Most 15-25 year olds on twitter probably should not be, and for reasons that emphasizing that sort of functionality on facebook only heightens. I’ve felt positive about getting involved in our little corner of tumble logs and, to a lesser extent, twitter because—contrary to the vast majority of users—we aren using them to communicate ideas rather than describe our personal or social (except in the broadest sense) situations and activities. Things of the latter nature are a waste of time. They are also what facebook—a social network site based around personal profiles—inclines toward. I think the discursive regimes governing the status update and wall will make very difficult any attempt to use them to a substantive purpose. They may have dropped is from the status bar, but they’ve kept our names firmly front and center.
Insofar as our hubbub re: facebook is about usability and prettiness, yes, I’ve come to more or less agree with you. But, all that’s a waste of time, let’s talk about the above ideas.
Your dismissal of Facebook navel-gazing, and our larger concern about the hypegeist, can quickly turn fascist a la Shirky, who would have us destroy our TVs and edit wikipedia articles so as to eliminate our cognitive surplus.
There’s a fuzzy line at best between our tumbling and tweeting about “ideas” and the online activities commonfolk are wasting their time on, but insofar as there is a distinction to be made between, say, caring about the world and caring about your wall, I’m not yet convinced we should totally eliminate the latter.
In particular, I don’t think that all things worthwhile in the world are also at the same time the things that will preserve and/or realize that world. In never not worrying about the GMF, what is being lost?
I’m well aware that dwelling on the excesses of life is yet another flavor of elitism, but I don’t think it’s hopelessly so.
