By CHRIS SURPRENANT
Arts and Entertainment Editor
PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 1, 2011
“Did you see that on Facebook?” Nope. “Oh, so you haven’t checked it today?” Nope, wrong again. Recently, I have not seen anything on Facebook, or checked it all. In fact, I have severed the lifeline that so many cling to in this day and age. I deleted my Facebook. Permanently.
Why would one do such a thing, you ask? There are a number of reasons. As Betty White once said, “It sounds like a huge waste of time. I’m not going to say the people on it are losers, but that’s because I’m polite.” She is not wrong. When I was connected to the world, I was wasting lots of time. When I did not feel like reading 100 pages for any given class, I would hop on Facebook under the impression that the “news” on there really mattered. I would spend a good half an hour on the site before even cracking open my textbook. That was sick. I stepped back and asked myself what was so vitally important that I needed to spend that much time reading about the constant hygiene habits of some freely-sharing friends. Nothing at all!
Aside from the fact that Facebook was crippling my already rough time management skills, I realized that I was connected to a whole bunch of people, some of whom I barely knew, but only “friended” them to communicate with them for The Chronicle. Those people have access to my personal photos, my likes and dislikes, etc.; they can see my life. I am sorry, no thank you. Those are my memories, what significance have they for strangers? That just adds to the “creep” factor.
In the same vein, by using Facebook, you allow the company to use your photos and videos for its own use, such as ads within the site, such as “People You May Know.” Photos are still “owned” by the page owner, but permission is granted to Facebook to use it as it pleases. Once again, those are personal mementos that I do not want shared with anyone but those close to me.
Privacy is also a huge issue for me. We all know how often it changes its privacy settings, so we have to remain vigilant! I find that a little absurd. When I was on good ol’ FB, I had everything set to private/only friends. However, I was informed that Facebook had changed once again, and that I should check my settings. Lo and behold, many of my preferences had been set to public. It is unnecessary for Facebook to intrude on my life in such a way. I wanted my settings private for a reason. What gives them the right to tell me what I want? Nothing; I am a human being in charge of my own privacy. Back off, Mark Zuckerberg.
Coupled with the idea that Facebook can do what it wants with my information, I was also disturbed to learn that it has a great effect on the mind. As reported by The Scientific American, a recent study was conducted that found a link between Facebook users and narcissistic personalities. In a nutshell, narcissists use the site for self-promotion, because it boosts their self-esteem through detached “friendships.” The study did not necessarily say that using Facebook makes one a narcissist, but it stands to reason. Honestly, we all post statuses to get a reaction from our “friends,” i.e. we want them to “like” what is posted. When someone comments or “likes” something, it is an automatic ego booster that says, “Yes! They like me! They really like me!” I am sorry but that is sick. I prefer to not have a narcissistic personality.
Before someone tells me that Facebook is a great way to connect with people, I will stop and say I agree. The idea of Facebook is great, but its side effects not so much. However, our grandparents have lived long, happy lives without social-networking sites and they seemed to have turned out A-OK. If you are at all interested in sharing this article, please call your friend to tell them about it instead of posting it as a status. After all, actually talking to a person might be a nice change of pace. They will like you for it.
