'South Park' explains social networking to newcomers: why Facebook is annoying

(AFP PHOTO LOIC VENANCE)

An episode of the animated American sitcom, South Park, is spreading virally across the web as viewers take pleasure in the show's bitingly truthful depiction of the "more annoying" side of social networking site Facebook.

The episode called "You've Got 0 Friends", which aired on American TV on April 7, shows how social networks are infiltrating our everyday lives - influencing our reactions to social situations and changing how we relate with other people in our lives after having (or not having) an online relationship with them.

The South Park episode aired in light of Facebook's recently proposed privacy changes - changes that would enable the social network site to share (what most users consider) private information with third-party sites. According to a recent survey conducted by security firm Sophos, around 95 percent of Facebook users are opposed to the changes.

Media blog Gawker has put together a video recap of the episode online showing "every ridiculous thing about what the social network has become."

Excerpts of the episode can be viewed here: http://tv.gawker.com/5512185/south-park-explains-everything-that-is-annoying-about-facebook