Face Book

OK, so I admit it. I’m on Facebook. My kids made a page for me so we could post pictures for each other to see when we’re far apart, which is most of the time.  My son travels the world for his work, so I’m able to see pictures of him in amazing places —as soon as he posts them from his cell phone. I love it!

OK, so I admit it. I’m on Facebook. My kids made a page for me so we could post pictures for each other to see when we’re far apart, which is most of the time.  My son travels the world for his work, so I’m able to see pictures of him in amazing places —as soon as he posts them from his cell phone. I love it!

My daughter also added the names of kids she and her brother grew up with. Although it’s been fun to see what their friends are doing now, I’m not all that interested in the lives of most of these twenty-somethings and the club scene in Miami or wherever. So I’ve blocked most of them. I remember them as little children. Seeing pictures of them 10 or 15 years later is rather shocking in most cases. I think I might rather remember them as they were.

I got on some list from my old high school, and another one from my undergraduate college, so suddenly I was being asked to “be a Face Book friend” of people I hadn’t seen or thought of in over 30 years. It was fun to hear what they’re doing now and to see what they look like. But after viewing pictures of children and grandchildren I’ve never met and probably never will meet —and hearing about their vacation homes and travels and daughters’ weddings, I blocked most of them.

I’ve become Face Book friends with people I know who live right here in town. Now this seems a little silly. I don’t really need to look at the computer to see what they’re up to. I can pick up my phone or run into them at the grocery store. All this electronic communication is removing us from REAL HUMAN contact!

A couple of old friends or acquaintances are using Face Book to try to push their business interests or to find investors for projects. I blocked them immediately. There are a few who post things like, “going to the gym now” or “just baked zucchini bread”. I mean, does anyone really CARE? I mean —BOOOOOOOOORRRRRRING! And is it a brilliant idea to announce to the world that one is leaving one’s home for an hour or so -—or for a week-long trip? I think NOT. So I blocked them too.

I discovered that there are hundreds of games and other “additions” on Face Book that people become involved in. I can’t tell you how the games work because I don’t’ play, but the other activities include sending imaginary gifts or “pokes” (whatever that means) or supporting causes, or saying that you agree or disagree with this or that. I figure all this activity is putting money in some person or advertiser’s pocket—and definitely NOT mine. So I blocked all the game nonsense and most of the people who play them. I don’t have time for this.

My daughter put all our little cousins on my Face Book friends’ list. So I get a lot of banter about music groups and what’s going on in high school. I’m just too old for it. Am I a bad person because I don’t CARE about prom? I already survived my own and lived through those of my kids. I’m done.  Blocked ‘em. (I left on the cousin who just started Stanford. THAT should be interesting).

Someone mentioned recently that there are people who use Face Book to spy on people, who pore over pictures of one’s friends and family and all the written exchanges. Rather voyeuristic. That certainly creeped me out. I thought I was pretty careful about whom I “befriended” on Face Book. Maybe I’ll block some more.

I was “friended” by an old college beau whose Face Book friends’ group included folks like Hugh Hefner, Morgan Freeman, Brittany Spears, Ron Howard, and dozens of other sports figures and celebrities. I checked a few of them out, and they were legit.  That was indeed pretty weird. So although it seems a little sleazy on some level that I can’t quite put my finger on or explain, I didn’t block that one. I’m just curious enough to watch for a while. Call me a voyeur.

I think we may have reached the point where Big Brother is watching us. And we knowingly let him right in. It makes me uneasy, but like a train wreck. I just can’t look away. Lately I seem less and less interested in peeking into the lives of others, even old friends and family.  I keep thinking if I were really smart, I’d have only two “friends” on Face Book, my two children. That was the whole point of my being part of it in the first place.