For me Facebook has become essential. Using it for hours and hours everyday is a choice though. You can benefit from having a Facebook account while only checking it for a few minutes a day. I use it as an address book, event planner, and messaging system.
I use the FB Messenger app on iOS largely as a replacement for SMS.
I check FB.com for details of events I am attending and to receive invitations I wouldn't otherwise (unless they were small events with a few close friends in which case I would receive a phone call).
I also sync my Facebook contacts through the iOS app to my phones address book which helps keep my contact info up to date.
Using these functions I get lots of benefit and don't waste a lot of time. I can waste time if I want but that is an active choice and not required to benefit from the service.
I think Facebook is going to start becoming more and more essential. It is becoming much more common that I meet someone new, and rather than exchanging contact details we just ensure we are both on Facebook and connect that way. I don't see this changing anytime soon.
I use the FB Messenger app on iOS largely as a replacement for SMS. I check FB.com for details of events I am attending and to receive invitations I wouldn't otherwise (unless they were small events with a few close friends in which case I would receive a phone call). I also sync my Facebook contacts through the iOS app to my phones address book which helps keep my contact info up to date.
Using these functions I get lots of benefit and don't waste a lot of time. I can waste time if I want but that is an active choice and not required to benefit from the service.
I think Facebook is going to start becoming more and more essential. It is becoming much more common that I meet someone new, and rather than exchanging contact details we just ensure we are both on Facebook and connect that way. I don't see this changing anytime soon.