For those of you who don't know (and I'm sure there aren't many), Facebook crashed last Wednesday. It was only down for a few hours, but one would have thought it was down for days, or even weeks. One also might have thought the world was about to end, or the sky was falling.

God forbid we had to live without knowing what was going on in the lives of other people for a few hours, or that we had to work on a paper continuously for two hours without a Facebook procrastination break. Admittedly, I'm guilty of this too. I mean, seriously, who can sit at their computer for two hours straight and work on a paper without checking Facebook? Seems so stupid, but it's so true. What in the world did we do without this procrastination station?

When I was in high school, cell phones were just making their debut. When I was a freshman in undergrad, live journals were popular. Lap tops were just becoming affordable and wireless internet was just becoming the "thing." Remember wireless cards? My first lap top had one. We also... gasp... didn't have Facebook! It wasn't until probably the middle of my sophomore year in college that I opened a Facebook account.

Now I wonder what we did without it.

I wonder if some people could live a week without Facebook, or any other social media site. It seems preposterous to think that some people couldn't, but I really wonder with the way I saw people freaking out when it was down.

It's not just Facebook. Do you ever drive somewhere and realize you forgot your cell phone? I admit that I get a little worrisome when I do that. Heaven forbid if something happens I'll have to knock on someone's door and ask to use a phone. That's so 15 years ago.

Now it seems weird to just use a cell phone for just an actual phone. Now we're "wired" 24/7 to social media sites, our e-mail, and who knows what else. For a while it was cool to watch a movie on a big TV screen. Now it's cool to watch it in HD on the tiny screen of your phone. How weird is that? If you think about it, why do we need internet on our phones?

It's hard to imagine a world the way in which our parents lived in. A world where they used actual paper maps, card catalogs, encyclopedias, land lines and filing cabinets. I wonder if they felt disconnected if the phones were out, or if they felt uneasy driving somewhere without a map.

It's just amazing to me how dependent we've become on technology. When it breaks or something goes wrong, we don't know what to do with ourselves. We've been a part of technology for most of our lives and it has become a part of our daily routine. It would be weird to me not to check my e-mail every morning, or not to be able to pay a bill online.

It's amazing how technology has shaped our lives, isn't it?

I used to be a journalist. That's right, an actual reporter who covered city council and school board meetings, elections and day-to-day feature stories. I worked on deadline and I remember on election nights not getting home until 3 a.m. I did this for almost two years, then on Dec. 30, 2008, I got laid off.

I was only a reporter for a short time, but it was during that time I saw the journalism industry take probably the largest economical hit ever. The newspaper I worked at laid off their first reporter ever (me), but they suffered one of the least. About a month or so after I was laid off, a paper in Battle Creek, Mich., laid off half their staff. Battle Creek is about 20 minutes from Kalamazoo — where I received my undergraduate degree. The Detroit Free Press decided it couldn't afford to deliver the newspaper to homes during all days of the week. As of March 30, 2009, they now only deliver it on only Thursdays and Fridays.

Of course newspapers in Michigan hit home the most for me because that's my home state, but other newspapers nationwide were laying off staff, or worse — closing. Perhaps the most substantial news I remember hearing regarding newspaper downturns is the closing of the Rocky Mountain News, a paper with a circulation of more than 250,000, on Feb. 27, 2009.

Getting to my point: Why didn't journalists see this coming? Or maybe we did, but why didn't we try to catch up with changes in media?

It goes back to college, I think. I was never taught ways to tell stories through video, or ways to enhance stories online. I know colleges are trying to implement courses that teach these skills now, but why didn't it happen earlier? The only attempt of adapting to "new media"  I saw was newspapers regurgitating their content verbatim online. What's the point of buying a newspaper then? I think it is partly my fault, too, because I never took a computer class of any kind to strengthen those skills. But I didn't know I needed to. Looking back now, I wish an adviser would have told me to do so, but none of this would have prevented me from getting laid off.

So now journalists must learn how to shoot video, write in a blog and update Twitter and Facebook. They must find time to do this in addition to their other daily tasks, and some must complete everything in fewer hours due to budget cuts. Ouch.

To me, newspapers should have slightly different content online than what subscribers see in print. Maybe a video explaining things using sights and sounds, something a print story can't do. Or have a link to a blog a staff member wrote about the topic, or a link to a discussion about the article on a Twitter or Facebook page. A lot of newspapers are starting to do this, but why are they just starting?

I don't mean to place the blame on just newspapers. Even just five years ago I don't think anyone knew how fast media was going to change. I think newspapers have been trying their best to adapt, but it has been a slow process. No newspaper has given me a reason to subscribe when I can easily get the news I want online, and in better form in my opinion.

I guess my point to all of this is that if newspapers and colleges adapted to new media, or "emerging media" quicker and more easily, then maybe newspapers wouldn't be in the state they're in now. Maybe I wouldn't have gotten laid off. But if I hadn't gotten laid off I wouldn't be in Milwaukee, or grad school. Or even writing in this blog. I digress.

Journalism will continue, it's just a matter of how and in what form.

Overall I love Facebook. I love being able to see pictures of a friends recent trip, or seeing that a friend I knew in high school or college got a new job, or got married. I love the friendly debates and status updates that make me laugh. However, there are some aspects about Facebook I don't like. Below are some personal pet peeves about the social networking site itself and how people use it.

Status updates
I'm sorry, but no one wants to know that your child eating better now that he/she got off of breast milk. Maybe when I have a child I will care but for now, spare me the details. I also don't care to know what you ate today, or that you have a 20-page paper due tomorrow. If you have a big assignment like that due, then why are you on Facebook? I also find it strange when people put how much they love their significant other in their status. I like to just tell the person myself.

Political rants
Since when did Facebook become the place to get in heated debates about the president or political issues? Yes, I am aware about the first amendment, but can't we simply agree to disagree? Everyone has their own opinion and it is not going to get changed.

Stupid profile pictures
Good for you for chugging that beer or for doing a shot. Is this really what you want people to see when they look at you? Also, nice body, but please put more clothes on.

Constant profile picture changes
Make up your mind already.
 
Farmville, Mafia, etc.
To each their own, but don't expect me to join or to help your farm. Also, no offense, but I'm hiding Farmville, Mafia and any other mini-feed clogging game from my news feed.

Bad spelling and grammar in status updates and profiles
There is a difference between your and you're, as well as their, there and they're.

With that being said, I wish there was a way to edit status updates and wall posts once you share them. I've noticed types in mine and it would be nice not to have to type the entire post over again.


Please don't be offended by any of this. This is my personal opinion and I'm sure everyone has their own views and their own Facebook pet peeves.