Logging on to Facebook, I see daily posts on boyfriends’ timelines, to make sure someone gets the idea that yeah, you’re dating. I see fluctuating relationship statuses from “single” to “it’s complicated” to “single” again, screaming for comfort, questions and confrontation. I have notifications for posts in groups, though I and the colony of others in the group are probably participating for other information than that your cat is cute, or your relationship is down the toilet so what should you do. At thirteen, I’d hoped this was only a phase. At 17, this hope has been dashed.  People continue to utilize the site in a juvenile manner, and Facebook caters to this use.  

At face value, Facebook seems like a person-specific search engine, making connections easier than they would be in person due to nerve, distance, etc.  You spy the name of an acquaintance, and have all the answers to hypothetical “ice-breakers” laid out for you in one click (i.e. Name, school, work, relationship, mutual friends). This itself is practical, but  there’s too much icing on the cake; Facebook’s design seems compromised because of its label as “social media.” Every other social media platform offers chats, different ways to display and caption pictures- essentially different basis for communities.

Facebook currently rivals these [social media?], encumbering its use to the advantage of your image. Now, it takes more than just erasing old timeline posts to be virtually impressionable. Facebook insists on cover photos, photo albums, photos that you’re tagged in, and now on the mobile app it asks you choose a few “featured” photos.

What’s more, Facebook has always allowed you to post pictures of yourself without spamming your Instagram followers or disrupting the theme of your feed. Facebook also allows its users to inform everyone every second of the day of what they’re up to via posts with unlimited characters. Thus, feeds run the gamut from life stories to fragments of obsolete song lyrics (typically those  from an obscure indie band for the satisfaction of one or two people commenting “Arctic Monkeys?”).

And the age-old “timeline” concept – what’s the point of using it to post an intimate message when you have access to text, iMessage, Kik and even Facebook Messenger? People even feel obligated to post a “happy birthday” to their friend’s timeline, but why, when instant messaging and texting can deliver the same message without causing that person’s “friends” an extra scroll?

Suffice it to say, when teens use it to connect in ways they’re used to on newer social media, Facebook tries to catch up. But when Facebook updates, adding nooks and crannies for more photos and information about your self, its users can’t catch up. I can’t funnel my frustration toward a site where people are ultimately responsible for how they use it, but neither can I funnel my frustration toward bored teens, myself included. Facebook needs to prune its edges, leaving people less room to embarrass themselves.