Facebook: Who's Holding Out?

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Are you a Facebook holdout? Chances are you are not; you have an account and so do one billion others. The social media site exceeded that milestone on Thursday. According to CNN Money, those are not just one billion accounts, but those are one billion active monthly users. Surpassing the one billion mark means that Facebook now reaches one out of every seven people on the planet. Chances are, since we live in a developed country, you and I know a lot more Facebook users than that.  

There are many holdouts though. Perhaps you know one or two. While your grandmother may have an account, there’s that guy at work that swears he doesn’t have enough time to check social media (even though this is not something that has to be done daily). There’s also that lady you know from college who says she’s uncomfortable with the privacy settings. A 13-year-old from the neighborhood is not on Facebook because his mother banned him for not doing his homework. Finally, there’s the guy from the corner bar who says the social media site is just no good; it causes misunderstandings and jealousy. At my old job, on-air talent were required to have an account. I told one uneasy co-worker to get over it; Facebook is here to stay. The social media network has permeated our lives and affected even those who don’t have accounts. It is so interwoven into our world that the term “Facebook” is not just a noun, but also a verb and an adjective.

In college I had a friend who was rather proud of being a holdout. This was before Facebook. It was only 2002. She was pleased that she did not have a cell phone and had no plans to get one. I like telling this story because her excuse for not accepting new technology was that it was just a fad and would pass. In her mind no one would be talking on cell phones by 2005. Egg on her face, because as we all know cell phones have not only increased their market share but they have brought new opportunities to people who weren’t able to get a computer. Those people can now get smartphones for a fraction of the price. Facebook is still around in the same sort of trailblazing way. Facebook has found new and easy ways to connect people and communities.