If 150 million people jumped off a bridge, would you?

Illustration by Matt Hamm

Last week, Facebook announced a momentous achievement: as of January 7, the social networking site had 150 million members. According to the memo, “If Facebook were a country, it would be the eighth most populated in the world, just ahead of Japan, Russia and Nigeria.”

That’s a good visual, right?. A bit egotistical maybe, but it does illustrate the point. To put it even more simply, I'll borrow from the wisdom of Ron Burgundy. I don't know how to put this, but Facebook is kind of a big deal.

An article on Slate notes that anyone not playing along is missing out: “Sure, you can trade e-mail addresses or phone numbers, but in many circles Facebook is now the expected way to make these connections. By being on Facebook, you're facilitating such ties; without it, you're missing them and making life difficult for those who went looking for you there.”

Thanks to the long list of newsletters and blogs I subscribe to, I read daily about the importance, the prevalence, the necessity of using social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Digg and Delicious. It’s fascinating to see all this develop, and frustrating at the same time.

How are we supposed to keep up?

So I thought I’d ask you today – what social media sites do you like? Which ones seem like a waste of time? Is everyone you know on Facebook or Twitter? Do you think this craze will ever end, just like our dedication to recording TV shows on a VCR and tight-rolling our jeans?