Facebook Turns Us Into Teenagers

When we are children we believe that the world revolves around us.  When we become teenagers we believe that the world should revolve around us.  Although we are starting to become aware of the fact that there are other people in the world, and that those people are important, we still seem to hold onto the ideal that we are the most important person and why doesn't everyone else get that?  I think this is what causes all that anger and frustration we seem to harbour as teenagers - it is the only way we can adjust to our changing world views.  Of course, most of us (hopefully) mature and accept that everyone is equal and while we are completely unique and important, we are no more unique or important than anyone else.  After this week I'm beginning to question if the internet and social media are actually preventing us from reaching this viewpoint.

As you are reading this, I'm assuming you probably use the internet for social media - in which case, you will know of the changes facebook made this week.  Yes, they were big changes.  Yes, I'm still working my way around them.  No, I'm not complaining.

All this week I have been reading posts and tweets and even facebook messages complaining that their comfortable media site has upped and changed on them and doesn't facebook know that they didn't want changes?  To me, this seems to be channeling a lot of that anger and frustration at the fact that facebook changed without their personal permission.  Basically, exactly the same reaction as what I described teens to have at the beginning of this post.  It seems that this change has brought out the whiney, angry teenage side of some of us.  I say us because I admit that I was a little annoyed when I saw the changes.  But I figured that, hey, this is a free site, I am not paying anything for it so what right do I have to complain? 

The reason teenagers have a problem with adults is that these adults are telling them to quit moaning and do something about the situation if it's that big of a deal.  The majority of the time, teenagers don't actually want to actively fix something, they want it fixed for them (I know I did).  This is what apparantly has happened to almost everyone online this week.  People didn't like the situation, but rather than do something about it, they just moaned, very loudly in public, knowing full well that it wouldn't make a shred of difference. In honesty, I feel that if the changes bug you that much, stop complaining and actually do something about it (how about deactivating your account?  Or had you forgotten that that was an option? A point for another post).  Or have you already forgotten that it bothered you and are now perfectly happy with the new system?