Time's Person of the Year and no, it's not YOU

Grrrrrr.

 

Eh, probably.

 

He's talking about Y_F!

 

Facebook is probably like anything else - one size doesn't fit all. Its usefulness is probably pretty individualized. I don't find it useful. With the caveat that it can still be abused (just like the phone or TV or anything else), I can see why others do - your situation is the perfect example.

I guess I personally just, after a while, didn't like being that "out there."

 

Absolutely.

But how many of these people do you really want or need to keep in touch with? Or is Facebook simply a vehicle that allows you to say, "I CAN do this, so I will." If someone offers me a free and easy way to get to Haiti . . . that doesn't mean I want to go there. Just because I "can" doesn't mean I want or need to.

And is any of the above "life-changing"?

Yes, the girl I sat next to in French class 31 years ago sent me a birthday greeting in Russian last March. Cool. But hardly anything life-altering.

That being said, because so many people depend on the site (some turning suicidal because of things posted on it), TIME's choice makes sense.

 

I think fantasy sports help me accomplish the same thing Facebook would, i.e. keeping in contact with some of the old gang.

My three very best friends were not on Facebook. That probably helped make it seem not so important to me, as well.

 

I thought Mike Vick and Ben Roethlisberger should have shared it. (Ducking and running away)

 

Facebook was created years ago, what did he accomplish in 2010 that makes him Person of the Year?

 

Ditto that.

 

Whatever your personal feelings, it's just impossible to argue with the guy's and the site's impact on society. Saying "eh, it's not for me," in this era, is roughly akin to riding your bike instead of driving a car. Doesn't do a thing to diminish the car's primacy. Plus there was the requisite controversy that seems to be part of all Person of the Year choices.

Just as one measure, Facebook is not a public company, but its shares are being sold privately. Current valuation has the company at about $52 billion.

 

Whether you use facebook or not you can't deny that the man has changed the way we (as a society) communicate.

There are 600 million users. There are roughly 6.9 billion people in the world. That's almost 9 percent of the entire population. That's astounding.

 

Facebook has been a HUGE thing for me. I'm not good socially and very bad at staying in touch with friends and colleagues. Facebook allows me to do that easily so that I don't completely lose touch with people. I did a 7 week gig in Ireland pre-Facebook and have not kept contact with people. I did a 7 week gig in France post-Facebook and am in touch with most of the colleagues I met and even some of the local people I got to know.