DEBATE & POLL: Has Facebook been a good thing for the world?

[OnSong]

Pretty self-explanatory.

I would be keen to leave the Facebook grid if I didn't need it/use if for work purposes.

But what do others think? Facebook, a good thing or a bad thing? Discuss....

[Lightning McQueen]

No. I don't care if you two sisters hate each other or shagged the same dude nor do I care if you are having an iced coffee or going shopping with friends. One classic update will stick with me forever...... "Oh, I hope I don't forget to feed .....'s animals while they are away for two weeks"

Nice open invitation to let everyone know that someone's house is going to be vacant for 14 days.

[Booney]

Funny Onsong, I was thinking about Facebook on my way to work this morning and whether or not anything will ever seriously challenge Facebook for popularity/users and if it will ever die?

[OnSong]

No. I don't care if you two sisters hate each other or shagged the same dude nor do I care if you are having an iced coffee or going shopping with friends. One classic update will stick with me forever...... "Oh, I hope I don't forget to feed .....'s animals while they are away for two weeks"

Nice open invitation to let everyone know that someone's house is going to be vacant for 14 days.

I have that issue with people "checking me in" at places without my consent. It's like "Oh, that guy is not home, let's go over there and steal some sh!t"

[OnSong]

Funny Onsong, I was thinking about Facebook on my way to work this morning and whether or not anything will ever seriously challenge Facebook for popularity/users and if it will ever die?

I'm finding it is causing me to dislike people I previously liked due to continuous status updates.

Another thing that annoys me is people posting pictures of the food they've just cooked or about to eat.

[whufc]

Brilliant for people to keep in touch with family/friends they wouldnt normally be able to due to distance/cost etc.

Not many other great uses though and does cause lots of drama from what i have noticed.

Personally i dont have it, all my friends and family live close by or i speak to them via phone/email but can see why people would want to use it for that especially showing photos.

[Booney]

Funny Onsong, I was thinking about Facebook on my way to work this morning and whether or not anything will ever seriously challenge Facebook for popularity/users and if it will ever die?

I'm finding it is causing me to dislike people I previously liked due to continuous status updates.

Another thing that annoys me is people posting pictures of the food they've just cooked or about to eat.

Yes and yes. Especially your first point, people post status updates, people who I know have a brain in their head and I just think W....T....F.

[tipper]

I dont have facebook, have never had facebook and i dont feel like i am missing out on anything, so my opinion is of questionable value in this toipc (when isnt it )

however i think it causes more problems\arguments than it helps people keep in touch with distant friends\relatives. for some reason people seem to feel that they can post on someones "wall" things that would not normally be said in a public forum, and it drags others into the issue.

we had a situation 6 months ago. a young girl had been left out of the grand final side of netball. no one likes getting left out, but there is always someone that misses out. i know the feeling myself. a status update that started as a message of support from the girls mum, was turned into a slanging match by subsequent posts (by other people) and actually got to the point of threatening detailed physical violence against the coach.

it was all made worse as it was public. some poeple defended the coach, others started slagging them off and it snowballed. i can sympathise with the sentiments of missing out, but if it was all expressed in private it wouldnt have gone on so long, or escalated the way it did. in the end i got dragged into it (via my wife who is on facebook, and her sister was the coach. she was very upset) and for the first time i was a level head in the situation.

if these things had been discussed face to face, or via text message it wouldnt have gotten to the point that it did when it was all public.

long story short, it has benefits of people sharing news, photos and keeping in touch, but i peronally think that the negatives outweigh the benefits. i also think it isnt going anywhere in a hurry though, so ill just continue being a "rebel" and not join up

[OnSong]

long story short, it has benefits of people sharing news, photos and keeping in touch, but i peronally think that the negatives outweigh the benefits. i also think it isnt going anywhere in a hurry though, so ill just continue being a "rebel" and not join up

I know of a few friends who aren't on the FB grid who love not being part of it.

I think FB comes in most handy when a mate picks up on the weekend and then you can go and check her out. Lol

[the big bang]

i like it. keeps me in touch with everyone, but as a general rule, i just dont take anything on there serious, because i know a lot of the shit i put on there is, exactly that.....shit.

[cennals05]

All I can say is I am very happy that Facebook was not around when I was in my teens. I think it creates a whole new set of insecurities for young people using it. If you are not mature enough to realise that most people on there are talking themselves up, I’m guessing it could lead to anxiety and a feeling of your life not being good enough. I read an article not that long ago about how it can lead to depression in young women.

[Q.]

One thing I noticed on the wife's FB was, for example, someone posting a picture of a starving African child and saying "like if you think this shouldn't happen"...

...because clicking a like button is going to change shit

So on one hand, I feel that example sums up FB, that life has been reduced to meaningless shit on a screen.

But then, at the other end of the spectrum, FB (and Twitter) played crucial roles in the Arab Spring.

[whufc]

I dont have facebook, have never had facebook and i dont feel like i am missing out on anything, so my opinion is of questionable value in this toipc (when isnt it )

however i think it causes more problems\arguments than it helps people keep in touch with distant friends\relatives. for some reason people seem to feel that they can post on someones "wall" things that would not normally be said in a public forum, and it drags others into the issue.

we had a situation 6 months ago. a young girl had been left out of the grand final side of netball. no one likes getting left out, but there is always someone that misses out. i know the feeling myself. a status update that started as a message of support from the girls mum, was turned into a slanging match by subsequent posts (by other people) and actually got to the point of threatening detailed physical violence against the coach.

it was all made worse as it was public. some poeple defended the coach, others started slagging them off and it snowballed. i can sympathise with the sentiments of missing out, but if it was all expressed in private it wouldnt have gone on so long, or escalated the way it did. in the end i got dragged into it (via my wife who is on facebook, and her sister was the coach. she was very upset) and for the first time i was a level head in the situation.

if these things had been discussed face to face, or via text message it wouldnt have gotten to the point that it did when it was all public.

long story short, it has benefits of people sharing news, photos and keeping in touch, but i peronally think that the negatives outweigh the benefits. i also think it isnt going anywhere in a hurry though, so ill just continue being a "rebel" and not join up

We had similar in cricket this year, player A was dropped from the A grade the next thing you know its all over 'Facey" how hard done by he was, how the coach knows nothing etc etc that player a is way better than player b coming in. That night player b who came into the side rings the coach saying he would prefer to play b grade because he doesnt want to take his mates spot etc etc. We convince to play a grade, on match day no one had the balls to say anything and were all quiet, player b takes 3/21 off 8 overs and the rest of the guys still act like nothing hapened.

[Lightning McQueen]

I dont have facebook, have never had facebook and i dont feel like i am missing out on anything, so my opinion is of questionable value in this toipc (when isnt it )

however i think it causes more problems\arguments than it helps people keep in touch with distant friends\relatives. for some reason people seem to feel that they can post on someones "wall" things that would not normally be said in a public forum, and it drags others into the issue.

we had a situation 6 months ago. a young girl had been left out of the grand final side of netball. no one likes getting left out, but there is always someone that misses out. i know the feeling myself. a status update that started as a message of support from the girls mum, was turned into a slanging match by subsequent posts (by other people) and actually got to the point of threatening detailed physical violence against the coach.

it was all made worse as it was public. some poeple defended the coach, others started slagging them off and it snowballed. i can sympathise with the sentiments of missing out, but if it was all expressed in private it wouldnt have gone on so long, or escalated the way it did. in the end i got dragged into it (via my wife who is on facebook, and her sister was the coach. she was very upset) and for the first time i was a level head in the situation.

if these things had been discussed face to face, or via text message it wouldnt have gotten to the point that it did when it was all public.

long story short, it has benefits of people sharing news, photos and keeping in touch, but i peronally think that the negatives outweigh the benefits. i also think it isnt going anywhere in a hurry though, so ill just continue being a "rebel" and not join up

We had similar in cricket this year, player A was dropped from the A grade the next thing you know its all over 'Facey" how hard done by he was, how the coach knows nothing etc etc that player a is way better than player b coming in. That night player b who came into the side rings the coach saying he would prefer to play b grade because he doesnt want to take his mates spot etc etc. We convince to play a grade, on match day no one had the balls to say anything and were all quiet, player b takes 3/21 off 8 overs and the rest of the guys still act like nothing hapened.

And it was a semi final.

[whufc]

I dont have facebook, have never had facebook and i dont feel like i am missing out on anything, so my opinion is of questionable value in this toipc (when isnt it )

however i think it causes more problems\arguments than it helps people keep in touch with distant friends\relatives. for some reason people seem to feel that they can post on someones "wall" things that would not normally be said in a public forum, and it drags others into the issue.

we had a situation 6 months ago. a young girl had been left out of the grand final side of netball. no one likes getting left out, but there is always someone that misses out. i know the feeling myself. a status update that started as a message of support from the girls mum, was turned into a slanging match by subsequent posts (by other people) and actually got to the point of threatening detailed physical violence against the coach.

it was all made worse as it was public. some poeple defended the coach, others started slagging them off and it snowballed. i can sympathise with the sentiments of missing out, but if it was all expressed in private it wouldnt have gone on so long, or escalated the way it did. in the end i got dragged into it (via my wife who is on facebook, and her sister was the coach. she was very upset) and for the first time i was a level head in the situation.

if these things had been discussed face to face, or via text message it wouldnt have gotten to the point that it did when it was all public.

long story short, it has benefits of people sharing news, photos and keeping in touch, but i peronally think that the negatives outweigh the benefits. i also think it isnt going anywhere in a hurry though, so ill just continue being a "rebel" and not join up

We had similar in cricket this year, player A was dropped from the A grade the next thing you know its all over 'Facey" how hard done by he was, how the coach knows nothing etc etc that player a is way better than player b coming in. That night player b who came into the side rings the coach saying he would prefer to play b grade because he doesnt want to take his mates spot etc etc. We convince to play a grade, on match day no one had the balls to say anything and were all quiet, player b takes 3/21 off 8 overs and the rest of the guys still act like nothing hapened.

And it was a semi final.

In fairness to player A he didnt actually put anything on facey and was brilliant, it was all the other mates who between them had seen about 10 overs of cricket for the year.

[HH3]

Im on it every day, and used to be one of the dickbags that put way too much info and uninteresting crap up.

But then I saw the light, and now ill only put stuff up thats either piss funny (to me) or the quota of romantic sentiments to keep the missus happy.

Also, I dont accept friend requests if I know Im never going to actually speak to that person. Just because I know you doesnt mean I like you.

Couple of my latest humorous statuses,

"North Melbourne Premiers 2012" (at the final siren of the the Geelong game)

"I am...Judge...Jamie Durie...and Executioner" (after mowing my missus's mums multiple hectre lawn on the ride on)

"Theres NO excuse for a beard with no mo...NONE!!!" (after seeing someone with a beard with no mo, obviously)

[Jim05]

Hate it when i go catch up with mates a beer or knock off work early to go to the pub and when i get home my wife cracks the shits because one of my mates has tagged me at the hotel. I try to avoid catching up with people who do this now

[Zelezny Chucks]

Just like anything it is up to the people who use it.

Give a crim a gun he'll use it to commit crime.

Give a cop a gun he'll use it to prevent crime.

In the end its upto the person using it to determine how it's used.

[carey]

I for 1 have seen people sacked, divorsed and lost friends over bu!!sh!t on facebook. Then there is of course people going for jobs checking up on you, Police checking up on you really anyone can. I want to break in to your house lets check where you are on facebook your giving away free info. I dont have it and highly doubt i ever will.

[carey]

Hate it when i go catch up with mates a beer or knock off work early to go to the pub and when i get home my wife cracks the shits because one of my mates has tagged me at the hotel. I try to avoid catching up with people who do this now

Seen dickh@#ds do it on footy trip last year i was very close to knocking him clean out.