Social Networking Utility?

Facebook has to be one of the most overrated things to come to fame in the past decade. Somehow, newscasters and most adults got the impression that one single website defines our generation, when really, it just damages it. I'd be great if facebook took two years back. Maybe if they stopped changing formats, kicked the ridiculous apps and pointless quizzes, and make it less of a stalkerbook, it would actually be a social networking utility. Its hardly social nowadays. At first, facebook chat seemed like a step forward because it made it so you could have a conversation with somebody without people stalking it and without having to refresh the page constantly. But soon, the appeal wore off when servers became unreliable and people realized it was just a nooby version of AIM and only served a real purpose if you were online all the time. Nobody writes on others' walls anymore and nobody unassociated with stupid groups and events bothers sending messages. There's some merit to the networking aspect of it, I guess. But wouldn't it make more sense to network at work or at meetings than on a site most businessmen avoid?

There are a couple redeeming aspects of it. It sometimes actually helps organize events and provides people with a way to talk to people when they're afraid of talking to an actual person. One of my friends says, "the point of facebook it to talk to people you wouldn't otherwise talk to." I've talked to a dozen or so people on facebook that I wouldn't have spoken to otherwise, but I'd be able to live without those pointless little side conversations. But I'll admit its a good way to keeping in touch with high school friends during college, to whatever extent that's appealing.

I remember about a week after I got my account, when I got used to how things work and such, I thought I was missing something. Its like...what happens now? I'm still wondering. I've wasted so many hours on facebook its not even funny, and I know thousands of other teens have as well. Worth it? Doubt it.