The ancient Stoics, like Epictetus, used to take on practical questions like these. OK, I can't find any references to Facebook in the ancient texts, but they do respond to what we can think of today as questions posed to advice columnists.

I'm assuming that the only people with this question are finding some things about Facebook unpleasant, and the simplest way to respond to this would be to say: gosh, then get off the darn thing. But let's assume the person considering leaving Facebook is conflicted.

This is where Epictetus's line of questioning might be helpful. It assumed feeling bad after doing (or using) something was not yet enough evidence for its inappropriateness. The hope was that we grow, morally, all the time. So to merely stop using something because we don't yet use it properly (or react in the way we'd like) is to thwart potential growth.Anyway, the following line of questioning can be used to help us to sort out conflicted thoughts, and the ancient version of this little exercise can be found here.

So, now, as best I can reconstruct it, the framework for examining your Facebook usage, a la the ancient moralists:

Step one. Identify the good at hand.

1. What is the point of Facebook? Is it social connection? Is social connection for you, at this time in your life, a good? Not everything we commonly assume is good is always right for us to pursue. So, in the most general terms, would you say yes to these questions? If so, keep going.

Step two. This second step is a matter of checking for consistency between the assumed good (social connection) and the actual results of using Facebook.

2. Does Facebook fail to generate the type of social connection you are after? Could Facebook be keeping you from making better social connections? If the answers might be "yes," then stop, and get off Facebook.

Step three. Check for signs of a compulsion.

3. Is there anything you'd deem irrational about your Facebook usage? Do you spend too much time there? Do you end up being surprised by how much you use Facebook? Do you lurk around, kind of despite yourself? If your answers are "yes"-- then leave it.

Step four. Make use of a heuristic.

4. Would someone you admire be on Facebook? Is it a noble pursuit? If the answers are "no," then you should get off Facebook and emulate what you actually admire.

Step five. Examine your motivation.

5. What motivates you to log on? Is it positive social connection that motivates you? Do you have such worthy intentions when you log on, or are you going for something else? To feel bad about yourself, to laugh at others, to keep up? If you are not motivated for reasons you would be willing to admit to, and also be proud of, then get off the thing!

Even I find it funny to look to Epictetus for advice on Facebook, and I work (though in an updated form) on the same ethical theory he used. But his questions don't seem completely laughable to me, either.

Philosophers today don't tend to apply virtue ethics in the very practical way it was once done (although there are some exceptions, Rosalind Hursthouse, who takes on abortion and vegetarianism, being one). And as I look around for more contemporary accounts of how to think about Facebook usage, finding very little other than generalized screeds against it (ones that recognize in no way the differences between people and theirs ways of approaching Facebook), I can't help thinking this is for the worse.

And, in case you are wondering how he answered the above questions for himself, well, Epictetus seems to have his own page, on Facebook.