Why do I bother?

Lately I'm feeling social networking sites are a joke and in the end seem to cause more problems or honestly just suck away your time for nothing. Posting to facebook of late, I feel like I'm just contributing random thoughts and videos and it just goes to some empty black void. I honestly think people couldn't give a crap about what you actually say on these sites. Then again, I'm just being a bitter betty. I'm completely guilty of spending way too much time on facebook. It's sad because while I would like to just erase it and forget about the whole social networking world, there are people on there that I seem to only have access to through it.

The story about Bill Nye really bothered me. During a speech at USC, he collapsed coming to the podium and no one did anything. What was observed was that everyone took out their phone to tweet it or post it to facebook. Fucking what is wrong with people?! The man is unconscious and yet no one goes to help him. Instead, they decide to let the world know in their interweb bullshit that "oh shit dude, Bill Nye just collapsed!" Jesus. Call an ambulance! This is what I'm finding to be so disturbing and wrong! I got a twitter account not so long ago. I've twittered maybe 10 or so times. But, the damn site is worthless to me. I see people who post literally every 5 minutes! When did it become so important to tweet "I'm eating apple pie!" WHO CARES!!!

I was talking with Britta and she doesn't have an account on facebook. Her comments were that if you keep in contact with people through regular email and you have a continual relationship going, that it should be enough and you know that this person actually cares about being your friend. The one's that don't respond, well, they must not care too much. I'll be honest. I have contradictory feelings about it all. I want to keep it because there are people on facebook I only have access to because of it, but we don't speak regularly.
Then again, it's almost just a site that allows you in a way to be a voyeur in someones life. Someone you may find interesting, but nonetheless, all you are is a voyeur.
On the flip side, you can keep in contact with people and share photos, interests, and things going on in your life. But as of late, I'm finding the pay off not worth it.

That's why I feel so conflicted to get rid of the thing. Being in Japan, it's that more difficult. I have family and friends I find easier to keep in contact because of facebook. But, honestly, I'm finding it to be more and more just something that I find myself on too often and looking for honestly, some strange acknowledgment from other people. Why? Why do I need that? I'll email someone and get nothing back. It's a slap in the face sometimes especially when you see them post something an hour later. I don't understand the social networking etiquette.

I also can't understand the people who literally have over 500 friends. I mean really, do you talk to these 500 people in real life? I know of someone who has over 1000. I understand the need for networking, especially in certain jobs like the one I went to school for. But, god.
I went through my friends recently and got rid of everyone I hadn't talked to in more than a year, have no connection at all besides facebook and mutual friends, and the people who I think just add you to get their friend number so high that they feel maybe better about themselves. I still have some people on my profile that I solely keep because I do care about what's going on in their life, but we don't have regular communication. There goes again the whole contradiction of exactly what I have just argued against. It's something I keep going in circles about and it's stupid that I even care this much to write a blog entry about the whole thing. 

I really am being quite negative, I know. I know the arguments against everything I've said and I do agree with some of them. I know the need for networking. I do know some people really actually do have quite a large amount of friends they have a connection with. I do know that facebook keeps them in touch with people from their hometowns and having connections with old acquaintances and friends from the past that is important to them. Yes, I understand this and this is why I find myself going back and forth.
I'm feeling like when I post anything, nobody really truly gives a shit. It's just another addition to "the wall." If I email someone and weeks go by without a response, what the hell is the point?

It's caused rifts between people because they hit the delete button on someone from their account even though they never speak or have anything to say to each other. From personal experience, it's caused quite a disturbance being in a relationship. I wish that sometimes that we could go back to a time when having friends was easy as a phone call. That's a whole other issue I find to be extraordinarily confusing. You will call a person and they don't pick up. Then you text them, and voila! You get an immediate response. Huh? So, you know they have their phone, but don't have the strange capacity to pick up the phone call and have a conversation.

I honestly feel that when I come home from Japan in April that it might be best I delete my account. It'd make more sense to network through more legitimate resources.  But, there is still that piece of me that understands facebook does offer that in a way and I would lose one connection to people I do enjoy seeing what goes on in their life.

Just as always, I find myself circling the issue.