• by brian.w , September 13, 2010

Sometimes I feel like sheer boredom can be measured by how many times one visits their Facebook page in one day. For me, that’s about twice on average: once during the day, and once at night. I’m not declaring this to be habitual, but I generally dislike many aspects of Facebook interaction: the ever-dramatic posts containing lyrics of remorse to a relationship gone wrong, weekend pictures of glossed-over eyes cradled in cheeky smiles, or the endless stream of crappy games and single women scrolling down the sides of your profile like reels on a slot machine. The posts never stop, everyday reassuring that Facebook users everywhere have something to share, whether out of boredom or habit.

Everyone has their frustrations with Facebook, and I merely banter. I don’t walk home from class clenching my jaw over one of my best friends making a snide remark about my mom, or that guests labeled as “Maybe” to my party were declared as “Attending” to our neighbors’ place. I merely find a certain pleasure venting my thoughts, as do most on Facebook, and I’m not completely bitter.

Every now and then I come across something interesting. In most cases, I find YouTube videos, creative personal notes, active linking, and photo albums to be useful and fascinating. Not only is Facebook good for keeping connected with friends back home, but also for keeping up with what they are doing. As for myself, I enjoy seeing what creative endeavors my friends have been up to in which we all attempt to continue. For example, I was to publish a poem for class and reflect on why we chose the place we did. Posting the poem to my profile, I received feedback from a friend back home who ultimately helped me write a better revision. Attempting to replicate an image of Dr. House, another friend posted his pencil sketches where I gave my own constructive criticisms, which despite his stubbornness took a first step into collective critiquing.

I only hope the older I get, the more my friends will use Facebook for similar reasons. Those of us who value constructive criticism of our peers can use Facebook in a private, or public sense. As for myself, I need to get into this habit of posting what I write (this post being the first) so that one day my boredom may be alleviated to something that transcends the rolling of slot posts, someplace where I may learn a trick or two about constructive social networking.