Facebook. Jeeze. I am like many others in thinking that I have a love/hate relationship with Facebook.
What I love about it is the ability share the little things of daily life with family and old friends that I may never see again.
Being around someone everyday, one shares the little things, the minutiae, of day-to-day life. That act of sharing creates bonds with others, and gives one feelings of comfort, belonging and stability. (That is, if the relationship is a positive one.) Sharing with family and dear friends is what I love about Facebook. I especially love seeing pictures of and hearing stories about my siblings’ children as they grow. Facebook makes it easy to connect, and is much more convenient than email. Email has become like the mail box by the road: full of non-personal missives such as bills, reminders, magazines, catalogs and junk mail.
Facebook certainly does have a downside, as just about anything else in life. I get annoyed with politically motivated rants, emotional “look-at-my-suffering” posts, the “here-I-am-every-hour-of-my-day” notifications, self-promotion, religious “honk-if-you-love-Jesus” or “re-post-this-if-you-are-my-friend” blather, and the constant “RIP’s” every time a famous person kicks the bucket–it’s almost as if a contest were going on to see who can be the first to announce the death! I “hide” those types of postings.
There are courses of action that can be taken to guard privacy. It takes a bit of time and thought to go through all of the options available in order to do a thorough job, but it can be done. I pretty much avoid all apps and games and contests that require complete sharing of information, and I have chosen who can view which photos, and what types of postings I will allow from certain “friends.”
I will admit, I do a lot of “hiding”, but the annoyances of Facebook, for me, do not outweigh the good things that I get from it. The reconnection with family members and old friends is priceless to me. But then, I am over 50, and at my age, these connections are more prized than ever. I also get a kick out of the “memes” and funny videos and jokes, and I enjoy being informed of new places to eat and upcoming events. I like cats.
As the old adage advises: All things in moderation. Facebook is what one makes of it, and I am glad that it is here, but don’t get me started on smart phones….
laurasoriginalart 