Well said. Social networking is here to stay. Some people that are above using facebook have no problem using free republic as essentially a chat site. I fall somewhere in the middle I suppose - not a addict and not a naysayer. I use it to keep up distant friends but refuse to engage in silly day to day chatter “uh I just put my leftovers in the fridge “. To each his own.
FREE REPUBLIC is my FACEBOOK.
Actually, like you I'm somewhere in the middle: I'm on FB, but I'm just not into it. Most of it seems dry & boring. Useful for contacting some people or advertising, but the trivial stuff is probably 90%. I'm just not interested in someone's cat, or where they had dinner.
That's how I feel about social media, in general -- it has its uses, and, as you said, it's not going away. But the ones who abuse it are so irritating. Maybe after the novelty recedes, these people will fade away.
The FReep, on the other hand, has so many more interesting people & posts. I'm never bored; in the past 8 years since I signed on, I feel like I have gotten an education.