Facebook? maybe not

Your mom is on Facebook (i'm not saying my mom, just in general, it will be miracle if my mom knows how to on a pc), your dad is on Facebook, your primary school mates in on Facebook and even your 8 years old cousin is on Facebook.

But the thing is you dont have a Facebook account, it seems like you are so totally 'out', if you know what i mean. Even if you keep up with a circle of old friends via emails or blogs, or even in person, there's a good chance you can be oblivious to a whole other dynamics if you're not on Facebook. They speak in a Facebooker language which you can never understand, such as "i peek", "i kidnapped you" etc. They played online Facebook games and gimmicks all the times and nowadays the most used pick up line is "Are you on facebook?"

Its mind boggling to see that we are so much hooked on to Facebook and its has become a trend on its own. Remember those days we used to call those who eats and sleep with their books bookwork or geeks, how funny is that nowadays, if you are not sleep and dine on Facebook, then you are a geek. Facebook is omnipresent and universal, to an extent that those who opt out seem to act like a outlier who needs to fight and justify for saying no.

The whole Facebook craze in my opinion is because the fact that it makes socializing like no other and so much easy than it used to be. Its a great game of Six Degree of seperation, a virtual networking map which typically makes your friends available at your fingertips. With just a "virtual presents" or "nudge", you can put a smile on the face of a friends who is thousands miles away. You can also informing others on how well you are lately by putting up notice/photos/comments/blogs etc. in your facebook homepage.

Sounds too good to be true, isnt ?

However, at the same time, Facebook took away the physical contact in human interaction, instead of chatting (with your mouth, not with your keyboard) and hanging out together, now we interact with typed words and amusing photos, while chained to the desk.

Yes, Facebook help us to find back our long lost friends who happen to be somewhere in this cyberspace. But the chance is if we dont usually hang out with those distant friends, such as the boy sitting at the corner of the classroom or the girl next door who we have not seen for 20 years, whats makes people think that they will be re connected 'physically' after being 'be-friended' in the Facebook's friend list.

Apart from that, there has been a big fuss on random"i want to be your friend and if you dont accept you suck" Facebook request from the strangers. I've heard many complains about similiar encounter from the facebookers whereby poeple hiding behind some anonymous name, using Facebook as a tool of harrasment to take advantages of others.

ok, the truth is I dont have a Facebook account and thats why i am writing this openly. But frankly speaking i am not against it, the fact that i didnt join is simply because i dont agrees with "I should be on Facebook because everybody expects me to." And, yes, i realized that i may miss out on social goings-on but i dont think joining Facebook is going to resolve my hermit lifestyle ( i enjoy my solitude anyway) or.... it gonna make it worse.