By Fernando Alcantara
Sun executive editor
I don’t want to hear one more person complain about Facebook changing their layout and design. Especially since the service is free. The day you have to shell out your own money, which will never happen, complain away.
Until then, shut it.
Before this issue of The Western Sun was released, Facebook rolled out several new features that left many people crying and complaining. On Sept. 30, the Facebook page that you have grown to know and love was replaced by the new Timeline design.
Instead of your Facebook profile page simply acting as a messaging/bulletin board, your Timeline will now represent your entire life; all the things you’ve shared on Facebook.
It may be a testament to its power and popularity that Facebook has become a mainstream communication tool and application, yet people still feel impelled to complain about it.
Facebook has 800 million active users worldwide. The statement, “everyone and their mother is on Facebook” is starting to become a reality.
In fact, my own mother is on Facebook.
Still, Facebook has become one of those things in life that has the dubious distinction of being extremely popular and slightly embarrassing at the same time.
So popular that when groups of people are out on the town taking snapshots, it’s inevitable for one less-than-sober young lady to immediately yell, “Facebook!”
It’s also embarrassing in that people are overheard asking their companions, “Do you mind if I tag you?”
In my own circle of friends, half of our conversations occur on Facebook posts.
Facebook is a huge part of everyday life and unless Google+ takes over, it can be expected to be that way for a while.
Here’s the thing: Facebook is the “it” thing for the moment. Everywhere you go, that infamous blue box with the lower case “F” can be seen.
Like our page, like us on Facebook, check us out on Facebook. Everything that you can think of is now linked to Facebook.
And that’s what we do. We go online, we like something, we ask our friends to like something we liked and we continue to do this.
Yet, when the thing that we all use and love changes to something that should be considered exciting and phenomenal, we are up in arms.
It doesn’t make sense.
Or, perhaps, that’s just it. We love it so much, that when they implement new changes, it’s hard for us to let go and accept it.
It’s like the girlfriend, whose hair I’ve always loved, just chopped it off and dyed it a new color.
Well, I loved her before, and I love her now. So, I guess the new hair-do will just have to grow on me.
Besides, hair grows out eventually, right?
