I have decided to get rid of my Facebook and MySpace profiles, that is if I can remember my passwords. I haven’t checked either in so long I wonder if they are still there.
There was a time when I thought everyone on the planet was getting a MySpace page. The flurry of emails in my Inbox, telling me friends had joined Facebook , made me think I was missing out on something. I was diligent to register, update my profiles, add pictures, and respond to “pokes” with pokes of my own, whatever that did. I found friends, colleagues, family members and added them to my friends lists. There I was, part of this whole social networking thing.
I discovered the ability to meet cute girls, and wall-to-wall flirting. I later regretted the discovery when a new girlfriend’s father decided to track every connection to every woman I had ever talked to online and then bring them up anytime I was over for dinner.
I don’t think that is what I had in mind when I started using these sites. So what are they for anyways? Well according to Wikipedia:
A social network service focuses on building online communities of people who share interests and/or activities, or who are interested in exploring the interests and activities of others.
Ok I get the “exploring the interests and activities of others” because that is exactly what that internet savvy father did. That led me to delete my original Facebook profile and add only a couple of work friends. Now my profile is just there. I don’t build online communities with people I share interests with, like the definition suggests. I just remember adding everyone I know. So does that mean I didn’t use the sites properly?
These sites seemed cool for a while, but they don’t really seem to have a purpose. If I want to chat I will use MSN or Gmail messenger. If I want to email people I will use one of my email accounts. I never really got into joining groups or the games/apps. But I don’t think I am missing much given that more and more people are commiting social networking site suicide anyways.
I think the sites are there, people are there, and there are a bunch of applications that are there. It is all just there. So many social networking sites, so many people, so many web apps. Who cares anyways and where is it all leading?
I hope the social networking industry figures that out soon, or more and more people are going to start leaving their sites, that is, if they can actually remember their passwords.
