What the Facebook?

I've people around me who use Facebook and/or Twitter a lot. I have a Facebook account, but I never use it. Never seem to get around to it.

All my neighbours use it. 'Er'indoors keeps in touch with, her friends in her home village and the local ladies - heck, she even chats to the woman next door - and we live in a semi.

Now and again the local ladies bring around their laptops and netbooks, have a drink and a natter and when I peek over their shoulders (I can do that, I have an uncanny knack of being invisible when I want to be) I find them talking to each other on - guess what? Facebook.

Yup. Side by side. Chatting. Playing Farmville. Pointing at each others screens, games and comments to each other, laughing and joking.

I've also seen en-mass hate attacks on individuals, arguments over men, and fall outs. And many, many misunderstandings.

In a nutshell, sites like Facebook, Twitter, Beebo and Myspace have become integrated into their collective social psyche. Their interactions on those sites have become as normal to them as nipping round for a cuppa - and I strongly suspect, have replaced that.

Is it just me, but is that just a little creepy?

I don't think it was a collective wish to do it, they seemed to drift into it.


The problem I have, is that whether it's a so-called social networking site, blogging or email, you can't beat face to face contact. Body language, a soft word and face is a major part of communicating.

That's why people can usually put down their computers and chat over a coffee and in their local bar.

Sure, have a laugh at work/café/pub/bar about who said what to whom, but fall out, and in some cases stalking or murders through Facebook (for instance).

Naw. Creepy.