Facebook annoyances are tradeoff for using site

By Sehar Siddiqui

We hate it, we love it, and we can’t stop using it. Whether it’s the people on it or the people behind it, Facebook can be pretty annoying.

It’s happened to all of us before: Log onto Facebook and see a banner at the top notifying us that things are going to change. We cringe on the inside and wonder, “What have I done to deserve this?” — the dreaded Facebook update. It’s happened plenty of times and we all adjust — eventually. But it has always a pain to have to navigate a new layout when we are so used to things being in familiar locations. 

The most recent update is one that has had a lot of people still longing for the older Facebook days. Facebook Timeline is tolerable now that it’s been around long enough for us to get used to it, but it really does enhance creeper tactics.

Before, said creeper would have to at least have the patience to sift through hundreds of tagged pictures to see what you were up to three years ago, but now all he would have to do is click on the year “2010” on the side and “BAM!” The creeper suddenly has access to all of your embarrassing status updates from the past, all of your bad hair days and all of your poor wardrobe choices.

Even more annoying are the constant updates the Facebook team decides to make to the privacy settings. Since the nature of Facebook is already a creeper’s paradise, you’d think Facebook privacy setting updates would be helpful rather than the complete opposite.

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Just recently, Facebook sent out an email notifying its members that they were going to adjust the way people could search for you. The email I received stated that, “Anyone will be able to look up your Timeline by your name — but if they go to your Timeline, they’ll only see what they already have permission to see.” 

Great, so unless you want to completely block a person, you’ll have to go through your settings and handpick what that person can and cannot see. This extra time you’d have to go through to ensure that somebody doesn’t see your posts is inconvenient.

And worse than the people who keep making changes to Facebook are the people who are using it.

Guys who post pictures of the progression of their workout need to stop.

I do not want to scroll through my Facebook and see various pictures of abs, biceps and forearms the size of a toilet seat. We get it, you’re ripped. Some guys defend themselves by saying, “Well, this is how guys who work out motivate each other to get better.” Sure, because there isn’t something called a Facebook group or message option where this can be done privately.

Girls are just annoying online, but in a different way. 

I’ve seen too many Facebook statuses of girls “complaining” about some random man who hit on her on the street: “Oh no guys, yet another guy thinks I’m hot. What a pain.” Seriously? Don’t lie, getting hit on really isn’t that awful. As long as the guy doesn’t annoy or pursue you, the experience is only a little annoying. If anything, it could even be a mini ego boost. Pretending to complain about it on Facebook is more of a cry for attention than a genuine complaint about the antics of random men on the street.

Finally, the most annoying people on Facebook would have to be the couples who are constantly in your face about their love. I get it, some of you have been together since you were fetuses — straight up Cory and Topanga style — but please do not subject the whole Facebook world to every moment you share together.

I’m not saying to never share anything you do with your significant other on Facebook, but most people would appreciate it if you followed the “less is more” rule. 

Despite all the annoyances, Facebook is a pretty good social media site for talking to friends, sharing pictures and making humorous observations — that is, if you can do it without all the creepers watching.

Sehar is a junior in LAS. She can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @nimatod.