Facebook "friends"...

I have finally decided to leave Facebook behind me for a while. Way too much of my time is eaten up by the news feed of people I don't care about... which, oddly, I can't help but read. If it were up to me, I would have no more than 150 friends. Facebook should have an "acquaintance" setting. But instead I am forced to be "friends" with anyone that asks due to some odd, online, etiquette code. Anyway, now that I am quitting Facebook indefinitely, I am forced to evaluate the dubiously positive and negative things it has done for me. This has generally served to confirm that leaving Facebook seems like a wise choice:

- I have rejected countless invitations to join games, applications, and other pointless things. Like Facebook wasn't enough of a time-waster... sheesh. 
- I have seen people accidentally reveal private issues on their friends' walls ("I'm praying for you incontinence Johnny!" or "Hey, don't worry, the puke didn't stain the carpet. Did your parents catch you coming in last night?" )
- I have seen the wedding pictures of people I barely know. Years later I have seen their features blend onto the face of their children.
- I have been alerted to world events that I would have otherwise been ignorant about. Of course, I've also had to sort through a great number of causes, world events, and "outrages" that were far from being worth a second of my time. 
- Several times, I have found out when one "friend" was no longer "in a relationship" with another "friend." But more to the point,  I've easily known who broke up with whom by state of their respective walls: whose status become happy first, their friends' commiserations, and by which one kept posting things like: "trying to figure things out," "I need a drink," "trusting God," or "time to check out Match.com" 
- I have been able to make fun of friends that live across the ocean... and update the jibe within minutes of their retort.
- I have discovered that a few of the people I respected when I was younger are actually insane (from psychotics, to political extremists, religious nuts, depressives, neurotics, etc). 
- I have received encouragement when I needed it. Often from unexpected places. 
- I have received comments on pictures or status updates by people who I wish were not keeping tabs on me. 

Does Facebook really help my relationships with people? Is this really being connected? Well... kind of.

Comments

Ed Rand said…
Glad to have you back updating your blog. I'm looking forward to checking in regularly.
8/3/11 10:36
Evangeline said…
Joey, Ross, Rachel, Phoebe, Monica and Chandler were the true Friends. Facebook is a rip off.
8/3/11 16:13
noemí said…
es genial que hayas vuelto al blog... yo no comento mucho, pero con tu permiso, lo seguiré leyendo (como antes).
Facebook es un dilema horrible para una madre falta de actividad social; por un lado, odio su vertiente "patio de marujas" y su irreal sensación de amistad, pero por otro lado, no me siento taaaaaaan desconectada de todo el mundo. Apoyo tu decisión y tus motivos.
9/3/11 03:32
Ryan said…
jeje, es lo mismo que ha comentado jen en el "post" nuevo, para una madre con hijos Facebook puede ser tu salvación, y lo entiendo. Mi objetivo no es juzgar.

y claro que tienes mi permiso para seguir leyendo! Faltaría más! será un honor tenerte como lectora, jeje. Pero bueno, si dejas un comentario de vez en cuando mejor que mejor, que así sé que no estoy hablando solo.
9/3/11 09:16
noemí said…
hecho! ;)
Y por cierto, nunca me he sentido juzgada; tus motivos los comparto y creo que los has explicado fenomenal.
10/3/11 03:40
Kenny said…
Am I one of the psychotic ones? Oh, wait, you had to respect me first...
19/3/11 17:38
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