Tony Norman's column today was about Facebook, and made a fine reference to us all being ghosts in the machine. Love that. He doesn't post much, and only has a few pictures up. He said he gets a "stream" of "friend requests." (A bit of disclosure here, I'm one of them. No, I don't even know the man personally, but I am a fan of his column, and maybe thought being his "friend" would give me more insight into his work.)
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Like Tony, I remain suspicious of Facebook. I don't know what is going to happen to all that personal information. I adjust settings and hope that it means something, but I really don't understand what happens. I quit playing little games or apps on there completely when I read about how they get access to things, but I still stay on Facebook to keep in contact with a few people. I jumped into the fray awhile back and kept adding up more friends, and one day "pulled the plug" for a while. Unfriended just about everyone and just kept a few real friends and a cat. (Nene's cat) It was just too much. And I didn't care about all those people. Or their kids or what they liked or didn't.
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I look at Facebook as a social network, yes, but also a sort of equivalent to a cyber bar. Not unlike the science fiction Spider Robinson bar... Callahan's Cross-time Saloon. You show up, spot the regulars, and occasionally a time-traveller from the past will saunter in and take a seat in the corner. Some folks feel comfortable walking in and shouting to the rooftops at the whole crowd. HERE'S MY NEW PICTURE... or I LOVE CATs... or whatever. Others offer a link here or there, or a funny comment. I don't know where I fit in yet. I just show up. And I can always be found there. Like that ghost in the machine.
