Social networking can be elevating and depressing in equal measures.
I was recently most depressed to find on checking out Facebook that a young acquaintance of mine had just been punched in the face by her delightful boyfriend and there she was on the internet telling everyone about it. I suppose there was an element of name and shame going on there but if that was the case it was lost on me as I don't know the arsehole. What depressed me was that she felt she had to go on the internet to look for support. Where were her family, her real friends? I'm afraid I did not comment and I may have to defriend. I feel real sympathy for her but I don't know where she lives, I don't have her number and I'm not her friend. What's the point of me knowing?
Then there was another young friend who status-updated her happy thoughts on her impending marriage. It was, and she admitted this, rather cheesy. I felt that other, less happy people might have been upset by her smug-about-to-be-marriedness and thought two things. Quit it! Learn to spell!
To balance out this negativity and blahness I had a private message from a young woman who I'd known as a child and the sentiments she expressed gave me a glow that lasted all day.
Finally, and this is something to beware of - if you die in a tragic accident, accidentally run over your mum, get arrested for murdering patients in a hospital or piss on a war memorial it will be that wacky profile picture from some social networking site that will find it's way into the papers. Think on.
6 comments:
I love Facebook for the way it lets me be involved in everything that's going on with friends and family all over the world - it's easier to feel connected. Living abroad would be very different without it! But yeah, the tendency to share too much gets on my nerves, too. I have recently hidden two engaged friends from my newsfeed because their statuses and wall comments were becoming unbearable. The last one I read was from the girl, who wrote "I love you so much, even your (sometimes smelly!) farts! xx" - I mean, WHAT?!!!!!! Pretty sure that wasn't even a 'frape', either - another thing that annoys me. One or two amusingly embarrassing hijacks, OK, but some people seem to find it amusing to do it all the time, and it just makes me cringe.
Still... pros don't come without cons, I suppose...
All this cheesy in love stuff should be recited back to the smug-engaged when they break up or get divorced. And if they don't/'til they do the fiance/hubby should get it printed out and laminated so he could recite it to them when they were nagging/huffing/shouting whatever. It would add real zest to a row.
Right, Nelly, he should print and laminate. Then he can remind her of how much she loves his farts whilst he is holding the bedcovers over her head...
If I wasn't addicted to wordscraper I would come off it immediately. I hardly use it at all other than to contact the under 25s and play scrabble with strangers. I avoid as much as possible updating my status. I'm not too smug about that though as I'm on Twitter.
Yes Anna - once something's been printed it is hard to deny.
And Anne - It was wordscraper kept me on for ages but something hideous called Wordzite has appeared on my app. and I've had enough. I'm taking a sabbatical from WS and the rest. You may force win me.
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