Facebook: Helping? Hindering? Destroying?

[blas87]

It could be an interesting poll, but I'd rather just leave this an open ended question for discussion, because you guys know how much I love stories

Just about all of us have Facebook, and if you don't, you know people who do and you've heard stories.

So, I ask of you....do you believe since Facebook became something nearly everyone everywhere has, has it became a help to find things out? Has it hindered people as far as making friends or keeping relationships the older fashioned ways? Maybe destroy was probably too powerful of a word, but dare I use it anyway, and ask if anyone thinks Facebook has destroyed people? More specifically, has it destroyed our ability to trust people or has it destroyed people's maturity or caused people to change and become more nosey?

Or would you just chalk it up to say that common sense is common sense and you don't blame the Internet or Facebook for your problems?

[siead_lietrathua]

facebook is helpful when it's used as a networking tool (mass communication, event planning, etc). social groups, business advertisement, etc it's fantastic for.
it's also great for long-distance communication between family and friends. rather than sending mass emails of baby photos or life events, it can be done through facebook. PM messaging can also work as a substitute for private emails.

the people who would be "destroyed" by facebook? most of the stuff i hear that could qualify as destructive are: people getting busted cheating, people getting busted slandering their bosses, people getting busted being bigots, inappropriate photos they "never wanted people to seee!!" etcetc.
it's all stupid crap people do anyway. and all crap they could have gotten busted for by being careless. you don't act like a friggan moron in public unless you wanna get called on it, so don't act like a friggan moron online.

even one semi-valid complaint i hear (too many dramatic people) is a matter of choice on facebook. you don't have to add every person on the planet to your list, and you can always kick them back off if they're pissing you off. but, again, dramatic people will always be dramatic. the same dudebro bitching about his on-off-on again GF on facebook would be the guy, pre-facebook, calling you at 2am to complain. i prefer the FB. lol.

[Sarah Valentine]

When I was on vacation my aunt Lorraine saw that one of her friends caught her fiancé cheating by what he posted on Facebook, reading everything from them and the other woman the last three days we couldn't believe they could be so open about it. We agreed that she should leave the asshole and find somebody better, him and about 8 minutes after that he got pissed and started yelling at everybody (LOOKS LIKE THIS), deleting stuff, saying he was defriending people and that his fiancé should do the same with certain people (aunt Lorraine and other people that liked her post/agreed with her/people that said they noticed it was going on for over a year). My aunt told her friend that she and the baby could stay with her and uncle John, I went home a couple days after that but I hope she left him. I sure as hell wouldn't stay.

[Greenday]

It has been good for me. A lot of my friends and family spread out so it's an easy way to keep in communication. Plus when I was in Afghanistan, the chat still worked extremely well despite the awful internet connection. Then my girlfriend and I had seen or heard from each other since middle school. We reconnected on facebook and there's a fair chance we'll get married some day.

[Andara Bledin]

It's a tool, and a fairly powerful one.

As such, most people never actually learn how it works and use it for the small bits they've managed to figure out.

Kind of like Excel.

[telecom_goddess]

I like it. I've connected with several people from here and cs on there, along with elementary school, high school and college friends I hadn't seen in a long time. I have made wonderful new friends that I love dearly. I also met my girlfriend on there. It's a long distance relationship right now but I'm hoping it won't remain that way for long, and that she can get out this way.

All in all I like being on there.

[Teysa]

I've enjoyed Facebook. It's been a fun way to reconnect with old friends and even some family. The chat feature is nice too. That being said, I keep my posts as neutral as possible. I also don't post any questionable pictures. The majority, in fact, are scenery photos from Alaska.

[Kelmon]

Don't have a facebook account, don't feel i'm missing out on anything. For people wanting to get in touch with me there's the telephone, instant messaging, Skype and of course email. I prefer people to "friend me" to old-fashioned way, as our ancestors did in the early 2000s.

The only annoying thing is people unable to comprehend that, yes, there are people who are not on facebook. And no, you can't add me. No, i'm not on facebook. No, really. No, I won't join so you can add me. Whether I live in a cave? Now that's just rude...

[blas87]

Facebook is how I found out the exhole went out on a date and got a new girlfriend all in one night while we were supposed to be working things out, thankfully some forms of technology really can expose the stupids of the world (especially ones like him that think they are so sneaky and intelligent...they forget just how public Facebook is).

It's also a good way to find out someone who ditched plans with you went out partying with someone else, while they never called/texted you to cancel the plans you guys had made.