angry sounding questions about facebook

I don't have facebook.
*GASP!*
I know, I know, I'm pretty radical
.....just kidding.
the thing is, with social networking sites, I've signed up to far too many in the past... Hi5, bebo, myspace, facebook(of course), and all those other annoying ones that i can't remember the names of that occasioanlly still send me annoying emails about random people wanting to 'friend' me.
*shudder*
(i can't delete them, i dont remember my passwords =( )

When people ask me why I no longer use facebook I used to mumble something about how i dont like social networking sites.
But now, I respond "BECAUSE IT'S PART OF A CONSPIRACY THAT WILL ULTIMATELY LEAD TO WORLD DOMINATION"
of course, it is all in jest....

BUT

Facebook has taken over huge chunks of people's lives.

When did everyone start relying on facebook so much?
When did it start dominating so much of the time we spend on the internet?
Why does so much of so many people's lives happen in the realm that is facebook?
Why is it that people feel the need to check facebook so much when they're at uni?
Aren't they in a place where they can interact socially?
Aren't their friends nearby, IN THE FLESH?!

I've heard this line countless times: "Oh right, yea, you don't know about it 'cause you don't have facebook."
What happened to the good old days when gossip was passed by word of mouth and people gave out cute little enveloped invitations to events?
Why is it that everytime two people get together they have to "make it official" on facebook?
And why do people freak out if they're not included in the guest list on facebook for an event? As if that's the official invite as opposed to your friend asking you if you wanna go to that party.

Why is it that everytime you meet someone new you go home and add them on facebook as a 'friend'?
this leads me to my next point.
Are all your facebook friends really your friends?
Do all the people who boast 500 or 600 'friends' on facebook really have close ties with ALL these people?
of course not.
Is it really that important to have that many facebook friends?
Have these people heard of Dunbar's number? it's 150 meaningful relationships. It's impossible to have more. One does not need more. Once cannot maintain 150 easily, let alone 600.
It's impossible that they are actually good friends with 600 people. It is impossible that they even talk regularly to HALF of these people.
What happened to quality over quantity?

Sometimes people make it sound like i miss out on a lot becasue i dont use facebook. But that's not true.
My friends tell me to get facebook again.
but even they can't think of a good reason why i should.

_