Facebook. A right or privilege?

Ever notice how some friends(because they’re friends, see. Else why would you add them in the first place?), particularly couples, love to leave each other heartfelt messages on Facebook? No? Just take a quick look, particularly when a notable is upcoming(try Valentine’s or some sort of birthday, religious celebration etc) and you’ll quickly see the messages couples leave each other.

These messages mainly consist of “Hey babe… missing you lots xxxx” or “Muackzzz xxx” or “Oh sugar babe, <3 <3″. Nothing really wrong, right?

Well, that’s where you’re wrong.

For the most part, humans ARE social creatures, and as socially-dependent creatures, we tend to need to show our affection(or disaffection) for one another. Back then it was in a physical form. Then came along Mr Pen & Paper, and we used letters. Then a brainhead created the World Wide Web(or a few brainheads, I blame science for this) created the Internet and lo and behold! we have what is now known as the Internet.

Social networking came along later and today we have what is now commonly called, social networking. Facebook has supplanted Friendster as the social networking medium of choice for most of the world. Twitter has also been around for the last two years and is already an ‘important’ (if you want to call it that) communication tool(why the constant need to tell people what you’re doing at this moment in time?) of the current generation of Internet end-users, cyber-corporations and global miscreants(aside from near live “live updates”).

But back to the point. And by that I mean the status updates on Facebook.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m in no way opposed to expressing one’s affection for another on Facebook. Heck… you could propose via Facebook for all I care, seeing as ways of getting someone to marry you gets more and more creative all the time. What really jars the nerve in me is that when I see status updates… I see a lot of abuse of personal SPACE and on a whole, an abuse of the privilege to use social networking websites.

Now you’re probably thinking… “Whaaattt?” “Oh come on!” “Get a girlfriend!” “Get a life!”  ”FUCK YOU!” “YOU SUCK!”

But wait… think about it. Social network sites have specific rules you have to follow. I’m not going to get into all that muddy legal stuff because heck, not many read it and let’s face it, you didn’t either. Probably.

Remember, Freedom of Speech is not a privilege, it is a Right. But the reverse is true of Facebook. You have been given a privilege to use Facebook’s services and applications. But this privilege can be revoked at any time.
Which now leads to the second point of why you should desist.

Now call my bluff but how many of you actually read those “Oh cuddlykins… my sweet boo” or “Yea… miss you lots babe” on Facebook? For my part, I don’t. Because I’m not interested. And if I do read it… it becomes bad taste. There are just some things which SHOULD NOT appear on Facebook at all. In the interest of not only my sanity but the sanity of others.

Call me a prick but love life… should be kept to the bedroom and between two individuals, on a personal level. Don’t get me wrong though, there’s nothing wrong with expressing your ‘undying love’ for one another. But do the rest really need to see the kind of soppy messages being sent between you and your ‘boo’? No seriously… KEEP. IT. OFF. FACEBOOK!

Fucking FAIL

I’m sure there are better ways to romantically express your love for the girl of your life(or man if you’re female, but this writer isn’t) than doing it over Facebook. Face it, the Internet is a humorless, emotionless place to be and you can’t convey emotions using a keyboard and a 20″ LCD screen which has a silicon-based electronic device attached to it that goes through some connectors and cables. If you want to be more romantic… SEND HER A LETTER! Go to her home with a bunch of flowers and surprise her! She’ll appreciate you for it. Better than you sending “heart”(<3) emoticons over the Internet which she’ll go “D’awww” over and forget quickly in a matter of minutes.

Third… it’s fucking embarrassing isn’t it? I’ve seen people break up… over Facebook. Seen people embarrassed over Facebook when the relationship turns sour. Nothing like having your entire love-life being exposed for all to see over the Internet isn’t it? Especially when it’s Facebook. So remember, keep the love stuff off Facebook and you’ll be better off for it.

Fourth point… take that “But its the new way to communicate” crap and shove it up your own you-know-where. No one wants or is interested in reading the crappy love messages you “send” via Facebook. There’s a reason why they’re called “STATUS UPDATES”. Keep it to that shall we? But wait, what happens when you post something like, “Missing my bf badly. Wants to go home to see him” and HE replies with all the soppy stuff? Oh LORD ALMIGHTY, for the love of GOD, PLEASE, I BEG YOU! Don’t do that!!! Think twice or even thrice before you even press that ‘Update’ button on the screen.

I could always come up with more points as to why I think it’s an idiotic thing to do but if I write anymore, it’ll just degenerate into a rant entry.

So keep those fingers moving and that brain thinking.

Think before you twitt(or facebaww).

*Image credits where they’re due*

PS – Valentine’s Day is on Sunday. Ugh… I don’t think I want to log into Facebook on Sunday.

PPS -Facebook is a provided service, not a right you have and they assign you certain privileges unlike Freedom of Speech, which is guaranteed in any country that professes to uphold democratic ideals. The Internet isn’t a democracy, it’s on the verge of organized anarchy, ruled by a mob and circling around the edges of the network are the ISPs, governments, unfavourables, anonymous, etc.