Facebook: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

Things I learned on Facebook today:
1) “Some people are worth melting for”
2) “Fridays were made for getting off early and drinking a glass of wine while you get your mani/pedi”
3) “The Earth and a Sun are the same age: 4.6 billion years old. Difference is the Sun had a mad ass growth spurt…god is fake”
and finally…
4) “Twerking IS an art form.”
Thank you, Facebook friends. I feel like I’ve learned so much.

I get it. Being new to Austin, with my family and friends on the East Coast, Facebook is a fun and easy way to stay in touch. I want them to stay involved, know how I spend (almost all of) my days, and to understand why I made the choice to head half way across the country to the Lonestar State. Facebook has been an incredible resource for me to keep in touch with friends around the globe. I’ve read interesting articles, remembered to wish my best friend “happy birthday”, learned some good recipes, and shared countless photos (after all, I did have a brief stint as a sorority girl). My point is that Facebook can be great.

But are these excessive updates really necessary? Do you really believe twerking is an art form? And do you seriously think the sun had a mad ass growth spurt? I mean, I guess you got a giggle out of me, but is that really worth posting?

I’m not proposing to take away the entertainment of Facebook – I love reading a good Buzzfeed or a belly laugh-inspiring story. I’m simply tired of having to weed through useless updates (not to mention tons of ads), to read something that I find interesting. I’m on Facebook a lot less than I used to be, and I’m willing to bet, I’m not the only one.

In all seriousness, Facebook is hugely influential for businesses around the world. Facebook recently reported that it reached a high of 30 million active small business users. 5 million of those owners set up pages in the first quarter of 2014 alone (credit bradley). Facebook is perfect for businesses to connect to their clients and customers and to promote new products, special deals, and new events. Facebook is even touring, holding a half-day bootcamp for small businesses called “Facebook Fit” (coming to Austin July 24th).

Maybe it’s a stretch – that personal lives and businesses can mesh so well in social media never ceases to amaze me. Maybe this addiction to Facebook will continue regardless of the huge volumes of information posted hourly. What I do know is that I would be a lot more motivated to check out cool businesses on Facebook if there was less of a mess for me to sift through.

So keeping all of that in mind, I ask you all to think twice before your next Facebook post. Write something funny, informative, thought provoking, or even promote your business, but stop cluttering Facebook. Get rid of those extra posts, so that the good content can shine through.

– Brynn Jacoby