What 20 Years Of Facebook Taught Me About Human Nature

August 29, 2026 6:47 pm

In case you weren’t paying attention, next month is the 20-year anniversary of Facebook going public. This milestone will make a lot of people reflect.

What have you learned about human nature after two decades of using Facebook and other social media? Is your outlook more positive? Worse? Have you learned some things about yourself?

With the anniversary approaching, I decided to share my own thoughts.

For some people, social media is a truth serum the same way alcohol is. People are less inhibited about saying what they really think.

And social media is a boon for introverts.

Johnny Carson was one of the quietest and most introverted people you’ll ever meet.

I’m the same way.

But yet you’d never guess it in a million years if you watched him on The Tonight Show. When asked about this, Carson said he’s different on his show because there he’s in charge and he controls the social dynamics.

On social media, I get to talk about what I want to talk about because I don’t have to summon up the energy to speak up at a large gathering over an extrovert who is sucking up all the air out of the room. I don’t have to worry about someone telling me to shut up because what matters to me makes for an inappropriate conversation for a party or a family gathering.

Here, I’m in control. And I and other introverts feel more comfortable saying what we really think and feel.

In the 20 years I’ve been on social media, I’ve noticed extroverts barely say anything, while introverts say plenty. Extroverts already spent up all that energy talking in person.

The net effect of all of this is that introverts get accused of being desperate attention seekers, when in fact, all we’re doing is living up to a quote attributed to Stephen Hawking: “Quiet people have the loudest minds.” We have a very rich and vivid imagination, and social media and writing are our outlets to express ourselves.

And the people usually accusing us introverts of being desperate attention seekers are, again, the same people who suck up all the air out of the room at parties. The same people who say we spend too much time on social media are usually the same people who socialize too much at work…and call that networking.

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So, yeah, bite me.

And, if some of us are too honest here, then other people are the same way when they’ve had too much to drink.

Two sides of the same coin.

Special thanks to Warhammer’s Wife for proofreading this story before publication to make certain there were no misspellings, grammatical errors or other embarrassing mistakes and/or typos. Follow Warhammer on X @Real_Warhammer. Read Warhammer’s stories on The Hayride by clicking here.