Dear Facebook…I Apologize

The other day, while coming home from a theme park with my family, I heard “Fu-Gee-La,” one of the many standout tracks from the outrageously dope Fugees’ album, “The Score.” While listening to Lauryn Hill rhyme and sing, I uttered, “I miss the old Lauryn Hill.”

What the heck does that mean though, I thought to myself. After sometime, I realized that my seemingly simple statement denied the following facts:

• It’s not the mid 90’s, which was almost twenty years ago. However to my nostalgic, time warped mind, the 90’s were less than a decade ago.
• Lauryn Hill is not at the same point in her life. When she crafted her timeless masterpiece, “The Miseducation of Lauyrn Hill,” she was pregnant with her first child, battling internal issues with The Fugees, amongst whatever other issues she had going on at that time.
• Her current life undoubtedly results in different feelings, emotions, and sounds.
• Lauryn Hill is still Lauryn Hill, regardless of how I feel about her music or lack thereof.

Time waits for no one.

I do not use Facebook much anymore. I occasionally post motivational quotes, write “Happy Birthday” on ever growing distant friends’ walls, and like status updates that tickle my fancy.

However, back in 2004…dude, you couldn’t get me off of Facebook. It was opening page whenever I clicked on Internet Explorer’s “E” icon. It was exclusive, at the time. It connected me to friends at other elite universities, primarily on the East coast.

Then it expanded to the West coast universities, followed by Mid-Western and Southern schools. Before long, seemingly all of higher education was on the same dope network. I was able to connect with other college-aged students who were all experiencing “college life,” the best four (or five) years of one’s life.

Then, everyone was invited to the party. The extreme, booming growth was also by facilitated the massive exodus from MySpace (and many people brought those MySpace habits and trends to Facebook; my least favorite: the elongated middle name. For example, Jennifer ‘TheseHoesBeHatingOnMeCauseTheyWantToBeMe’ Jenkins). And I was angered and frustrated by the seemingly rapid changes (sidenote: and I still don’t get this new timeline thing, but whatever).

But like Lauryn Hill, my initial response to the new Facebook denied the growth of the company and its social reach. It’s no longer 2004. I am no longer a rising senior at the best university in the country.

Time waits for no one.

Therefore, I owe Facebook an apology; continue to do you, Facebook; compute your life in whatever way you want. No further judgement.