Facebook sucks. It really does. The idea is
brilliant, the infrastructure is powerful, but the users are consistently
underwhelming in the content that they provide. How many statuses have you seen
that make you question the progress of human interactions? How many photos have
you seen that make you wish camera phones were never invented?
To be clear, this is not an attack on the
concept or technology of Facebook, this is merely a commentary on the careless
nature of our generation. I know I've certainly made posts, comments, and
statuses (many regarding this blog) that have polluted all of your newsfeeds.
We are all culprits in the growth of this vacuum of meaningless content that
has consumed countless hours of our otherwise busy lives.
The
breakup status. The drunk selfie. The generic happy birthday post. Not to
mention the endless likes, pokes, and shares. These are all things that have
absolutely no relevance to my life, yet I often spend hours mindlessly perusing
the uncensored trivialities that my peers constantly share.
Our generation is so overtly concerned with
the attention and approval of the public that it has no qualms spewing nonsense
that pertains to only a small fraction of the likely audience. Rarely do
Facebook users contemplate the notion that all of their "friends"
will see their status. The result is a glaring disconnect between the content
available on Facebook and the users who actually see it.
There is no simple solution to this problem.
Self-policing is the only way to ensure that garbage doesn't constantly fill my
newsfeed. After all, it only takes a handful of perpetrators to infest our
beloved digital playground. So, here is my recommendation. Think before you
post. If it's not interesting the first time you look at it, it certainly won't
be when we do.
Moreover, if you find yourself scrolling
through the desert wasteland that is your newsfeed, helplessly seeking an end
to your inevitable boredom, do yourself a favor. Close your computer. Put your
phone back in your pocket. Open your front door and go experience the world.
There are interesting people all around us, and you won't find them on
Facebook.
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