Teens debate: Is Facebook cool anymore?
Facebook built its social media empire on coolness. If you’ve seen The Social Network, then you know that Facebook was very conscious of its own cool factor back in the day, and went out of its way to protect it. Back when you had to have a college email address to register, there was an element of exclusivity that bolstered the site’s coolness, but now that everyone (including, you know, your grandma) is on Facebook, it’s hard to call it cool anymore.
There are tons of pieces floating around the Internet about teens fleeing Facebook and dismissing it as totally uncool, but we figured that instead of having a grown up talk about what teens think about Facebook, we’d just, you know, let the teens speak for themselves. We reached out to some of our wonderful Teen Giggglers and asked them simply, “Is Facebook cool anymore?” Here’s what they had to say:
It’s useful, but not cool.
“I’d say most people assume that pretty much everyone has Facebook now, but it’s more useful than it is cool. It’s kind of like a social networking passport — most people have it, and it comes in pretty handy, but it’s not something anyone is excited about anymore. It’s definitely the best way to arrange group plans though! It’s more of a tool for keeping in touch with friends than anything else, and since there’s a million other ways to do that, I can see why people are getting bored and leaving!” – Ella Minker, 18.
It isn’t cool or uncool.
“I believe that Facebook isn’t either cool or uncool. I use Facebook almost everyday to check up on family members who aren’t on the latest social medias (Twitter, Instagram, etc.) as well as to see pictures of not only family, but my favorite celebrities. However, if you parade around about your latest Facebook cover photo’s, you may earn a few laughs and “is she serious” looks. Anyway you look at it, the odds of you and someone having the same exact opinion are slim and in the end, if you are a dedicated Facebook fanatic, use it.” – Jaide Soto, 16.
All Facebook does is cause drama.
“Facebook is a breeding ground for drama. All you see is people oversharing their lives, and when they do, people always start drama. There’s so much bullying that it’s not even funny, especially with all these pages. It’s really just not fun anymore for me. I get on to look for horse leases, and I met my future classmates through Facebook. But that’s about it.” – Kim Webb, 18.
It’s completely over.
“Facebook is so over. It’s just not fun anymore, it’s constantly changing and with the strict rules and policies, it’s not fun. I love Instagram, I feel like Facebook doesn’t allow me to make my profile personal like Instagram and Tumblr do. Maybe if Facebook let you change themes, font, layout, and all that and personalize it, but it doesn’t. I admit, I do use it, but mostly just the chat to keep in contact with my family and friends who live far away. I never read my newsfeed and I rarely use the app. Twitter is lame too. Tumblr and Instagram are where it is at. They give us freedom and the ability to be individuals. Facebook is just full of our little siblings and our parents/grandparents/aunts/uncles now. You can’t say what’s really on your mind because you have to edit what your family sees. But Tumblr gives you the freedom to say and be anything you want.” Ella Norman, 19.
