Time Waster

We all know that there are many things to distract us while we are hard at work. First and foremost, we are all on Facebook, chatting, tagging, posting pictures or notes, creeping other people walls and photos, searching for long lost friends/family/ex-boyfriends/girlfriends. It's obvious to say that the creator of Facebook is not only filthy rich off of making such a poplar social network, but sustaining it for many years, and it still being a big deal.
There are certain things that I specifically do when I log-in to Facebook and it never fails that a few hours go by and I've done nothing with my day except check someones status, newly added pics, or check certain games that I play. Just like you, I too have friends and family that literally spend ALL DAY on Facebook doing various different things, chatting, etc, and do nothing with their life. Not only is unhealthy to be staring at a screen all day long, but it's sad and unfortunate that those people are wasting their life away with a social networking site such as Facebook. As great as it is to re-connect with people, share pics and emotions with the world, and view someone else's life online, it poses a question that I think needs some serious consideration. What is the world coming to?
I spend the majority of my day at my desk working away, booking shows, and calling my clients. I can always count on someone asking me, "Do you have a Facebook page I can check out?" . I always chuckle inside because I realize that we now live in a society where it's a necessity to have a public profile so clients, friends, potential employers, and family can view your profile and get the most accurate first impression. I have heard stories of people going for interviews for jobs and professional positions, and being rejected based on their public profile on Facebook, because they posted pics of them partying really hard and thinking that it's a good idea to share that lifestyle with the universe. Posting provocative pictures, inappropriate profile status', recording and uploading videos that really shouldn't be shared or filmed in the first place, are other great examples as to why certain employers have difficulty hiring new staff members.
In my opinion, a Facebook profile is merely to allow certain people (or everyone depending on your privacy settings), to see if you look different after X amount of years after high school, or to share that you have found true love, or to brag about academics, marital status, occupation, or a purchase you are really excited about. Why is it that when people are hosting events, and are thinking about the guest list, the first thing they do is send a mass message to their entire list of "friends" (i'll explain later why I put that word in quotations), to see who's coming, who can't come, who's on the fence about coming, or who is going to make a public excuse to justify their declined RSVP? Last time I checked, there are thousands of new and improved cell phones that store thousands of phone numbers for you to call in case you hosting an event. Instead of calling someone to invite them to a party, people are sending FB messages and invites, anxiously awaiting a reply. If one is not given, the host/hostess will then result to getting offended that no one replied, and no one wants to come. Meanwhile, he/she has a cell phone in their hand, furiously flipping through the event/invite page, not realizing that they have an address book on their phone, and it'd probably be a better idea to CALL SOMEONE.
The reason I put the word FRIEND in quotations, is because everyone is proud to have a high number of friends on their profile, but that's as far as it goes. Just because someone may have  300 or more friends, doesn't mean they talk to every person, or view all 300 profiles (unless you have nothing better to do). It just means that having 300+ friends makes you feel popular, and important, and like you were back in high school when all the kids wants to hang out with you, or be you. What some people don't see, is that with a mentality like that, times 1 000 000, we are all once again living in high school competing to be the most popular, with all the "cool kids" on your friends list, who you never talk to. It is the strangest thing when I log in to FB and see that someone has "poked me", or a random person I don't know has sent me a friend request because we have 2 or 3 people in common. Yet we've never met. I periodically go through my friend list to ensure that the people that are there, are there because I talk to them, I'm interested in what they status says about them or what they're going through, and I value our friendship.
I encourage you all to re-evaluate how you view Facebook, and dig a little deeper as to what you obsession with it is. Give it try. Go through your list of friends and be honest with yourself and to the other person. Don't keep them on your list because you're afraid they'd get made if you "unfriended" them. If their profile is public, I'm pretty sure you can check up/creep their profile later on down the road.
For those of you who are employers, please don't judge a book by it's cover. Some people forgot they even had those pictures up, or they never got around to taking those videos down, because they're working on becoming a better person. And if you still have all those things up that can hinder you (potential employee) from getting a job, or getting a date, or moving on from an ex, take the time to filter through your profile for it to suit who you currently are as a person, and how you want people to view you.
Dan