I think it might be generational. My younger Facebook friends don't seem to have these qualms. They post where they are every minute of the day, who they are with, who their family members are, where they work or go to school, their ever-changing relationship status, poems and songs they have written, videos and photos of themselves in various states of drunkenness....either they are extremely naive or my age-mates are very paranoid.
I have conflicting tendencies. On one hand I have always said I live my life out loud. I tend to reveal a lot about myself. I want to connect with others and I see no way of doing this in a meaningful way without being revealing of my own joys and challenges, foibles, and follies. On the other hand, my inherent introversion and "the bad guys'll get ya!" fears keep me struggling to find a balance between revealing and concealing. So, I suppose I'll be doing that dance here too. (Hence, the whole name thing).So, about Facebook. I joined in 2009, reluctantly, but curious. It was at the urging of my niece in Arizona as a fun way to keep in touch. I am now officially sort of addicted. (Love that "sort of" qualifier! Can one be "sort of" an addict? I think, really, you are or you aren't... I are). I sign in many, many times throughout the day to see who's posted, who's commented, who's doing what...I have fallen prey to classical operant conditioning...the intermittent reward of a possible update keeps me coming back for more! I'm one of those chickens pecking at the lever to release a food pellet down the 'ol gullet! I've lately tried to decide if this addiction is dangerous, and in true addict-think I've decided it's not. It's enjoyable, not hurting anyone, I still live a full and productive life in the real world, and I can (sort of) tolerate not having internet access on occasion (hmmm...sort of?). I've re-connected with some old friends, become closer to acquaintances, and found the answer to the introvert's dilemma of wanting/needing social contact without having to carry on long awkward conversations in public places, then coming away exhausted. What could possibly go wrong????
At least that's the view from here....©
Well, Ivy, My Dear....I, for one, am beyond glad that you are doing this. I love your topic today because I often find myself defending my facebook addiction to those who eschew all internet networking. This is one of the best reasons I am on facebook: You and I have known each other for a very long time...since before your firstborn was born. Every single time we have had a face-to-face I have come away from it wanting more time with you. We have always been separated by miles, not by disinterest. Via social networking, i.e. facebook, we have found a new and better way to connect. We are actually involved in one another's lives, albeit from a distance of miles, not from a disconnect of thoughts or ideas or feelings. I cherish every post and comment and like. Yes, I also stalk. (And, even though I think we both knew everything we needed to know about each other upon meeting, we are now discovering how right we were. We are both valuable, vital, vivacious vomen. (sorry...could not stop the alliteration in time)who have many common threads in our hearts.)
ReplyDeleteThank you LauraAnne...As you know, the telephone is not my friend, so I too am grateful for our Facebook connection and appreciate your comments (and support for this!) here. And you are right....we were "right" at that first meeting; our unique relationship was meant to be from lifetimes before this lifetime. Gratitude.
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