We all know the tinge of excitement we get when we log into Facebook and have a friend request waiting for our approval. Recently, after eagerly clicking to reveal the person who loves me enough to want to stalk my photographs, I was horrified to discover it was my mom. I accepted, albeit reluctantly — how do you reject a friend request from your mother, of all people?
However, the floodgates were opened, and I am now officially Facebook friends with two of my aunts, a couple of my professors, my cousins in high school and a handful of random people I probably met drunkenly freshman year and can no longer identify in my social domain. The question is begging to be answered: is Facebook escalating to the point of unhealthy saturation? It seems the more people get on it, the more we need it.
Some people don’t think so, and have refused to join Facebook altogether, affectionately coined “Refuseniks” by the Washington Post. The Refuseniks are a breed of people in their 20s or early 30s who refuse to join social networking sites — not just Facebook, but Twitter and MySpace, too.
Zach Greene, a senior in the School of Public Affairs, said he believes not having a Facebook is admirable. “I am impressed when I hear that someone doesn’t have a Facebook account,” Greene said. “The fact that they don’t conform to social pressures is something that should be respected. Someone shouldn’t be ostracized just because he or she doesn’t have an updated status or play ‘What movie star do I look like?’”
The 2009 iStrategylabs’ numbers state that there has been a 513 percent increase in users who are 55 and older with a 20 percent decrease among high school and college students. The Facebook Web site indicates that the fastest growing demographic is people aged 35 and up.
With the numbers of users growing, are the Facebook abstainers wise or just cavemen? The Facebook Web site says worldwide, 6 billion minutes are spent on its site each day. Perhaps these people — who have decided to live in a world without event invitations or status updates — are doing more productive things. But where are they?
One day, while walking in Tenleytown, I overheard one young woman speaking to her friend saying, “I don’t have a Facebook. Everyone keeps bugging me to get one, but I think it’s weird.” Good for her! I thought.
“I mean, I don’t even have an e-mail address,” she continued. Woah. Pause. Never mind. No e-mail address? This woman is clearly a freak. To live without e-mail is to live in the Twilight Zone.
Mollie Jo Holman, a senior in the School of Communication, said she would be surprised to discover someone without a Facebook account.
“In our generation it’s uncommon, but if I did meet someone without a Facebook I would ask what they do on their computer and don’t they feel like they’re missing out?”
She also said she has thought about deactivating her account but would not want to get rid of it entirely.
“I have never considered deleting my Facebook altogether, though. I have so many pictures on there and it would take forever to save them all, and it’s a great way for me to stay in touch with my friends and family,” Holman said.
The number of Facebook users increased by 50 million between July and September 2009, according to its Web site, making it more and more common to have an account. As of last month, the number reached 300 million active users. With these kinds of numbers, the already endangered Refuseniks may become obsolete — because let’s be honest, if you’re reading this story, you probably already have a Facebook. Actually, no — let’s really be honest — you probably stopped reading it three minutes ago to log into Facebook.
You can reach this staff writer at srudnick@theeagleonline.com.
