I've been thinking a lot about facebook today, partly because it's going public (you know, public in a different way than it already is) and partly because I have such a love/hate relationship with it.
Here's the love part. I love seeing how friends and family are doing. It's like getting a little snapshot of the inside of their heads. Also, I might not know some things if it weren't for facebook. For instance, I might not have remembered it's Viv's birthday today, even though I love Viv and think about her often.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, VIV!
Here's the hate part. I start looking at it . . . and then I keep on looking and looking and looking and looking, and before you know it, 45 minutes of my life has been sucked out of my soul and into cyberspace. One of my former students complained that now she's on fb, she doesn't read books as much as she used to, which strikes her as semi-tragic.
Ironically, I read this on her facebook wall.
Your thoughts?
10 comments:
I also love/hate, for the reasons you mention. I do love hearing this and that, stuff I would never, ever hear. I also find that I hear all kinds of capital N News on FB, so it's not just family and gossip and junk. Also, maybe unrelatedly, I may buy a little piece of FB stock, because...that whole spending 45 minutes thing. It's like buying stock in candy or something.
I signed up for the FB to see what the what was about and to maintain the illusion with my students that I'm a real hep cat. At first, I thought it would be cool to have some real back-and-forth, some give-and-take, some stimulating convo with my peeps. I suppose it could still be cool, and I'm still looking forward to it. Then I thought, well, okay, but at least pathetic and lonely people can put a status update out there into the universe and get a response, an electronic, existential, emoticonic hug, if you will. But, hmmm. Maybe I just have the wrong "friends." I think if I posted, "Yikes! I have just spontaneously combusted! Please advise!" I would likely get one Like and, on a good day, a LOL. But, hey, that could just be me and my list o' friends who have other internet kittehs to fry. Presently, the whole enterprise just seems hopelessly narcissitic and recursive, and, like all y'all, I'm just hanging out there to see stuff like the pictures of my new niece. Happy birthday, TaLia (really? that's the name your parents chose? TaLia?)!
Y'know... I'm still holding out. Haven't got a Facebook. It's probably for the best because I'm an obsessive compulsive person and I would be a Facebook addict faster than a gerbil trying crack. (Gerbils, eh, get addicted really fast. Probably.) Any good that I would do would be lost in the sea of time poured down the Facebook drain.
My husband joined and later that day I joined and asked my husband to invite me to be his Friend. I have never invited anyone to be my friend because I wanted to see who would invite me (talk about Narcissistic--sp?). I like it enough to check it once a day and I have been gratified to be in contact with friends from long ago who have cared to search me out. I don't post pictures (though sometimes others tag me). I can go without it for a whole week while on vacation, no problem. Like everything else--pros and cons.
I'm exactly like Joseph. I have purposefully stayed away, as hard as it might be, because I know I'd waste time on there. I'd be an addict for sure.
And for me it's all or nothing, so I choose nothing.
I mostly stalk my kids...
I like FB because it makes me feel connected to people. I give myself time-limits though; twenty minutes in the evening. It works for me!
seriously? I have a love/hate relationship with everything. and guess what? I do my calling through facebook! My sisters are so young, they are thorough social media people. Facebook is how I find out about pregnancies, moving, losing homes, new puppies and illness.
I had to get a smart phone to keep up.
also, my dog ran away....with my husband standing with the leash and collar in his hand. All the information on our whereabouts on the collar.....i posted his picture on facebook and within an hour we had Sir WheredoIlive back at our home. I love facebook
I too have the love/hate thing going with fb. And it is a time suck. But I use it more like a tool to keep in touch with people I only see once a year-if that.
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