Now, if you're feeling particularly active then during the day you may choose to go out and exercise, but for the most part, I think I speak for most teenagers in my place when I say that a lot of our time is spent on Facebook and watching TV. And what is it about Facebook that attracts so many people? Half the time, I see my friends just scrolling up and down the screen. Up and Down. Up and Down. Up and Down. Up and Down. I think you get the idea. It becomes mindless.
SO, in my abundance of time, I decided to investigate the purpose of the website. Now for the disclaimer. This is merely my opinion and therefore, any intelligent person should understand that I will make claims that may seem ignorant or unfair. If so, let me know but be civil about it. If there's anything I've learnt from my time as a Youtube commenter, is that there are always people who will see a passage that conflicts with their belief and subsequently knock that person down until he/she yields to their beliefs. Honestly, if people gave an extra few seconds thought into why a person believes in what they believe in, this world would be a much happier place...then again, that's just me.
BUT back on track. I think I've narrowed it down to 5 different categories. On Facebook, you have:
Category A: The Stalker
The perennial bi-product of a social networking site. I think everybody in some capacity is a stalker. Yes, the term may be a bit harsh, but I can't be bothered of thinking of a politically correct term for what people do. I'll use my buddy as an example. For the purposes of this post, he will be Subject X. The other day, we were having lunch and Subject X pointed out somebody we both knew from way back in primary school. First thing he says is "Wow, he's changed a lot!" Next thing I see is Subject X on Facebook and searching him up. Turns out, he actually did change a lot...more than us, at least. My buddy, Subject X began digging into all the photos and seeing his friends and next thing I see is that six-degrees of separation thing happening. You know when suddenly you see that the person you're stalking is friends with a mutual friend? Well follow that chain through about 5/6 people and there's bound to be some connection with you. We spent a good 30 minutes on that....all from the first stalk. It's a big time killer and I think that's how a majority of people choose to spend their time.
Category B: The Status Machine-Gun
I have no other words to put this. There's always a bunch of people who feel the need to share absolutely everything with the world. I mean EVERYTHING. Nothing left out. Sometimes it's funny and the things they say are actually quite entertaining at times. I don't know if it's just me, but I find sharing my entire life story on the net all the time (even if they are my friends) a tiny bit unsettling. But once again, there's A LOT of people doing it.
Category C: PHOTOS PHOTOS PHOTOS
I know that now with Instagram,Tumblr and Twitter, sharing photos on Facebook may not be as popular as it once was, but when I first joined the site it was massive! I still have those friends who choose to upload everything they take onto Facebook, whether it be on the go or at home. They're still out there! Heck, for some people, it's a weekly business. Every week would be a fresh set of photos, put into an album entitled with the date. BUT, one has to question the content of photos and why they're put up in the first place. Maybe it's my sense of curiosity but I find that for me, some of the photos my friends put up are only put up there to 'show off' to the rest of the world their great party moments. I must admit myself guilty of this at times, but in hindsight and when you think about it...there's really no other reason to put up a photo besides letting people see how wonderful your day/night was. Eh, such is the life of a 21st Century civilian.
Category D: REFRESH REFRESH REFRESH ...Ooh Notification!
THEN you get the people who sit on the News Feed scrolling up and down non-stop waiting for something juicy to sink their keyboard warrior skills into. I apologize, that's only some people. But there are plenty of people who just wait on the news feed waiting for something to happen! Some new photo to upload, some video or even just a juicy piece of gossip. Oh and don't forget the feeling of getting a notification! I remember once hearing my buddy at his place yell out "I GOT A NOTIFICATION"..given he was drunk, but still...something registered in his noggin on a subconscious level that made him say that...I think...
Category E: Screw X-Box, Screw PlayStation....I'm a Facebook Gamer.
This isn't as common as it once was, but in the height of its day, Facebook was the centre of gaming for the ordinary person. Ah I miss the days of Tetris Friends, Farmville and that other one...I forget. Games and applications used to be the big thing, and another way to spend time on Facebook. Remember those people who always used to use the horoscope application that would post something on their wall every day? They've certainly gone out of fashion lately! However, there are still a few people playing on Facebook today, so its because of that, that I include this as a category.
Facebook. It's the source of countless hours of...well not entertainment...of...of...um...it kills time alright? As much as everybody says it's a waste of time (me included) I still find that on Facebook, time seems to move at 3x speed. Of course, all things considered, there's always a bunch of normal people, who essentially keep their Facebook to see how people are, organise events, chat to others and recently, to keep up to date with TV shows (I know I certainly do!), but hey, what's to say that you aren't an amalgamation of EVERYTHING? It's certainly possible, but next time you're on Facebook check the clock.
What was the point of this post again? I forgot. You see, I just got some notifications.
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