Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Facebook and Christmas Day tax returns

In a column in this morning's Independent, Hermione Eyre warns about the perils of joining Facebook and having to endure the profiling and poking.

"It's like an online hall of mirrors: the only content consists of a log of gossip, visitors, friends and chit-chat, like a cocktail party that has been conducted in writing?

Can you think of anything more pointless? They make sites with a purpose - dating sites, property networks and the like - look as if they are the height of dignified efficuency."

But Hermione leaves the best to the last paragraph. I assume she sourced the stat from the Inland Revenue (or whatever it's called these days) ...

"Last year, 84 people completed their online tax returns on Christmas Day. They are the shining lights of online culture.

Probably 84,000 spent Easter fiddling with their My Space/Facebook/Bebo profiles, adding a picture here, poking a friend there. Why do we do it?"

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