Out of sheer curiosity: how would you define "useful" in this context?
Yeah, thats the thing. There is nothing "useful". Useful would be if one gets something from it and feel satisfied after closing Facebook. There is nothing too gain from it, news and articles I get from somewhere else and where I can have/see discussions. I'm not interested in what x did or see their pictures.
This I disagree with. Facebook can be useful for finding very small events such as house performances, local art gallery openings, and things of a neighborhood level scale that aren't very well promoted elsewhere because most of these people don't have the money or know-how to do so. Granted, you have to have second or third degree connections in those communities to even become aware of the listings on Facebook, but it can still be a tool in that sense.There is nothing "useful".
Do you really need Facebook as a mediator to find out about stuff happening in your own neighborhood? We used to know where the raves were by the blank sheets of neon paper put up like fliers on the buildings they'd be held in. Posting on Facebook seems both unnecessary and boring.
Communication happens in the mediums available to people. You didn't have Facebook in those days, so people posted flyers. Now most people are on Facebook, so events are advertised there instead. You might see a posters for event sometimes, but I hear about local events through FB all the time. Particularly since friends of mine mark that they will attend or are interested, and they then appear in my feed. I agree with the argument that FB is just using us as their product, and that's not great. However, disregarding that, it's simply a useful tool to communicate with people! To avoid the shittiness, just unfollow the people who post tons of bullshit, and get some interesting friends.
Not saying my own neighborhood, I'm not tied in to every area between Portland and Seattle and since I can't physically be there at all times, I, you know, can't see those papers being put up? It gives me the option to go to a friend 45 minutes away and say yo, saw this thing, whaddya think?. Plus, the world's a piece of shit anyway so the fact that we're debating Facebook is egregious at best.