Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Facebook.

The other day I spoke to a close friend of mine who said she deleted her Facebook account, and since then her self-esteem has gone way up. 

I've heard this before, haven't you? Facebook seems to have become a weird trap for people's insecurities, a place to exude a false sense of happiness and control, to prove to others that your life is worth stalking.  To me, weight seems to be at the forefront.  If you've remained skinny after high school, you've got admirers.  If you lost ten pounds before your wedding, chances are a dozen or so people are waiting, eagerly, greedily, for the weight to creep back on.  But what about the 10 pound weight gain that came from someone falling in love and eating too many pancakes in bed?  Chances are, you don't see an extra layer of fat and think, good for her! I'm glad she's happy. 

It's hard not to fall victim to stalking.  It's feels kind of indulgent, like dipping into a hot bath with a tabloid magazine.  It passes time when you're waiting for a flight or having lunch at your desk.  You can follow people's sudden wardrobe makeovers, the birth of their babies, the end of their marriage, without them having the slightest idea.

Another friend of mine who's never even had a Facebook account told me he decided against one because he feels it won't contribute positively to his life.  This makes perfect sense.  He's wise about his time management. He also doesn't care that his chemistry partner from high school ate a steak burrito for breakfast this morning.  But I care! I swear, I do!  I like to see people living.  I like to see babies being born.  I like the person who writes too many statuses about how much they hate laundry, and the person who clearly has an anger problem.  I like the awkward selfies, the occasional stumble onto some form of a cute youtube puppy video.  It's a place for people to abandon the walls they hold up throughout the day, and what occurs then, on my news feed, is something I like.  It's messy, inconsistent, and too personal, like life, really.

All I need to work on is moderation...

P.S. This is so funny.

(Gemma Correll is behind the funny doodle)

2 comments:

  1. Agreed! Oh, and I have to confess, I stalk you more on your blog than I do on FB... Maybe because we don't really know each other and I find I have a hard time stalking on "acquaintances" on FB, like I don't really get to look into their lives or something... Or maybe it's just that I like your writing very much!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ha! So funny, Pamela! Please, stalk away :)

      Delete