If You Don't Do Facebook, Does That Make You Weird?

Writing in The Observer recently, Catherine Bennett raised some worrying news for those who have so far resisted the temptations of Facebook. It appears that James Holmes the killer of 12 people in a Colorado cinema and the Norwegian mass killer Anders Breivik, were both 'resisters'. This is concerning news indeed for while I am not a total resister, I do have resisting tendencies. It seems that those who seek to share their most embarrassing photos and random thoughts and actions can now proudly wear the badge of normality.

I initially registered with Facebook for two reasons. One was to access photos posted by my son while he was travelling in South East Asia though this was admittedly short lived while he was experiencing a problem posting pictures on his blog. The second reason was out of idle curiosity. I just had to see what everyone else was going on about. The experience left me unimpressed and it was not too long before my account was deactivated.

Then I found myself feeling excluded while sharing a pint with friends who rattled on about various Facebook related activities they had shared. I must be missing something I thought to myself. I was aware of some people who appeared to be constantly posting comments on one of the many social networking sites so consequently my Facebook account was re-activated. How could I knock it if I had not given it a fair trial?

Now I have experienced three months of being bombarded by notifications of people posting photos, people commenting on photos and people commenting on comments. Occasionally something makes me smile but generally I feel that the time I spend on Facebook is time wasted. Recently that time has diminished to the point where I thought why bother. I should add hastily that this is very much a personal opinion, lest I offend anyone who finds Facebook, interesting, useful or just entertaining. However I have also recently witnessed the less tasteful side of Facebook where two people I know and who deserve better have been subjected to what can only be described as cyber bullying. Shameful and very sad but I guess if it goes on in the real world, then why should we be surprised when it also goes on in the "cyber world" where people can more easily hide their own true identities.

I know that rather than taking the drastic step of closing my account, I could remain as a member and just take a peep every now and then to see what, if anything, is going on. This seems a little bit voyeuristic for my liking, so while considering whether to deactivate my account for the final time, I chanced upon the comments of Ms. Bennett. I hesitated. Would people think me weird, or should I say, more weird than they do now? Would I suddenly feel the urge to grab an AK47 and eliminate a few politicians or bankers? Would I suddenly feel lost and alienated from the world of social networking?

Well, today I have done the deed. My account is now switched off. And the answers to the above questions?
Probably
Occasionally
Not a chance.