very impressed

you can come over to my place and kick my ass since I have a FB account.

never had a FB account...

their lack of concern for privacy over the past decade bothered me even prior to learning about government spying

in fact, eight months prior to the snowden files, I was engaged in that very same conversation about not trusting FB

In the Art of War, Sun Tzu said discover what people sincerely want or think then game the heck out of them for victory

what I said eight months prior to the release of the snowden files stands today, I feel bad for the tens of thousands of teens who used FB and put out a lot of information that can be used against them some time in their lives.

The critical analysis is not just reserved for FB. Think of Google. They also bragged about respecting first amendment rights and as it turns out, they, along with FB, built the largest stasi spy machines the world has ever witnessed.

They brag that information wants to be free, and forget they mean, we want everyone else's information to be free so we can be billionaires.

They attained their global monopoly status and made their money piggybacking on the entire National security apparatus and half the Federal Government....now they are crying foul because they got caught....

cry babies all...

http://books.google.com/books?id=ECdb7EjiBnEC&printsec=frontcover&dq=cannibals+all&hl=en&sa=X&ei=UB3xUsOmONLboASWxoKoAw&ved=0CCkQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=cannibals%20all&f=false

Cannibals All

hoo boy

Not sure if I agree with the premise, but it is an interesting theory. I use FB mostly as a general, social and political news feed, a method to keep up with the local library, some businesses of which I have an interest, the botanical garden, history museum and some friends from around the country that otherwise I would not. It's like anything else in life, depends upon how you use it.

...they become less tolerant of all the self-boosterism on a site like facebook. They stop thinking 'This is going to happen to me any day now', and start realizing that more and more users are following fewer and fewer successful people. They may even start questioning why things have turned out the way they did.

"I'm sure there are similar dynamics posting on DU."

I have newfoundland dogs and talk to people around the world that have them. It is a great way to meet people in other countries.

It is also great to keep up with my kids and grandkids. Yes my grandkids still use it.

And for the first time, it's easy to talk to Nihon Ken Honzonkai (The Association for the Preservation of the Japanese Dog) breeders and network with people all over the world who are interested in the preservation and improvement in health of this ancient breed.

I have about 2500 facebook friends and it is all dog people. Younger people do not realize just how hard it was to share pictures and information before the internet age and before digital cameras.

The advances in genetic research in health testing alone are amazing.

I don't think I'd use it other than the dogs.

I am a member of groups that suffer with my disease and I have learned more from them than I have from the doctors. It's been life saving to me to learn these things and I am grateful for facebook. Out of respect for my Mother, I don't post political opinions there (much). She doesn't want to see or read about it and she's a liberal living in a red state.

you can choose who see's what when you post.

I'm an independent living in a red state.
This state is loaded (pun intended) with gun nuts, wing nuts, and all the violence that goes with. I'm not anti gun, but I"m not pro nut job open carry at the local drive thru, grocery store type either.

NY has extremist gun laws, my peeps there are pro gun, with human responsibility. Not favored with the NRA, but not thoughtless of the root cause of gun violence either.

I walk between them..

I chose the audience I share with.

but I don't have that many 'friends' in facebook either so I just don't post much. Very generic stuff actually. I read more than anything.

Facebook is just a tool. What it "does to you" depends on how you use it. I keep up with friend all over the world who I never get to see anymore, but can exchange photos, and jokes and opinions in a non-intrusive way. Those who are interested will comment or reply. I keep up with family spread out across the U.S. from coast-to-coast, and when we do get together, we know more about what has gone on in their lives since last we met. Of course, I never was an avid letter-writer because I hated the delay between writing a missive and receiving a reply (at least 2 weeks when I was living in Japan). I've had enough experience on the internet (since the 1980s) to avoid and evade nasty conflicts. I suspect teens and others may just need more experience to figure out if and how to use Facebook. That said, there is no reason people who are uncomfortable with Facebook need to use it at all.

so no I wasn't one of those folk "back in the day"....I am not anti-technology. It is very possible to "keep up" with your friends and family without fb - it just takes more effort. Just like I could tell what a bush presidency would mean before he served even one day in office, I could see where something like fb would lead. And it ain't pretty!

Just that, like the late adopters of computers, you may fail to understand that FB 's effect on us depends entirely on how we use the site. FB is a very useful tool in my life. My parents thought getting a phone answering machine would make relationships less personal. They failed to understand that when they called me in Japan and I wasn't home, I'd call them back as soon as I got home.

So, I'm curious, could you describe for me the dark future you fear FB will lead us into?

"you're STILL so pretty!" validation... that's pretty much all I see from former classmates. I lost interest in Facebook pretty quickly, but LOVE it for animal rescue activity.