Facebook

Am I the only one who is sick to death of being informed of every thought my Facebook friends have and every activity they participate in?

I joined Facebook only for the ability to connect with people I may not have otherwise had access to. I moved away from my home town when I was 19 years old and have lived in other states ever since, so I don’t regularly run into my high school pals at the grocery store. Facebook gave me a way to reach them if I chose to, and to get a small glimpse into their life now.

I have now become so irritated by multiple updates a day about their whereabouts on a daily basis (is this even safe??), their every thought, and my least favorite…the vague comments designed to cause curiosity such as:

“Jennifer Smith says: I refuse to be treated this way”.

What way? What happened? Who did this to you? Why do I now feel guilty for possibly offending you when I haven’t spoken to you live in 5 years? Are these people just looking for attention? I don’t understand the purpose of publishing a statement like that for your 400 closest friends to read.

I know the simple solution would be to refrain from looking at it unless I am trying to connect with someone on my friend list. Well, this is where I have a lack of willpower. I guess I find these status updates intriguing in a similar way to a brutal wreck on the highway. I open the Facebook app on my phone at least three times a day and without exception I become frustrated with the completely unnecessary commentary.

A couple of times a week though, someone will include an announcement of their upcoming wedding or a baby being born or some other noteworthy event, and I find that information useful and interesting. I also enjoy reading some of my more witty friends telling a funny story about their children or their work or even making a cutting edge comment about current events.

I suppose many people could say the same thing about having an anonymous blog where I ramble on about my medical conditions, my thoughts and fears, and update the entire world about my life, when there may not be anyone who really wants these updates either.