Debating Facebook, Politely

Obviously there are different sides to take on whether or not sites like Facebook are, in general, a good thing for the world. But it often seems to me an argument without a point. Like any well-rehearsed debate, it's predictable, and often lends itself too easily to boredom. Debating the merits of social media hasn't produced any new points or insights lately, and seems unlikely to turn up anything new anytime soon. Tim de Lisle recently had the experience of debating the issue, and as you can see, the predictable stock argument flashed from its scabbard:

Where I saw harmless fun, Lucy Beresford saw danger, ranging from status anxiety, "because deep down we are primitive and everything is a competition", to the chances of an embarrassing old photo derailing a job application. Her husband was a headhunter, she said, and his firm checked people's Facebook pages when sifting applications. Well, I said, Intelligent Life runs internships aimed at graduates, I often do the interviews myself, and we don't check the candidates' Facebook pages. We're looking for young people with a passion for journalism, not a squeaky-clean social life.