Thursday, April 29

Just Not My Thing

Facebook is just not my thing. I first created an account for the universal reasons: (1) Everyone else is doing it and (2) I'm not chicken. Except it didn't take long for me to realize that deep down I am a socially inept hermit. What does one write on a "wall". I found myself asking. As I looked the walls of those who friended me (because I'm hermit, I don't friend others) I never really got a clear idea. The people who travel posted pictures of traveling in between notes of departures and arrivals. The people babies posted pictures of babies. There is a whole generation whose lives are being tracked on-line. 15 years from now teenagers won't have to worry about their parents showing their date embarrassing photos, chances are, they will have already been seen.

I can let life pile up enough to create a blog post, but I really don't feel the need to share all the "in between" stuff. I have never mastered the art of small talk or starting random conversation. I'm an essayist at heart and no matter how the CEO of Facebook redefines the social norm, I don't want to let my BFF from elementary school in on my weekend plans. Some friendships were made to be broken and I'm sorry, but the truth is, dear old middle school pal, we were never going to be BFFE. I don't want my daughters step-mother to friend me. My evangelical cousin need not remind me that unwed mothers go to hell; I have my purple hand basket packed and ready to go.

So I guess that's it. Facebook was not designed for folks like me. People with a healthy respect for personal boundaries and a long list of people to hind from. There is a lot to be said for keeping things bottled up. Sadly, its an art that has been lost.

1 comment:

Land of shimp said...

Ah splendid, I've found the other person not suited to Facebook. We should form our own site for networking. "I'd Rather Be a Recluse, Really."

We'd need very little bandwidth.

I'm a social enough person, but that sort of social. Topical discussion? Marvelous! I can even have the occasional discussion about a purse, but it's fairly rare.

But I don't communicate well in a mere sentence, and therefore Facebook is my Kryptonite. It weakens, leaves me wordless.

Truthfully, I've never been on it for more than a moment. Just like MySpace before it, I don't really get it.

I am not an it-getter when it comes to Facebook. You have company in the Hermit Hills.