I Won’t Do Facebook

At one time I had a Facebook account. It was a  bad move.

The only reason I have a computer is communications. My first and deepest need regarding computers is writing. That was my first and primary use for one when I first put my hands on a keyboard back in 1989. Had it advanced not at all beyond DOS and word processors, I would have found it worthwhile to own one. That and a printer.

Since that time, I’ve done a lot of writing. I’ve also learned my way around the Internet, but mostly a way of researching for my writing. Then I learned about email, and finally blogging. That’s far enough. Whether people want to read what I write is another matter; I write and publish on the Net. I play precious few games — mostly the logical puzzle games — and I don’t do social media. The only interest I have in computers, and the reason for my extensive discussion here about computer technology and software, is because it’s a great tool for communication.

The reason I hate Facebook is only partially due to the medium. I am called to the gospel ministry, and that’s the whole point in all that writing in the first place. It’s what matters to me, and everything else I do must serve that purpose. On Facebook I was constantly pestered by friends whose only interest was the silly social gaming, mostly junk from Zynga. Let’s get this straight: I despise Zynga games. They create an artificial atmosphere of something which resembles friendship, but actually you interact only with the game, not each other. The game gets in the way.

Want to chat? Fine. I’m usually on both Yahoo Chat and Google Talk under the username “br073n” (bee-arr-zero-seven-three-enn). Want to discuss faith and current events? Yes, let’s do that. Oh, wait. No one does that on Facebook. No, everyone I know, or those who know me, want to play silly games, want me to install this or that useless idiotic plugin, etc. So I politely declined. They kept asking. What should I do? Get hostile? I’m not sure most folks would notice. The people who use Facebook aren’t there to communicate.

Facebook is nothing more than an extravagant advertising platform, designed to get folks who know you to pressure you into looking at more advertising. The games themselves quickly become unplayable if you don’t purchase in-game credits. If I post important stuff, or even the silly things I end up posting on this blog, no one is going to pay much attention to them. Believe me; I tried it with a couple dozen posts. I wrote about things which really mattered to me. Out of some two dozen friends, I got a single comment on one such post.

I don’t have much room in my life for those games. They are worse than TV at keeping you from things which matter. Indeed, it would be much more important for people if they simply learned to sit in contemplative and prayerful silence instead of clicking their mouse in games specifically designed to prevent real communion.

Don’t send me invitations to join Facebook. Send me email, start a blog and tell me the URL, post comments to my blog, or join me at Sakamuyo (gone). Invite me to join a good discussion forum you frequent. But until the atmosphere at Facebook chances, forget it.