Monday, August 20, 2007

What is there to say about Facebook that has not been said?

A friend of mine who shall remain nameless but who knows who she is has been refusing to get onboard the Facebook train. Despite numerous emailed ‘friend requests’ and attempts to make her jealous by stealing her genuine friends and claiming them as my own she has stood fast in the face of a country-wide frenzy.

Today said friend who will still remain nameless but whose unnamed name might rhyme with ‘smelly’ and start with an ‘A’ emailed me the news story everyone seems to have since read (simultaneously apparently based on the emails I’ve been receiving) saying Facebook is thought to cost employers $5 billion a year through wasted company time.

To the people who agree with this, and possibly even tch tch-ed at the story I present this simple yet compelling argument. It goes as follows:

Recently, while fricking around on Facebook, I joined two wonderful groups: one called Embrace the HoYay (which is exactly what it sounds like) and another dedicated to ending the obnoxious use of exclamation marks. Realising that there are people who think like me somewhere in the world has made me very happy. When I am happy I feel better and, as a result, I have more ideas, enthusiasm and drive at work – I work better when I’m happy.

Um probably.

Sure, talking about favoured slash pairings and how right on F. Scott Fitzgerald had it when he said that an exclamation mark was like laughing at your own joke might not seem like it’s contributing towards the company’s profit margins or whatever but it’s all helping to make me feel happy. For the knock-on effects of my happiness see above.

If I depended on my work to keep me entertained, energised and stop me from throwing myself out of the window with frustration I would be a spot on the footpath by now. Facebook, and blogging and the myriad of other websites I may or may not frequent, depending on whether my boss is reading this, are all ways to let off steam and enjoy a few minutes of peace where you don’t have to deal with insane residents or inane PRs yelling at you.

Take away these things and we might all realise just how dull and repetitive and soul destroying our jobs really are.

4 comments:

Lindsay said...

All of what you said.

Dave said...

hear hear

Anonymous said...

And Facebook can't be bad, because it is still allowed through the Education Department and DOCEPs internet screening. MySpace isn't. Ha.

my name is kate said...

Perhaps the Edu Dept is the barometer by which all matters of taste should be measured... what's their position on footless tights I wonder...