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Now that we have lived with Facebook for over five years now, it is almost expected that everyone who is computer-literate have an account. I initially had an account, back when it was limited to those who had a ".edu" account, but ending up deleting it over privacy concerns, potential job employers, etc. Being in constant contact with your entire social network never appealed to me; I would be much more TRULY happy to see an old acquaintance or friend and catch up with them in real life.

But it seems as it has become a legitimate networking tool. Those avoiding Facebook may have a disadvantage when trying to find job leads or meet new people through friends of friends or being a member of common organizations and schools.

On the other hand, there's a shallowness to it as well. Some people I know are "quantity"-friend types, and have few, if any, high-quality relationships, the latter of which I know from research is more healthy. Facebook nourishes this trait, as the amount of "social effort" is spent extending a web of acquaintances, rather than developing high-quality relationships.

Lately, some of my friends have been asking me to get back onto Facebook, but I'm not so sure. There's something to be said for the simplicity of not having a personal page that can be viewed by anyone (I know there are settings you can change. But then someone sends you a friend request, and you don't really want them to see your profile, but you also don't want to seem like a jerk saying "bug off!" It's not a huge deal, but still...)

So what do you think about Facebook? Is it a superficial gathering of tangentially-connected people more concerned with image? Or does it serve a useful purpose for bridging likeminded people and allowing a possibility for a meaningful relationship that would otherwise go unfulfilled? Is it ever too LATE to get on Facebook, or once away, stay away?