the
impossible task it would be for me to now have such a pile of work on.
My left hand now needs no neural signals to type F-A-C-E,
whilst my right press the down arrow and enter within a split second. I often
find myself with several homepages of the same dull website which now has the
sweet delight of numerous updates as I am too quick to thwart a stockpiling by
my automatic addiction to regular visits.
In genuinely wish I could sever this tie, relinquish its
chokehold on me but – as many friends who have tried – I know that it has
become such a necessary evil in our lives. Nothing can be planned without it.
Even phones, what I considered to be more reliable than Facebook , have started
failing me as responses will only come accompanied by the sweet bloop I have
begun hearing even when away from my laptop.
My internet homepage has various feeds, delivering to me
the latest news, science stories, TED speeches, weather, the odd interesting
photo, amongst others. And yet before I check all of these things I have
preselected to be the first thing I see when logging onto the internet, my
fingers quickly type out the Facebook URL and once again another day has been
wasted.
University is almost two thirds over now, and I really
hope I can reclaim my time and spend it a little more productively over my
final year. I sincerely doubt that, though...
The problem is that we're all on it. Even my mum pops up every now and again. Even she uses
it to remember birthdays. Mums are supposed to have some kind of inbuilt system
to deal with that kind of nonsense. Why is Facebook getting involved?
That's the problem, though. It's becoming such a
necessary evil in our lives, somehow it's gone one step further than Bebo
(who incidently implemented timelines just before they sunk out of favour) and Myspace ever managed, and we all now depend on it for getting by.
There's also the fear of losing everything. Delete
Facebook and delete all your photos, old conversations and memory prompters.
Facebook would lose so many users if it allowed us to download our accounts. It
won't stop me wishing they'll do it at some point, though...
I suppose this post is more about the wasted opportunity
of the internet. Not only does Facebook have the potential to communicate for
us so well, but the internet – once you drag yourself away from that website
that ashamedly sits at the top of your most visited list – has so much more
interesting stuff.
Here are a few of my favourites. Enlightened yourself.
Also look at this brilliant picture I did
I can tell that you're jealous.
