fuck circles!

this is a google+ inspired rant.

if you're a member of the google cult, turn away now. i know, i know, you wanna convert me. that's what cults make you wanna do. that urge you're filled with, you think it's logic and common sense, but it's not... you're in a cult and you're brainwashed! so turn away.. thanx.

i'm on facebook. i like facebook. it serves its social networking purposes for me. it does everything i could possibly want. my social networking experience is not broken so i don't feel the need to fix it with the newer, shinier version from its competitor.

and i am on google+. don't get me wrong. after all, you can't knock it unless you tried it.

anyways, fuck circles. circles... that's the major difference between facebook and google+. (google cult members are foaming at the mouth to shout the 100 other things that make them different, spare me, google+ is fb with circles).

i get it, the circle thing. it's a nice, easy, guilt free way to post things and have certain things only be seen by certain people. that's awesome for people who have something to hide. i decided a long time ago back in the myspace world that i was gonna only be friends with people that i thought would be able to handle what i post without being offended, shocked, mad, sad, etc. and every now and again someone got through and they did get offended and then they unfriended me. boohoo.

there's certain things that are hard for people to do, like declining requests or booting a 'friend' cuz you realized they suck a lot more than you thought they did... but these sorta things shouldn't be hard. the thing is a lot of people are just soft and the google+ circles are only gonna enable the bad habits that continue to keep you soft.

thanks to circles, you can now accept that request from your boss or an annoying coworker and put him/her in a circle to be ignored forever. you accepted the request, far as they know you're just not very active on google+. no hurt feelings. but they shouldn't be your network friend in the first place. you don't have what it takes to tell them no, but this is your goddamn profile! stand up for yourself and refuse the request. what can they say say? he/she can't harass you, they wouldn't wanna make this an HR issue. you should want to make and probably even enjoy making the decision of declining that request! shit! c'mon people!

the circles also make it easier to do things like cheat on your girlfriend. take the side piece, put her in the circle with your boss. hope they never meet. you sly bastard! you now have duped your side piece and your boss! just name the circle "suckers" and get high off the power trip.

cuz the circles can enable that power trip bullshit. 'watch this, i'm gonna accept so-and-so's request and put them in my circle called 'insufferable douche bags.' that's all well and good, but if they're such an insufferable douche bag, then someone should tell them so. you've done nothing to improve anything... in fact, most likely the insufferable douche bag is someone you hate hanging out with but do anyways for god knows what reason and now that douche bag is one step closer to NEVER knowing how much of a douche bag they are. and that's not right.

the biggest issue i have with the circles is that it brings you one step closer to taking joy in not being yourself. let me post the bong pic for the friends, the boring pic where i'm well dressed for some boring work event for the co-workers, and the picture of me in a church for the grandparents. you're living 3 lies!!! whatever it is you're about, bongs, jesus, money, dungeons and dragons... anyone who sends you a request should already know this about you. stop accepting requests from people you're uncomfortable to be yourself around. all you're doing is isolating yourself into your own circle and eventually you'll be the only person you can ever be yourself around. congratulations. your life is a sham.

with love,
josh wells

ps- i know if facebook goes the way of friendster and myspace, i'll be a google+ reg and i'll have to go back to this blog and eat it. buuuuut i tell you this, if that does happen and i do become an avid google+ user, i will only have 1 circle, for everybody, no divisions. suck it.